GM's customer-pleasing Saturn division has been promising that it will focus as much on product as it has in the process of buying a car, and there are two significant pieces of evidence in support of that at the Detroit auto show.
The Sky and the Aura are both on display at Cobo Hall on the shore of the Detroit river across from downtown Windsor, but for the moment only the Sky roadster is officially a production car, but not until 2006.
For the record, the Aura sedan is a concept vehicle, but there is every chance that a car very much like it will be sitting in Saturn retailers not long after the Sky arrives. After all, Saturn has promised to go to six models by 2007.
With the ongoing arrival of the Saturn Relay in dealers now, Saturn now has three models (the others are the Vue sport-cute and the Ion compact car) and is scheduled to go to four with Sky, to five with a new mid-size sedan, and to six with a full-size SUV that's still unseen.
Sky is clearly the more interesting of the two new models currently on view, since it sends the Saturn identity skittering away in a whole other direction
Notwithstanding this change in product direction, Saturn executives swear they will never, ever, ever abandon the consumer-friendly atmosphere of their dealers and the ownership experience that made them popular in the first place. Never, ever, ever.
So, if you go down to a Saturn retailer in about a year to check out the two-seat roadster, the no-hassle, no-haggling, low-impact buying experience of buying a Saturn will still be there.
The experience of driving a Saturn will undergo a significant change, however, since GM has done a great job with the look of this roadster and, they promise, its agility.
''Building on its accomplishments in customer sales and service satisfaction, Saturn is introducing a bold new product design to our vehicles,'' says Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak. ''For Saturn, the Sky is not the limit. It's only the beginning.''
When it arrives next year, Sky is expected to start for about $30,000 in Canada, or maybe a little more.
''The Sky's exterior conveys a sense of technical harmony, combining taut, controlled lines with fluid surfaces to create a dynamic feeling,'' says Ed Welburn, vice president of design for GM North America. ''The vehicle's strong front end is the new face of Saturn, with a pronounced fender peak and a bold, chrome bar that carries an integrated Saturn badge.''
Sky's design also features a wide stance with short overhangs and 18-inch wheels pushed to the corners of the car, which has positive handling and occupant comfort implications.
The convertible top folds completely into the rear compartment, says Welburn, and the clamshell hood ''provides excellent accessibility and reinforces the sports car aura. Projector halogen low beams and reflector optic halogen high beam headlamps extend the exterior's sophisticated look.''
The Sky and the Aura are both on display at Cobo Hall on the shore of the Detroit river across from downtown Windsor, but for the moment only the Sky roadster is officially a production car, but not until 2006.
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With the ongoing arrival of the Saturn Relay in dealers now, Saturn now has three models (the others are the Vue sport-cute and the Ion compact car) and is scheduled to go to four with Sky, to five with a new mid-size sedan, and to six with a full-size SUV that's still unseen.
Sky is clearly the more interesting of the two new models currently on view, since it sends the Saturn identity skittering away in a whole other direction
Notwithstanding this change in product direction, Saturn executives swear they will never, ever, ever abandon the consumer-friendly atmosphere of their dealers and the ownership experience that made them popular in the first place. Never, ever, ever.
So, if you go down to a Saturn retailer in about a year to check out the two-seat roadster, the no-hassle, no-haggling, low-impact buying experience of buying a Saturn will still be there.
The experience of driving a Saturn will undergo a significant change, however, since GM has done a great job with the look of this roadster and, they promise, its agility.
''Building on its accomplishments in customer sales and service satisfaction, Saturn is introducing a bold new product design to our vehicles,'' says Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak. ''For Saturn, the Sky is not the limit. It's only the beginning.''
When it arrives next year, Sky is expected to start for about $30,000 in Canada, or maybe a little more.
 |
Sky's design also features a wide stance with short overhangs and 18-inch wheels pushed to the corners of the car, which has positive handling and occupant comfort implications.
The convertible top folds completely into the rear compartment, says Welburn, and the clamshell hood ''provides excellent accessibility and reinforces the sports car aura. Projector halogen low beams and reflector optic halogen high beam headlamps extend the exterior's sophisticated look.''
