I own 2004 Saturn Ion 18 years now.
Why did GM shutdown the saturn?
It’s kind of a long story.
Back in the late 80’s, GM’s union contracts were really forcing a lot of cost-cutting in order for their cars to be competitive with the Japanese. The use of cheap parts was giving GM a reputation for poor quality cars.
The solution was to set up a new nonunion factory to make a nonunion nameplate. They gave the workers more say in management but without a formal union contract.
Saturn was never luxury cars, but their early ones were pretty good for the price... better than GM’s union-made competitors. Saturn showed that if you got the unions out of the way, you got better cars, happier employees, and more profitability. Win-win-win.
Everyone came out ahead except the unions and their allies in management, who then did everything they could to hamstring and undermine the new brand. As I recall, they started to intermix Saturn production with their legacy brands. Saturn’s quality fell off, and there was no longer any purpose for their existence.
FYI: I once had a 1992 SL1. Bought it new in Olathe, Kansas. The first car my wife and I bought after our marriage.
PS: Saturn was one of the first to use polymer body panels. Easier to mold to shape than steel, and completely rust-free. Saturns often looked new for years until the engines and transmissions gave out. Unfortunately they never had any aftermarket support, so once they died they were junked. Not a lot of classic Saturns still on the road.
