First came the news that GM was going to sell Saturn. Then came the news that Roger Penske, of all people, was going to buy Saturn. And now the speculation swirls around just what Penske will do with his newly acquired car company. So far, it can be summed up in one word: electric.
The agreement between GM & Penske says that The General will keep building the Aura, Vue, and Outlook models for The Captain on a contract basis, but that GM would be using the powertrain from the Vue Hybrid on its GM-only Equinox smaller SUV. This arrangement leaves Saturn without any hybrids, and the rest of their models, although given decent mileage, might not be able to cut the mustard as CAFE standards rise.
Now Roger Penske has intimated that the new and reconstituted Saturn might bring all-electric vehicles to market, and soon, if that’s the best route to take. Penske related to Edmunds that although the chance is small, it’s a definite possibility. Penske said to Edmunds that electric vehicles “might be the first vehicles produced in the U.S.” under Saturn’s agreement with foreign partners.
Reading between the lines, it’s that “foreign partners” that jumps out. Because another arm of Penske’s vast automotive empire is Smart, who is known to have an EV model in the pipeline, so a person could put together Penske’s existing alliances with that big vacancy in the Saturn line up and see where things might fit.
Source: AutoBlogGreen
It would be nice to see an electric delivery truck.
Saturn already had an elctric car 1996 to 1999. How soon we forget the EV1…. If GM had continued to put research into that vehicle instead of the gasoline engine vehicle, they might not be in the position they are in today. Give people what they want instead of what you think they will buy.