Saturn Spring Hill Factory To Close

where else do they assemble saturn ?

The "L" was built in Delaware. The new minivan comes from the same factory as other GM minivans. The Vue could shift to the Ontario plant alongside the Equinox. The Sky could be built allow with the Solstice in Delaware.

My guess is that the Ion will be replaced with something from Korea or China by the time the 2008 models role out. GM said that one production line is staying open in Spring Hill, which is a bit confusing. Maybe that is the new Sky line.

What GM didn't say today is anything about Korea and China. I think that they are quitely planning to ramp up production for export in one or both of them but are keeping it out of the press.

John

They are shutting down the Ion line.

I can clarify.

We discussed this at work today after reading the latest media post from Jill Lajdziak. (Saturn CEO). It was in the plans anyways to move production of the ION for the model yr. '07 to Youngstown OH where the Cobalt is built as it's already on the same platform. Today's news only clarifies the plan.

Line 1 at Spring Hill (now called GM Spring Hill plant)where the ION is currently built will be shut down and production of the ION will be moved to OH at the end of '06. That means that '07 model year IONs may be the last polymer panel IONs.

In addition, GM is closing the birthplace of the cross branded Relay in late '06 too.

This doesnt mean the end of Saturn, its a new era for them. They intend on bringing out a newer european looking line of vehicles, starting with the SKY. IMHO not a bad start, cant wait to see whats new.

Long live the S car, bring on the kappa platform cars. :-) marx404

Thanx John, just what I need, a Chinese Saturn.....

Laz

So, for 08 on, all the Saturns will be stamped sheet-metal ?

Laz

My best guess of the two would be Korea. I had a Daewoo prior to the GM buy-out...and it actually wasn't a bad car until GM got their hands on it and made it an Aveo.

The plants in Korea have the production capabilities, but I just don't know if GM can/will let them ramp up again for North American production when China is coming up so fast. I'd say they are more likely to turn the Kroean plants over to making small cars for the Chinese market.

One thing is for sure....if GM keeps knocking off the cars I own so fast, I won't be owning too many more from them. I want something I can pay off and run for a while before needing a replacement 'cause I can't get parts as the model has been discontinued, bought out or plain abandoned.

Michael Halliwell

I'm not saying I like the idea, but just that it seems likely at some point. Almost anything can be made much more cheaply in Asia than it can be in the US, and the majority of buyers are not willing to pay more for US built anything.

John

I thought ION production was moving to the Cobalt plant in Lordstown Ohio. I'm not sure if the ION is already on the same frame as the Cobalt or if the ION will be redesigned to be on the Cobalt frame. That plant has the capacity for something like 350,000 cars a year, more than all the Cobalts and IONs currently being made, and that's not listed as one that's closing.

Of course one way to increase sales of Cobalts and IONs would be TO PRODUCE A WAGON VERSION !!!!!!! HINT FREAKING HINT ! ! ! Maybe a cheaper (maybe slightly smaller) version of the Pontiac Vibe. Something that's in the mid 30s in gas mileage rather than the mid 20s. ron

Why can't they do polymer panels in Ohio too?

John Cowart

GM has been playing around with polymer panels for years. Remember the Pontiac Fiero? How about the first generation GM minivans. Both used some plastic panels. Plastic panels create at least as many problems as they solve. Furthermore, plastic resin costs have gone sky high as natural gas and oil prices have gone up. Even Rubbermaid is on a full court press to make and sell more steel trinkets instead of the plastic they are known for in order to improve profitability.

Polymer panels will surely be phased out of future Saturn models. It was a dumb gimmick to start with.

John

On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 07:29:37 +0000, John Horner took a five-minute break from flipping burgers to boot the etch-a-sketch and scribble out:

Why? I actually think they're cool. It is one of the reasons I bought my wife's car.

Oh, and the Fiero is one of the coolest cars out of GM in the past thirty years. Especially the GT. Right up there with the long gone Impala.

Cobalt and Ion share the GM delta platform.

HHR?

Well, that would be the Vibe. The HHR doesn't get as good fuel economy.

It was no gimmick, it just wasn't a popular selling point. Our Saturn SL2 looked better after 7 years than did our newer Subaru wagon and Honda van after just a few. That included one side of panels replaced and repainted after being sideswiped, saving a considerable amount of money in repairs as well. I wouldn't buy a model because of plastic panels, but I'd pay a little more for them if available and if all else was equal among the models I was shopping.

It's too bad plastic panels didn't gather more interest. With economies of scale and more consumer acceptance, we'd have seen improved designs and reduced cost.

They're also starting to pile up in junk yards with the realization that they'll be there forever. Maybe 15 years ago Saturn thought someone would figure out a way to recycle them (maybe in to bumpers) but it didn't happen. ron

IMHO the HHR is a stunningly nondescript, and at the same time ugly, vehicle. At least the PT Cruiser looks interesting. The HHR looks like a truck someone tried to beat (with an ugly stick) into a wagon. Is the HHR also on the delta/Lordstown platform? The thought of going from Plymouth to Chrysler to Saturn and then to Pontiac isn't helping my schizophrenia but the Vibe fits my current wants and I just can't imagine myself in a Toyota Matrix. ron

I've heard some junk heaps won't accept Saturns anymore, period. Hey, '94 was the peak year on the S series - there's a zillion of them basically about to hit the yards anyway.

I actually almost bought an HHR until the dealer tried screwing me on my trade in a bit. I didn't think they were ugly, but kind of cool. They are built (and basically are) share the Cobalt & Ion platforms. I ended up buying a Vue and so far am very pleased with it. I did have a chuckle though...GM must use the same interior electrical harnesses in the Vue, HHR, Cobalt,etc as the center dash (radio, heat, etc) steering wheel, etc are virtually identical in regard to layout with some cosmetic changes, so I ended up getting some of the things I had wanted in the HHR, in the Vue. Both 4 banger versions use the same 2.2L engine. When I test drove the HHR, it drove very nicely and had better pick-up than the Vue, but I'm guessing the HHR is a little lighter. The big thing I didn't like about the HHR was it had extremely poor visibility out the rear view window. The back seat head rests obscure the rear view very badly leaving a small square in the center of the back window visible. The other thing was that the colors make a huge difference. The way the front is rounded, the curves round the front so much that certain darker colors make it lose all definition. The dark silver (which we liked it the catalog) looked like a hearse. I'm actually thankful that I had problems with the dealer as the '06 Vue kind of fell in my lap. The manual tranny shifts very smooth, and I ended up going with the black and the chrome package w/ chrome roof rails gives it some nice definition. The only thing I don't like visually is that I wish the rims available for the V6, were an option on the 4.

So far, a happy owner. Scott

"Ron Herfurth" wrote in message news:dn1msr$em3$ snipped-for-privacy@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU...