Top deals on CNET here
Hummer and Saturn get new parents, new mini cars are coming to the U.S., we learn what consumers really want in car tech, and we roll in a new hybrid sedan we really like.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Show notes
Hummer goes to the Chinese, Saturn to Roger Penske. It's a whole new day.
(Credit: Hummer, Saturn)• Fiat 500 coming Chrysler stores
Penske Automotive Group announced today that is has signed an agreement with General Motors regarding the Saturn brand.
Under the terms of the agreement, if the transaction is completed, Penske Automotive Group would obtain the rights to the Saturn brand, acquire certain assets including the Saturn parts inventory, and have the right to distribute vehicles and parts through the Saturn Dealership network. General Motors would continue to provide Saturn Aura, Vue, and Outlook vehicles, on a contract basis, for an interim period.
Further details of the transaction are not being released at this time. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur during the third quarter of 2009.
(Source: Penske Automotive Group)
PARIS--Roger Penske wants to import Renault Samsung Motors vehicles built in South Korea to be sold in the United States through the Saturn dealer network.
French automaker Renault owns 80.1 percent of Renault Samsung. South Korean credit card issuer Samsung Card owns the rest.
Penske, chairman of Penske Automotive Group, met here the week of May 11 with Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn to discuss a deal, say sources familiar with the talks. Renault Samsung would supply several vehicles for distribution by Saturn.
Samsung builds four passenger vehicles, all on Nissan underpinnings.
It's not known which vehicles would be sold by Saturn or whether they would be current Samsung offerings or new ones based on Renault engineering. Also unclear: the corporate relationship between Penske and Renault-Nissan.
... Read moreDETROIT--The death of the Saturn brand won't slow down the rollout of General Motors' plug-in hybrid power train, says Tom Stephens, vice chairman of GM's global product development.
After GM said on April 27 that it would stop building Saturns at the end of this year--not 2011, as previously planned--company sources said they knew of no other plans to use the plug-in hybrid power train, which had been scheduled for the Saturn Vue.
But Stephens says: "It doesn't just go away because Saturn goes away. We are going to plug it in."
GM plans to install the advanced gasoline-electric drivetrain, teamed with GM's Two Mode front-wheel-drive transmission, in a compact crossover and introduce it when the Saturn Vue plug-in crossover was to debut, early in 2011, Stephens told Automotive News.
He would not say which vehicle would get the plug-in power train, but vehicles similar to the Vue that might be candidates include the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.
The plug-in Vue would have delivered fuel economy of about 35 mpg or slightly higher in city driving.
GM plans to deliver the first plug-in hybrids to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute for fleet testing in 2011, Stephens said. The institute is a nonprofit group that studies electricity.
GM had planned to launch a full hybrid version of the Vue this summer using its acclaimed Two Mode transmission, then add the plug-in in 2011. Now GM is going to launch the Two Mode with the plug-in feature all at once in that year.
No date has been set for when consumers will be offered a plug-in hybrid. Stephens said the price of fuel may play a role in determining that. Toyota Motor Corp. also plans to launch a test fleet of plug-in Priuses before offering them to consumers.
With the death later this year of the Saturn Aura Hybrid, GM will have more available hybrid parts, such as batteries and electronics, to build the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid if sales are strong. The two vehicles use the same power train.
(Source: Automotive News)
Did hydrogen cars just blow up? GM's closer to unloading Saturn, but also to keeping part of it. One less GPS nav brand to contend with. And, we get a lot of stares in this week's test car.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• First look at the Nissan Cube
• Yet another EV comes out of the woodwork
General Motors today announced its plans to sell off Saturn. In a statement issued by the company, GM said a number of potential buyers have surfaced and expressed interest in the Saturn brand and retailer network. The company will be reviewing expressions of interest from the potential buyers and will look to secure an agreement with a specific buyer later this year. S.J. Girsky&Co. has been retained by GM as adviser for this transaction. Saturn will continue to keep its 400 retailers updated on its progress throughout this process.
(Source: General Motors)
One little-discussed consequence of taking Saturn out of the General Motors equation: GM loses just more than a quarter of its sales of fuel-saving hybrids--just the type of vehicles the Obama administration wants automakers to build.
Saturn sells hybrid versions of the Vue crossover and Aura sedan, and last year was second among GM's divisions in hybrid sales with 3,205. Chevrolet, which sold 5,838 of GM's 11,454 hybrids, was tops.
Saturn had planned to add a more advanced hybrid version of the Vue this summer. But that vehicle, which uses a front-wheel-drive version of GM's Two Mode transmission, has been canceled. So was the plug-in version of the Vue, which had been scheduled for 2010.
After Saturn goes, GM will offer only one hybrid car: the Chevrolet Malibu. GM's other hybrids will be the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade SUVs.
GM said last week that all Saturn production will end with the 2009 model year.
(Source: Automotive News)
Sirius XM averts possible bankruptcy (for now), GM kills off its hot rod division, Hyundai won't just take your car back--they'll pay for it! And we take a ride in a car Mazda has to get a home run out of.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• New Moto phone safe for gas station use
• States consider billing you for each mile driven
Having you vehicle towed is a pretty bad position in which to find oneself. Once your ride is loaded onto the truck, there's usually nothing you can do about it... unless you're this woman! Behold the awesome power of the front wheel driven, Chinese market Chevrolet Captiva--or as it's known in the US market, the Saturn Vue.
The Smart ForTwo is one of five finalists for the LA Auto Show's Green Car of the Year.
(Credit: Daimler/Smart)Five finalists were announced for the 2008 LA Auto Show's Green Car of the Year award. Only one of them can be crowned king, but which will it be?
There are a broad range of green technologies represented in this year's field: clean diesels, gasoline-electric hybrids, and a tiny, thrifty gasoline engine.
Will the winner be the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which we've heard so much about over the past few months? Perhaps it will be the newly announced BMW 335d, with its 50-state-compliant clean diesel? Representing gas-electric hybrids are the Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid, with their all-electric low-speed modes. Tossed into the mix is the Smart ForTwo, a car that takes the less-is-more approach to reducing emissions and consumption by shrinking the car and the engine.
At this point, it's anyone's guess who the winner will be. Check out our gallery of the finalists for the LA Auto Show 2008 Green Car of the Year and stay tuned for our coverage of the 2008 LA Auto Show for the crowning of this year's winner.
