kansaiwalker1

Saturn may drop L-Series

Despite high hopes, slow sales have GM ready to end production earlier than planned

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News


DETROIT — General Motors Corp. is likely to stop production of the failed Saturn L-300 midsize passenger car ahead of schedule because of disappointing sales and bulging inventories, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The L-Series was launched in 1999 with great expectations and a mission to compete with industry-leaders Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Instead, it has become a key reason that Saturn has struggled in recent years.

Even a redesign for the 2003 model year and beefed up advertising failed to ignite consumer interest.

Last year, L-Series sales dropped 20 percent from 2002, according to Autodata Corp. Last month, sales plummeted 78 percent from a year earlier.

By the end of January, dealer lots were jammed with a 151-day supply of the L-300 sedan, according to Farmington Hills-based CSM Worldwide, an automotive forecasting firm.

“Clearly, the vehicle has missed its market by a long shot,” CSM Worldwide analyst Mike Jackson said.

Saturn has said it planned to end production of the L-Series next year, replacing it in 2006 with a new midsize car based on the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saab 9-3 and Opel Vectra.

But people familiar with the matter said with sales slowing, GM likely will pull the plug on L-Series production this year.

Saturn spokeswoman Sherrie Childers-Arb said the door is open to changes in the L-300 production schedule.

“We’re looking at the production plans for the L-300 and we are reviewing them,” Childers-Arb said.

The plant in Wilmington, Del., that builds the vehicle has been shut down intermittently for a number of weeks over the last several months because of lagging sales, and is scheduled for a four-week shutdown beginning Friday.

CSM Worldwide estimates the plant is using only 22 percent of its capacity.

“Production could certainly handle demand without extending production,” said Alan Baum, director of forecasting at automotive consultant Planning Edge in Farmington Hills.

When production of the L-300 does end, the Wilmington plant will be retooled to build the 2006 Pontiac Solstice, a two-seat convertible.

At January’s North American International Auto Show in Cobo Center, GM unveiled the Saturn Sky and Chevrolet Nomad concept vehicles, which are built on the same basic structure as the Solstice — the Kappa architecture in GM parlance. The automaker has said it is likely a similarly-based vehicle will be added to the Saturn lineup.

Adding a Kappa-based Saturn model to the production mix at Wilmington would make sense, said Jackson, since the low-volume Solstice would not come close to making use of the plant’s 200,000 vehicle annual production capacity.

The move would also fit Saturn’s attempt to reclaim the glory it enjoyed when it began selling its plastic-clad cars in 1990 in dealerships that feature a warm, welcoming atmosphere, attentive customer service and no-haggle pricing policy.

Positioned as an “import-killer,” Saturn carved out a niche in the marketplace.

But GM neglected Saturn for many years while it infused other divisions such as Cadillac with new products.

You can reach Ed Garsten at (313) 223-3217 or egarsten @detnews.com.

einsatz

I'm surprised people still buy saturns.
I never thought the L really didn't have much going for it. People that buy Camrys and Accords do it partly because they're hondas and toyotas. To go with a GM car instead sort of defeats the purpose of getting a reliable, affordable car.

charliemike

The L-Series are pretty decent cars and aren't bad looking but Saturn has gone from a "I have to go take a look at them when I go car shopping" to "There's no way I'm going to buy a Saturn" ... which is why they are hurting and why GM as a corporation has sucked up til now.

Slimey

The first generation Saturns of the very early 90s have/had loyal followers. For what it seemed, they were cheap reliable cars that were easy for the home mechanic to maintain. Over the years, GM brought Saturn back to the level of every other American-grade econocar shitbox and now their reliability has dropped as has the associated fanaticism.

We had a second generation 1997 SL2 sedan. Nothing but minor problems from day one. Although local customer service is good, most problems were denied as warranty items and every time the car went back to the dealer it required days of arguments with the regional representative or Saturn corporate. My wife couldn't wait to dump it. Others with the same car had a similar experience.

:thumbsdn: Saturn

Zapata

yea went to saturn dealership when my mom was considering a new car and drove the L. Wow what a POS. No power, lack of features etc., and the price wasn't even that great.

1SICKLEX

ANother American car that had no chance vs the Accord/Camry. Sad.

AcuraFan

We picked up a loaded '98 SL2 back in '97. It was a decent car but after a while we realized we could have gotten a better car (Civic, Corolla or even base Accord) for the same price. However, we didn't have many problems with it and customer service was always good.

Fortunately, my wife took (got stuck with) the Saturn in the divorce and I was able to move over to Honda.

bl^5

I had a '94 Saturn SL2 and it was the perfect college car! It is the first the car I ever worked on myself and it was very easy to work on. I never had any problems with it and the insurance was cheap as hell! I honestly think GM should keep the saturn cars small and concentrate on getting them reliable as they used to be. I sold my SL2 to a friend and he still has it and he is replacing the clutch for the first time at 185K miles!

Infamous425

its a shitty car. all saturns are. i think the main problem is GM has too many cars based on the same platform l-series, malibu, etc.

Moog-Type-S

No style at all. Saturn = Boring

matteichenfels

I had a 98 SL1, Honestly, it was the best car i have ever owned...never had a problem with it. My Cl is starting to feel "old" at 50, 000 miles, and it has been babied. My saturn had 80,000 on it, and it felt solid. That car had power everything...sunroof, 6 disc changer and everything. I should have kept it.

The newly redesigned L series is good looking from the outside, but looks cheap inside. It is a shame that they arent selling, but i can see why

kansaiwalker1

Related Article:

Saturn pins hopes on new sports car

Auto will share Solstice platform; L-series ends in July

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News


DETROIT — General Motors Corp. said Monday that it will build a small sporty car for its Saturn division based on the same underpinnings as the Pontiac Solstice roadster.

But jobs will be lost at the Wilmington, Del., plant that will produce both vehicles.

The struggling midsize Saturn L-series will go out of production in July, a year earlier than originally planned, as reported Sunday in The Detroit News, GM spokesman Dan Flores said.

The new Saturn will go into production in late 2005, arriving in showrooms in early 2006.

At January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Saturn and Chevrolet concept cars were unveiled that were built on the GM’s Kappa platform, which underpins the 2006 Pontiac Solstice, a two-seat, rear-drive convertible.

While the Saturn concept vehicle was named the Curve, the production version has not been named, Saturn spokeswoman Sherrie Childers-Arb said.

“The future sports car will serve as a halo vehicle for Saturn,” Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman for product development, said in a statement. “This is a game-changer for Saturn.”

The new car is part of an effort by GM to rebuild Saturn, which was created in 1985 to compete with foreign imports but suffered from a new product drought through much of the late 1990’s.

“Clearly this shows some continued commitment toward Saturn for any of those who weren’t sure how long it might last,” said Mike Wall, an analyst with Farmington Hills-based CSM Worldwide.

Saturn is introducing three new products in the next 36 months, including the Relay crossover sport van this fall.

Both the Solstice and the Saturn car will be produced in low volumes — less than 50,000 units annually combined — in a plant that is capable of building 200,000 vehicles a year.

Slow sales of the L-series have caused a number of temporary shutdowns at Wilmington and the plant will be idled for four weeks starting March 8. It now operates on one shift with about 1,100 employees.

But that number is likely to drop when the Solstice and Saturn sports car go into production.

Much of Wilmington’s work force will be laid off after the L-series is discontinued until the production launch of the Solstice and Saturn sports car begins.

How many workers will be retained has yet to be determined. The Solstice is scheduled as a 2006 model, arriving in showrooms in the fall of 2005.

“We still need to take a look at how the decision to end L-series production early impacts the plant’s manpower,” Flores said.

GM’s Bowling Green, Ky., plant which builds the low-volume Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac XLR, has about 1,000 workers and the Lansing Craft Center, where the Chevrolet SSR is built, employs 400 people. Wilmington’s employment count is likely to fall somewhere between those two numbers.

Employment at Wilmington could rebound to some degree over time as additional Kappa-based vehicles are added, CSM Worldwide’s Mike Wall said.

The L-series will give way to a new midsize Saturn vehicle that will share parts with the Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and several of GM’s European products. They are built on what GM refers to as its Epsilon platform.

Wall said that of the two plants equipped to build Epsilon based products — Fairfax, Kan., and Orion Township, Mich. — the Fairfax plant where the Malibu and Malibu Maxx are built is believed to have the inside track on producing the new midsize Saturn.

You can reach Ed Garsten at (313) 223-3217 or egarsten@detnews.com.

titan

Yep. That's it in a nutshell... which really is a shame because with a little attention it could have done better...

charliemike

Saturn hasn't advertised this car at all ... I wonder how many people even know Saturn has a mid-sized car?

Infamous425

^ people know about it ... they know its a piece of shit

Zoot

i actually love the Saturn ad where everybody drives boxes and then somebody is different w/ an L-Series

matteichenfels

I actually like Saturns. I had a 98 SL1. I should have kept it. No problems and it had 70,000 miles on it when I bought it. Saturn had it going on until this hideous Ion POS came out. What the hell were they thinking? The L series is nice looking, but there is nothing giving it the edge. Even the Leather-Clad model looks cheap inside. The Vue is worth considering when buying a small sport ute, but I laugh when people say Saturns are POS's. Everything in them is GM, and you rarely here anyone saying GM's are POS's. Ugly cars maybe, but not POS's. Saturn Redline Ion is not bad looking, but the base model coupes and the four door Ions are ugly as sin. They need revamped. And they need to stop playing this "card" that they've been playing. Being nice and easy to deal with never got anyone anywhere!

kansaiwalker1

Monday, August 9, 2004


Saturn plans midsize car to replace L-Series

Sedan likely to be built in Kan.; Orion plant may be tapped

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News



DETROIT — General Motors Corp. directors have approved plans to produce a new midsize car for Saturn to replace the failed L-series.

The car, a 2006 model, will be based on the same basic platform as the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6.

Pending negotiations with local government officials on tax incentives, the automaker is expected to build the new Saturn sedan at its Fairfax, Kan., plant, which produces the Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx. A final decision is not expected for several weeks.

GM’s Orion assembly plant will also be able to build the new Saturn sedan, if sales warrant.

The Orion factory makes the Pontiac G6, which will come in sedan, coupe and hardtop convertible versions. The automaker is hoping the G6 will become a high-volume product.

“With the derivatives of the G6 to be introduced in the coming months, we plan on fully utilizing Orion assembly with G6 production,” GM spokesman Dan Flores said.

Because of disappointing sales, Saturn dropped the L-series last month but promised to come back to the market with another midsize car.

The GM division plans to double the number of products from three to six over the next 18 to 20 months.

1SICKLEX

First, the name L-series is lame. Just give it a name, it's not a luxury car.
Second, please give it some good=looking styling. The Ion=too weird.

titan

I hope they get this one right. The last one was a joke. And ditto on the name thing. Just don't call it "Atom", or something horrible like that.

matteichenfels

its sad, because my saturn was the most reliable car i ever had. they are good cars, just not goo-looking cars. they need new designers!

Zoot

thank you for bringing back a month old post for that insightful info

charliemike

That was totally unnecessary.

cusdaddy

First of all, he didn't bring back the post, and secondly I actually do find his post insightful. Yours is however

SEmy2K2go

Not to beat a dead horse here in keeping this thread going, but I am seeing some interesting views on both sides here. I have owned two Saturns '92 SL-1 and a '97 SL-2. Racked up over 150k combined and only problem for both cars was the '92 alternator went bad. I worked as a Sales Consultant for Saturn of Columbus for 2 years during the time the L series was released. I actually sold the first L series in Columbus. My mother purchased one as well. The first year, the car was quite rough around the edges, but there was a decent amount of performance out of the Opel based V6. Granted it was no rocket, but for Saturn, that has never been their main selling point. The cars are safe and they are reliable as others have mentioned. I lost count of how many repeat Saturn owners I sold cars to. On one day, I sold 4 cars to one family who all traded in their other Saturns. I have been to Spring Hill, TN and these people put a lot of effort into building these cars and whether you like or dislike the styling, performance, or marketing of the cars, you cannot deny that you have to respect a company who's selling philosophy has always held to a no haggle, no hastle belief. Its comforting to know that if I buy a car today, my neighbor, uncle or roommate can go buy the same exact car for the same exact price and i won't be angry to find out that he saved $1k more than I did. I still go back to Saturn to buy my cars since my old boss is a really good guy and he bends over backwards to find me exactly what I'm looking for in my cars ie my '02 Maxima with exactly which options I wanted.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. Sorry for the ramble.