In spite of extraordinary efforts to save the brand, with Tuesday’s announcement that it was pulling out of its bid to buy Saturn, the Penske Automotive Group effectively sealed the fate of a “Different Car Company,” this based on its inability to secure a supply of vehicles after its OEM agreement with GM was set to expire. But did it have to play out that way, adding 13,000 more casualties to the ongoing automotive recession? Automotive Traveler’s Jim Brennan takes a look back on Saturn’s history, examining the many marketing and product missteps that ultimately doomed the brand. And he asks one more question; did GM now and Nissan three years down the road really want a viable competitor, vying for the same customers looking for high-quality, low-cost automobiles?
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