Dissecting Saturn’s Legacy: A Twenty-Year Automotive Tale

The episode begins with co-hosts Mike Dell and Mike Wilkerson, from the auto history podcast, discussing the Saturn Car Company—a defunct American automobile manufacturer. Their conversation unfolds with enthusiasm about the history and unique aspects of Saturn, emphasizing its inception as a company intended to emulate foreign car manufacturers’ success within the United States while being distinct from General Motors (GM), its parent company.

Mike Dell expresses his fascination with Saturn’s approach to making cars with plastic body panels, noting how this material choice helps prevent rust and dents, especially in areas prone to harsh winters. He praises the brand for their cars still looking brand new years after production due to the plastic being colored through.

Mike Wilkerson reminisces about Saturn’s emergence during his high school years in 1985 and his subsequent encounters with Saturn’s vehicles. He highlights a particular Saturn movie, “Gung Ho,” and its relevance to Saturn’s innovative ideas. Wilkerson also parallels Saturn’s use of plastic panels with the Pontiac Fiero’s design.

The hosts touch upon Saturn’s early leadership, specifically mentioning retired GM executives and a man named Alex Marr, who spearheaded the creation of a revolutionary small car to compete with Japanese imports. They discuss Saturn’s first car models: the S-Series, SC (coupe), and SL (sedan), noting the quirky center placement of the car’s dashboard cluster—a design choice that resurfaced in modern car designs.

Mike Dell and Mike Wilkerson analyze Saturn’s approach to sales, describing their no-haggle pricing and the unique naming conventions of their dealerships. They also compare Saturn’s retail-like car-selling approach and how it has influenced modern car brands like Tesla.

The conversation shifts to Saturn’s peak year in 1994, boasting nearly 300,000 cars sold. However, they point out Saturn’s struggle and eventual demise due to GM’s complete takeover and subsequent brand engineering, leading to the dilution and decline of the Saturn brand.

The hosts express their disappointment over Saturn’s missed opportunity for revival due to Roger Penske’s failed attempt to buy the brand. They briefly mention that while Pontiac, Hummer, and Saab were also discontinued around the same time as Saturn, Hummer managed a comeback as a GMC model.

Concluding the episode, Mike Dell laments GM’s decision to kill off Saturn, suggesting that the brand’s unique and independent approach was not sustainable within the larger corporate structure of GM. The hosts then close the episode, inviting the audience to send in comments or questions and teasing the next episode’s topic on Mopar muscle cars.