PHOENIX, AZ: Canada's mid-size car market should be one of the most consumer-friendly segments in the entire car industry by this fall, thanks mostly to Saturn's ambitious plans for its new 2000 L-series line of sedans and wagons.
After all, Saturn is going to drop this new vehicle right into a segment that is not expected to expand very much (if at all) and already includes such formidable vehicles as the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, among many others, and expects to move volumes equal to that of the existing best sellers.
On top of that, Ford will be bringing out a new version of its big-selling Taurus model that should be more appealing to buyers, and Subura will be throwing considerably refined iterations of the Legacy and Outback models into the fray.
In a segment that is not expected to broaden, this kind of pressure is almost certainly going to result in more aggressive pricing, company rebates, and dealers ready to strike a bargain.
I'm sworn to secrecy on my impressions of the new Saturn until July 1, but I will tell you that the folks at Saturn aren't dreaming when they expect their car to make a major splash in the market.
One of the biggest things Saturn has going for it with the new L-series is the nature of its retail network, which provides a low-impact, no-hassle, no-haggle experience. This has caused great numbers of people to buy compact cars that had little to recommend them from any engineering or style perspective and should continue to draw crowds of shoppers who