After months of nonstop hype, the 2007 Saturn SKY is now entering dealer showrooms. This two seat roadster marks an essential turning point for that Saturn manufacturer long identified with building nondescript, but dependable cars. With an MSRP of $23,690, the SKY is particular to sell for a number of thousand dollars more than the dealer’s sticker value as demand is expected to far exceed capacity. Let’s examine the Saturn manufacturer and also the car behind the hype to see if the SKY was worth the wait.
Because Saturn’s first vehicles became obtainable in 1990, the brand name has attracted a loyal following of owners who liked the company’s simplicity and consumer friendly dealer network. Indeed, Saturn’s “no haggle” pricing revolutionized the relationship between dealer and customer changing the typical adversarial enterprise transaction into a partnership benefiting buyer and seller alike.
Originally, Saturn was established like a separate corporation, but wholly owned by General Motors. The idea behind Saturn was that the enterprise would construct import fighting little cars to compete versus the likes of Toyota and Honda. The S-Series, built with “ding proof” polymer side panels was an immediate hit and Saturn relied exclusively on this line of compact coupes, sedans, and wagons for nearly a decade before a second, larger model was introduced.
The dream of keeping Saturn separate from GM eventually died along with the manufacturer was brought into the GM fold being managed a good deal like Chevrolet, Buick, and so on. are today. Indeed, the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory, which was exclusively made to create Saturn cars remains in organization, but a lot of belonging to the division’s cars and trucks are now getting built elsewhere including the SKY.
So, the SKY has caught your attention, has it? Who could blame you? Pictures belonging to the SKY have been circulating heavily on line for months and it is surely an attractive automobile. Based on GM’s new Kappa platform, the SKY shares some components with the earlier released Pontiac Solstice, an additional two seat roadster. The SKY, on the other hand, has its own appear using a extremely pronounced fender peak and sleek entire body fashion. Here are some with the attributes belonging to the SKY:
- Front engine, rear drive, two seat roadster
- 50/50 front/rear weight distribution
- Manually operated cloth covered top folds down to the trunk
- Front pivoting hood
- 2.4L I4 engine producing 177 h.p. paired using a 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatic transmission
- 18 inch wheels; 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS
- Power galore: air conditioning, locks, windows, doors, AM/FM/CD, and so on.
The SKY was priced and developed to compete versus two other roadsters, the Honda S2000 and Mazda’s Miata. Even though the SKY is technically a sister car for the Solstice, it appears that it really is far better suited to compete towards the Japanese brands as the Saturn roadster comes fully equipped and incorporates a sleeker body style. Taking nothing away from the Pontiac, the SKY is absolutely the a lot more competitive of the two.
For Saturn, the SKY improves the brand’s image immeasurably. Very much from the way that the Corvette is really a “halo” car for Chevrolet the SKY will likely be the same for Saturn. Production are going to be limited to just 10-12,000 cars annually and purchasing a SKY will likely mean buyers paying nicely more than sticker cost for their car. Indeed, some reports are indicating dealer mark ups as high as $5000 in the face of stiff demand.
Beyond the SKY, Saturn will also be introducing a 2nd new vehicle this year, the Aura. Replacing the L-Series, the Aura midsize sedan borrows heavily from GM’s European division, Opel, and incorporates the bold style of SKY in its front end.
Yes, the days of getting identified as a builder of compact plastic cars in Tennessee is over; a new Saturn is rising and if all the hoopla related for the SKY is any indication, Saturn’s future is definitely incredibly promising.
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