Saturn and Opel to be indistinguishable by 2014
Ward's Auto is reporting that General Motors has begun a plan to completely integrate Saturn and its European Opel brand by 2014. By that time, nearly every car in the lineup of each brand will be "interchangeable," according to Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe. Forster likens what will become of Saturn to Vauxhall, the retail channel for Opel in the United Kingdom.
The Saturn Aura already rides on the same Epsilon platform as the Opel Vectra, but both cars were developed separately, feature different content and are built in different locations. The next Vectra, however, will be the basis for the second-generation Aura sold in the U.S. Both the Opel Antara SUV and the Astra compact will also be coming to the States soon as the next VUE and ION replacement, respectively. The smallest Opel, the newly redesigned Corsa (shown above), could also come over as a Saturn if GM believes it needs another entry-level option alongside the Chevy Aveo in the U.S.
The only thing Saturn has to offer Opel is the Sky roadster. The Sky will be sold in Europe as the Opel GT early next year. Aside from that, Opel's European customers probably aren't interested in the upcoming 7-passenger Saturn Outlook, as the CUV is much too large for their tastes.
[Source: Ward's Auto]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
alexdimenna 7:44AM (2/23/2009)
GM should take Vauxhall,Opel, and Saturn and consolidate the three different divisions. they should all sell the same product under the same brand name in different markets. Opel should become the surviving moniker/brand and the cost of the different brands is dramatically slashed.
This same principle should be applied to Chevrolet and GMC, they both sell the same product lines to similar core demographics but have different brands and dealership networks. Chevrolet and GMC should merge with Chevrolet being the surviving franchise.
Hummer and SAAB should be grouped together and sold to am emerging automaker looking for a foothold in several markets. With a little investment both Hummer and SAAB can become showpeice brands.
I personally would save Pontiac as its lineup does not overlap and caters to a sportier segment than any of GM'S other brands. I would keep Pontiac at least for the midterm and consider taking the brand international if GM's fortunes improve, if the company still didnt reach profitability the brand most likely would have to be axed.
The above suggestions would cost way less than discontinuing a brand, that would involve dealer lawsuits and hefty costs of anywhere to $2-$3 billion as seen when oldsmobile was discontinued in the late 90's.
Selling SAAB/Hummer
Consolidating Saturn/Vauxhall/ Opel into just the Opel Brand
Merging Chevrolet/GMC into Chevrolet
7 brands will be whittled down to two brands. clearer marketing and definition can be discovered and synergies will arise. the company will be on a solid footing with a more manageable company, poised for future growth. If this plan is not followed and GM decides to close brands and severely mismanage their divestment we might not see the company survive another three years.
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Gidge 4:37PM (10/06/2006)
WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
buuuuut. by 'interchangeable' does that mean similar (interior) quality and content? I hope so.
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Carillo 5:39PM (10/07/2006)
Shown above is new sub-compact Opel Corsa, not an Astra.
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iQuack 4:42PM (10/06/2006)
Makes sense to me--are Europeans and Asians THAT much different from Americans (many of whom are European and Asian anyway)?
The idea that Europeans and Asians have such different car markets from the U.S. is determined by the types of roads, density of traffic, fuel costs, and styling preferences.
But those differences have been weakening for years as evidenced by the rise of imported cars to the U.S.
Integrating Saturn with Opel saves money and what really matters is the competence of the cars and how competitively they are priced.
Surprising that GM didn't do this years ago.
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FordMania 4:42PM (10/06/2006)
This could be the best badge engineering in GM history!
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Jason 4:52PM (10/06/2006)
I guess this is GM admittance they couldn't successfully design their own Saturns in the last eight years. So who gets fired for this? Of course, no one.
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iQuack 4:53PM (10/06/2006)
I wouldn't call this badge engineering because Opel and Saturn are sold in different geographical areas. You won't see Opels and Saturns parked near one another in the U.S. the way you might see a Ford and a badge-engineered Mercury together.
Branding a single, really good line of cars 2 ways for 2 distict areas isn't badge engineering--it's good strategy for GM.
Maybe it'll also be good for the rest of us by giving us more good cars from which to choose in the U.S.
It might also give GM some flexibility by having a line of cars that can be built both in the U.S. and in Europe.
If the euro currency is expensive enough (it's high now) maybe GM could export Opels to Europe at some future time. You never know........
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christopher 4:57PM (10/06/2006)
This is brilliant... GM is doing exactly what Ford should be doing to Mercury. They are reinvigorating the Saturn brand with some funky Euro designs that are tried and true but are fresh to the U.S. market. Opel is the perfect fit for the Saturn brand and GM doesn't have to reinvent the wheel to introduce new designs.
I never thought I'd be rooting for GM, but here we are... funny how things turn out.
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Joakim 4:57PM (10/06/2006)
Just one correction; The car in the picture is the new Corsa and not the Astra as stated in the text.
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David F 5:04PM (10/06/2006)
Next bring all of Holden to Pontiac!
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Richard Warren 5:05PM (10/06/2006)
Not a bad idea, only 7 1/2 years to go.
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Tion 5:05PM (10/06/2006)
I only wish they would bring the Zafira too.
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Michael Karesh 5:37PM (10/06/2006)
If they're contented like Opels, they'll have to be priced much like VWs. Not necessarily a bad thing. I just wouldn't expect the Corsa to be priced like the Aveo, so I'm not seeing why selling the Aveo precludes selling the Corsa.
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required 5:39PM (10/06/2006)
how is the Sky going to jive w/ the Opel Speedster (a rebadged Lotus Elise)?
http://www.speedster.opel.com/
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Chuck 6:01PM (10/06/2006)
I think Ford to do the same thing due to the failure of the Merkur experiment of the late 80's.
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Oh Brother 6:34PM (10/06/2006)
I think it's a little ironic that Saturn was originally created by GM to be an import FIGHTER, but the world's kinda changed on them.
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FordMania 6:43PM (10/06/2006)
12. how is the Sky going to jive w/ the Opel Speedster (a rebadged Lotus Elise)?
http://www.speedster.opel.com/
Posted at 5:39PM on Oct 6th 2006 by required 0 stars
This is the Opel version of the Saturn Sky
http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2006_geneva/opel/gt/pages/01.htm
5. I wouldn't call this badge engineering because Opel and Saturn are sold in different geographical areas. You won't see Opels and Saturns parked near one another in the U.S. the way you might see a Ford and a badge-engineered Mercury together.
It is still badge engineering but I agree with your comment and I also think it makes good business sense for GM. Whoever posted about Pontiac sharing badge engineered cars with Holden is right on the mark too.
Ford's Mercury marque is worthless unless it does a similar thing and brings the Mondeo, European Focus, et al. to the US
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GrowUp 7:13PM (10/06/2006)
I'm all for it. I've never heard, does this mean no more Saturn plastic body panels? After riding with a friend in his Saturn during a parking lot fender bender, then having my own door dented by a parking lot hit-and-run, I kinda like the idea. Will that be kept or lost?
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Lithous 8:52PM (10/06/2006)
"I'm all for it. I've never heard, does this mean no more Saturn plastic body panels?"
They were canned a bit ago. That is why the Spring Hill factory is being retooled, it did all the plastic cars. After the Ion is gone early next year (IIRC) and the VUE this time next year (still around just totally new without plastic panels), there are no more plastic panels.
"I kinda like the idea."
Get with the times, looks are more important than like functionality and stuff. I.E. gaps were like a couple milimeters too much for discriminating tastes (i.e. overly debted Americans). Not only the ding thing was an advantage but vehicles in areas prone to rust look much better after years if they have plastic panels too. But dude, 2 mm is 2 mm. I mean come on.
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Greg A. 12:05AM (10/07/2006)
"The smallest Opel, the newly redesigned Corsa (shown above), could also come over as a Saturn if GM believes it needs another entry-level option alongside the Chevy Aveo in the U.S."
Hello? "[C]ould" come over? Just four days ago, there was an Autoblog item that reported that the next-gen Corsa (not the one that just came out) WILL come over to the U.S.:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/02/opel-corsa-to-be-sold-on-u-s-soil-in-five-years/
Who wrote that Autoblog item? John Neff, the same person who wrote this one. Way to go, John!
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