This one make more sense than the Mitsubishi and Saturn hook-up floated last week. Automotive News [sub] reports that Roger Penske thinks it’s a good idea to import Korean-built Renault-Samsung Motors vehicles to sell through the Saturn dealer network. (Apparently, Roger’s been en France kicking the idea around with Renault – Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.) Remember: I said more sense. Not a lot of sense. The details that would make this deal seem sensible are . . . uh . . . sketchy. “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.” In the deal’s favor, the move might return Saturn to its roots as the first-time car buyer’s first port-of-call. Against, plenty. But it does back-up what we’ve been saying for some time: Renault – Nissan is sniffing around GM’s remains, looking for a tasty snack. Saturn or . . . the whole company? Watch this space.
Will the Samsung car have Sony guts?
I never knew Samsung produced cars. Awesome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Samsung_Motors
As I understand it, when Fiat gets Chrysler for nothing, that’ll be twice in a row that it’s brought that sum. So it’ll be interesting to see what Saturn/Opel/Saturn/Saab go for, if they go at all. I’d be very leary of buying a car from such a setup. Here today, gone tomorrow or even later today. Parts? Trained, experienced techs? No thanks.
first Fiat, then Renault… none of the good European car companies interested? the only thing worse than a Renault is a Korean Renault. That might even be below Fiat.
So my choice of cars on my short list in the US is not growing.
http://www.renaultsamsungm.com/main/index.jsp?load=qm5 the QM5 the only decent looking car. The others are Kia Amanti – competitors (and will lose against Kia)
Samsung was started by the actual company Samsung with Nissan as a partner. Renault (And Nissan) took a controlling intrest in 2000.
They make bland, boring Renault-Nissan derived products for the Korean market. But, hey, the chance to pick up an entire dealer network for basically free sounds pretty tempting, right?
To me, the Samsung cars look somewhat decent, and definitely more upscale than what Saturn’s been known for. I think someone could take over the Saturn name and dealer network and do well with it if they had the right products. I think product was always the thing holding Saturn back, not the business model. Put some cars with appeal on the lots with a reasonable no-haggle price and watch them fly off the lots.
Why on earth would Nissan-Renault want yet another brand name to market in the US? They already have Nissan and Infiniti. If Samsung has some great entry level products, then sell them through the Nissan channel. Saturn lacks the market scale or presence to be a useful addition, especially since the already miniscule Saturn network is shrinking almost every day.
This has failure written all over it.
Notgoingtohappen.com
At least these stories will give Saturnfans.com something to post.
Major problem; the cars aren’t certified for sale in the United States or Canada and this process takes time.
GM is going to cease production of Saturn cars very soon.
Perhaps 2010 cars would be sourced from Mitsubishi, and 2011 cars from Renault-Samsung?!
Can anyone say “parts and service nightmare”?
Akear: the resident loon and self appointed troll monitor/post whore/Saturn salesman is already on it.
I didn’t know Samsung was such “high quality”.
But since nothing’s been officially confirmed by “Saturn” then it can’t be discussed as it’s trolling and misinformation and slander.
Did you know that using the phrase “exciting times” is now the vocabulary of “trolls” and ‘tards ? It was Jill L’s own description of Saturn entering it’s death spiral.
But don’t say anything otherwise over there..
Penske hired Tom Lasorda to work on this.
Lasorda couldn’t get out of Dodge fast enough.
Or, apparently, the Dodgers. They might even do better with Tommy instead of Tom …
Renault no longer is the State Run company it used to be and the cars they produce today rank among the best quality cars in Europe according to the German certification agency ADAC! The company’s CEO Carlos Ghosn has turned loss-making Nissan into a cash machine in the early 2000s and had anticipated the crisis way before his competitors. I wouldn’t have anything against Renault-Samsund selling their award-winning SM3 or good looking SM7 under the Saturn Badge! Or even the great-looking Renault Laguna Coupé and its 4-wheel steering chassis ! I think this European car maker is unfairly underestimated !