| Saturn Sky: Sneak Peek |
26 Jun |
Somebody at General Motors must love Saturn. One hundred year old Oldsmobile was killed off in favor of bringing the Saturn brand in-house. Up until the early part of this decade, Saturn was a separate automaker, wholly owned by GM. Now, as a bonafide GM division, the Saturn line is finally getting some much needed new models including the Sky roadster, the focus of this preview.
In the early 1990s, dent resistant polymer cars with the S designation began to roll of a factory line of a new plant located in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Several things were unusual about the project. The first was the company: Saturn. As a wholly owned but separately managed GM company, the Saturn initially escaped GMs often overbearing culture and began to produce cars on its own far removed from Detroit. The second unusual point about the company was the cars itself: compact, import-fighting models designed to withstand the onslaught from Japan of low priced, high quality cars. Available in coupe, sedan, and wagon the cars quickly caught on in part for their engineering as well as for their no hassle, no haggle pricing. The sticker price on the car was the price customers paid, making a visit to the Saturn show room a pleasure and not a chore.
As time has passed, the S series grew old and was replaced by the compact ION series. In addition, a midsized sedan and wagon, the L series, briefly served as the larger car in Saturns extremely limited line up beginning in the late 1990s. The L series, based on an Opel platform, was retired in 2004 and replaced by a 7 passenger crossover vehicle, the RELAY. In addition, Saturn had introduced an SUV, the VUE, which is still in production today.
All of this translates into a limited line up, too limited in fact to compete successfully with other car lines. Enter the Saturn Sky.
The Saturn Sky, much like the already introduced Pontiac Solstice is a two seat roadster. Based on GMs new Delta series platform, the Sky, which will officially make its debut next spring as a 2007 model does something that no other Saturn has ever done: generate excitement.
Similar in size and looks to Hondas S2000 Roadster, the Sky will come equipped with 18 inch alloy wheels, a manually operated soft top, a reverse opening clamshell hood, leather bucket seats, and four wheel anti-locking brakes. Standard engine will be a 2.4 170hp I4 paired with either a 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatic transmission.
Prices for the new Sky should come in at several thousand dollars higher than the Pontiac Solstice as the Sky is targeted and equipped slightly upmarket. MSRP starting around 25 thousand dollars is likely; only 10-12,000 models will be produced annually.
Other models are being planned for Saturn, but the Sky represents a fresh departure from what has long been perceived by many as a staid moniker. Judging by many published reports, the Sky is a step in the right direction and we can only hope that the other new models planned for Saturn generate at least half the hype of the Sky.
Tags: Automaker, Bonafide, Car Lines, Crossover Vehicle, Delta Series, Gm Division, Gm Saturn, Haggle, Onslaught, Pontiac Solstice, Quality Cars, Resistant Polymer, Saturn Line, Saturn Sky, Series Platform, Sky Roadster, Sneak Peek, Solstice, Spring Hill Tennessee, Sticker PriceRelated posts
read comments (0)| Saturn Sky: Sneak Peek |
21 Jun |
Somebody at General Motors must love Saturn. One hundred year old Oldsmobile was killed off in favor of bringing the Saturn brand in-house. Up until the early part of this decade, Saturn was a separate automaker, wholly owned by GM. Now, as a bonafide GM division, the Saturn line is finally getting some much needed new models including the Sky roadster, the focus of this preview.
In the early 1990s, dent resistant polymer cars with the S designation began to roll of a factory line of a new plant located in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Several things were unusual about the project. The first was the company: Saturn. As a wholly owned but separately managed GM company, the Saturn initially escaped GMs often overbearing culture and began to produce cars on its own far removed from Detroit. The second unusual point about the company was the cars itself: compact, import-fighting models designed to withstand the onslaught from Japan of low priced, high quality cars. Available in coupe, sedan, and wagon the cars quickly caught on in part for their engineering as well as for their no hassle, no haggle pricing. The sticker price on the car was the price customers paid, making a visit to the Saturn show room a pleasure and not a chore.
As time has passed, the S series grew old and was replaced by the compact ION series. In addition, a midsized sedan and wagon, the L series, briefly served as the larger car in Saturns extremely limited line up beginning in the late 1990s. The L series, based on an Opel platform, was retired in 2004 and replaced by a 7 passenger crossover vehicle, the RELAY. In addition, Saturn had introduced an SUV, the VUE, which is still in production today.
All of this translates into a limited line up, too limited in fact to compete successfully with other car lines. Enter the Saturn Sky.
The Saturn Sky, much like the already introduced Pontiac Solstice is a two seat roadster. Based on GMs new Delta series platform, the Sky, which will officially make its debut next spring as a 2007 model does something that no other Saturn has ever done: generate excitement.
Similar in size and looks to Hondas S2000 Roadster, the Sky will come equipped with 18 inch alloy wheels, a manually operated soft top, a reverse opening clamshell hood, leather bucket seats, and four wheel anti-locking brakes. Standard engine will be a 2.4 170hp I4 paired with either a 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatic transmission.
Prices for the new Sky should come in at several thousand dollars higher than the Pontiac Solstice as the Sky is targeted and equipped slightly upmarket. MSRP starting around 25 thousand dollars is likely; only 10-12,000 models will be produced annually.
Other models are being planned for Saturn, but the Sky represents a fresh departure from what has long been perceived by many as a staid moniker. Judging by many published reports, the Sky is a step in the right direction and we can only hope that the other new models planned for Saturn generate at least half the hype of the Sky.
Tags: Automaker, Bonafide, Car Lines, Crossover Vehicle, Delta Series, Gm Division, Gm Saturn, Haggle, Onslaught, Pontiac Solstice, Quality Cars, Resistant Polymer, Saturn Line, Saturn Sky, Series Platform, Sky Roadster, Sneak Peek, Solstice, Spring Hill Tennessee, Sticker PriceRelated posts
| New Roadster Coupe Model For Mazda MX-5 |
30 May |
The British International Motor Show has become the venue for many auto manufacturers to bring to the publics and the motoring worlds knowledge new inventions, innovations, cars, and vehicles. And because this is such, many car followers and aficionados have certainly made sure that they attend such great events.
And for the 2006 British International Motor Show, the Mazda Motor Corporation is out to make sure that the motoring public knows one of their newest creations the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe. The company even presents this newest vehicle as a vehicle that opens up a new dimension of fun and versatility for people who love open top sports cars. Something you surely would be looking forward to.
The Mazda MX-5 is known by other names. Do not be confused but all the following names refer to only this roadster Mazda Miata, Eunos Roadster, and Mazda Roadster. It has been built using the FR convertible and has been produced since 1989. The MG F, Pontiac Solstice, Toyota MR2, and Saturn Sky are a couple of vehicles in the market that compete greatly with this Mazda roadster. Keep in mind, though, that this new one that the auto manufacturer would be sending out is actually part of the third generation of Mazda MX-5s. Owners find it easy to locate replacement parts and performance parts for even the newest models. Where you can find auto parts Mazda Navajo is also where you can most certainly find parts and accessories for this cool roadster.
With the new Mazda MX-5, any driver could surely enjoy the performance that this car could bring out. The style is also unique and quite breath-taking. But for this new model of the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe, anyone who looks at it would find that it holds the exemplary Power Retractable Hard Top. This hard top is actually the very first of all hard tops to be electrically retractable. And yes, it does not take up much space when the top is down.
Tags: 5s, Auto Manufacturer, Auto Manufacturers, British International Motor Show, Coupe Model, Eunos Roadster, Mazda Miata, Mazda Motor, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mazda Mx 5, Mazda Navajo, Motoring Public, New Dimension, New Inventions, Newest Creations, Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Sports Cars, Third Generation, Toyota Mr2Related posts
| Mazda MX-5 Listed In Gaywheels.coms Top 10 Vehicles |
17 May |
There are many stereotypes about what we as a community drive and to a certain extent, stereotypes are based on the most visible members of our community. The reality is that we live and work everywhere in the US and we are as diverse as the rest of the population.
These are the words given out by Joe LaMuraglia who is the founder of Gaywheels.com. Gaywheels.com is a website that is very much dedicated to promote responsible consumerism. This website also tries to encourage every consumer in the market to patronize and use companies that are gay-friendly. After all, there are companies that discriminate such a group of people and these companies show off their dislike for gays through their advertisements, public announcements, and product endorsements.
Gaywheels.com has just most recently listed out the vehicles that took the most interest among all gay and lesbian car aficionados, enthusiasts, and shoppers. This website sorted out all the searches and took out the ten topmost researched vehicles from the site. This kind of list actually just reflects what kind of products the gay and lesbian community is looking for in products in the market.
The Mazda MX-5 from the Mazda Motor Corporation took a spot in such a list. This vehicle has been the most searched for various reasons and among which is that it can be easily maintained with auto parts like Mazda MX-6 parts and Mazda Navajo performance parts from various auto parts stores. Other vehicles included in the list include the Saturn Sky, Toyota Yaris, Dodge Caliber, Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Camry, Audi A3, Toyota Prius, Saab 9-3, and the Pontiac G6.
LaMuraglia even comments, Gay consumers as a group are more loyal to companies that demonstrate fairness and equality to the gay and lesbian community. Gaywheels.coms Top 10 vehicles are all from automakers that are gay friendly.
Tags: Audi A3, Auto Parts Stores, Car Aficionados, Dodge Caliber, Gay Consumers, Lesbian Community, Mazda Motor, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mazda Mx 5, Mazda Mx 6, Mazda Navajo, Other Vehicles, Pontiac G6, Product Endorsements, Public Announcements, Saturn Sky, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen JettaRelated posts
| 2007 Saturn SKY: The Wait Is Over |
26 Nov |
After months of nonstop hype, the 2007 Saturn SKY is now entering dealer showrooms. This two seat roadster marks an important turning point for the Saturn brand long identified with building nondescript, but dependable vehicles. With an MSRP of $23,690, the SKY is certain to sell for several thousand dollars over the dealer’s sticker price as demand is expected to far exceed capacity. Lets examine the Saturn brand and the car behind the hype to see if the SKY was worth the wait.
Since Saturns first cars became available in 1990, the brand has attracted a loyal following of owners who liked the companys simplicity and consumer friendly dealer network. Indeed, Saturns no haggle pricing revolutionized the relationship between dealer and customer changing the typical adversarial business transaction into a partnership benefiting buyer and seller alike.
Originally, Saturn was established as a separate company, but wholly owned by General Motors. The idea behind Saturn was that the company would build import fighting small cars to compete against the likes of Toyota and Honda. The S-Series, made 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 and the brand was brought into the GM fold to be managed much like Chevrolet, Buick, etc. are today. Indeed, the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory, which was exclusively designed to build Saturn vehicles remains in business, but many of the divisions cars are now being built elsewhere including the SKY.
So, the SKY has caught your attention, has it? Who could blame you? Pictures of the SKY have been circulating heavily online for months and it is certainly an attractive vehicle. Based on GMs new Kappa platform, the SKY shares some components with the earlier released Pontiac Solstice, another two seat roadster. The SKY, however, has its own look with a very pronounced fender peak and sleek body style. Here are some of the attributes of the SKY:
-Front engine, rear drive, two seat roadster
-50/50 front/rear weight distribution
-Manually operated cloth covered top folds down into the trunk
-Front pivoting hood
-2.4L I4 engine producing 177 h.p. paired with 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, etc.
The SKY was priced and designed to compete against two other roadsters, the Honda S2000 and Mazdas Miata. Although the SKY is technically a sister car to the Solstice, it appears that it is better suited to compete against the Japanese brands as the Saturn roadster comes fully equipped and incorporates a sleeker body design. Taking nothing away from the Pontiac, the SKY is definitely the more competitive of the two.
For Saturn, the SKY improves the brands image immeasurably. Much in the way that the Corvette is a halo car for Chevrolet the SKY will be the same for Saturn. Production will be limited to just 10-12,000 vehicles annually and purchasing a SKY will likely mean buyers paying well over sticker price 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 second new vehicle this year, the Aura. Replacing the L-Series, the Aura midsize sedan borrows heavily from GMs European division, Opel, and incorporates the bold design of SKY in its front end.
Yes, the days of being known as a builder of compact plastic cars in Tennessee is over; a new Saturn is rising and if all the hoopla related to the SKY is any indication, Saturns future is certainly very promising.
Tags: 2007 Saturn Sky, Attractive Vehicle, Business Transaction, Chevrolet Buick, Coupes, Dealer Showrooms, Dependable Vehicles, First Cars, Haggle, Pictures Of The Sky, Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Saturn Vehicles, Sedans, Separate Company, Several Thousand Dollars, Small Cars, Solstice, Spring Hill Tennessee, Sticker PriceRelated posts
| 2007 New Car Extravaganza! |
25 Nov |
Months ago, in a related article, I covered five new or revised car models set to be launched on the North American market. The Jaguar XK, Saturn Sky, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Land Rover Freelander, and Dodge Nitro are already in showrooms or soon to make their appearance there. Beyond these five there are quite a number of other models also being planned and some have already been released. Lets take a look at five more models catching the attention of auto enthusiasts everywhere.
Nissan Versa Yes, Nissan has its own Scion fighter planned and just in time too as two other cars, the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, will also be making their debut in the fast crowding Generation Y category. The Versa looks more like a Toyota Matrix as opposed to the bread box looking Scion xB. Available as a four door sedan or five door hatchback, the car will come equipped not stripped and include an AM/FM/CD sound system, air conditioning, 6 speed manny tranny, and power mirrors as standard equipment. Best of all, the roomy Versa will be priced at about $12,000, right in Scion territory.
Saturn Aura Finally, General Motors is paying some serious attention to Saturn, its sometime division. Now that Oldsmobile is out of the way, GM appears ready to take a look at how best to position the Saturn brand. Thanks to GMs European division, Opel, Saturn looks as if it will benefit from a few new models and the Aura sedan is one of them. Powered by a 3.6L V6, the Aura is shapely, stylish, and much more inviting than its L Series predecessor which was also Opel inspired.
Dodge Caliber Dodges Neon replacement goes where no small Dodge has gone before it. The five door wagon/hatchback sits on beefy 19 inch wheels and incorporates the aggressive Dodge crosshairs grille so popular on all of its vehicles. Three engine choices including 1.8L, 2.0L, and 2.4L I4s set the vehicle apart from the crowd. Dodge will be marketing the car well beyond North America in DCXs quest to spread the Dodge brand worldwide. With a base price around $14,000 the Caliber will be competitive. Still, a Mexican built Scion like Hornet will likely become the entry level car within a few years as DCX prepares to take on Scion and the coming cheaply priced Chinese cars.
Volkswagen Minivan A yet to be named minivan will soon be marketed by Volkswagen. Not much has to be done by VW to prepare for the vehicles arrival as it will be a rebadged version of Chryslers successful minivans, the Caravan and Town & Country. Yes, VW is turning to its German competitor to fill a void in its line up. For its part, VW will be sharing technology with DCX in the form of the Scion like Dodge Hornet to be built in Mexico. The Hornet will be based on the VW Polo, another vehicle that may be imported to the US market.
Ford Edge The crossover market heats up with the introduction of the Ford Edge. Marketed between the Escape and Explorer, the Edge will be powered by a 3.5L V6 and be available as front wheel drive people mover or in all wheel drive. Lincoln gets a gussied up version of the Edge called the Aviator.
Other vehicles being introduced include full size trucks and SUVs for General Motors, the Saturn Sky convertible, a revamped Toyota Camry, and new offerings from Kia, Hyundai, and Honda.
The choices for consumers continues to broaden and model year 2007 will be no exception.
Tags: 19 Inch Wheels, Auto Enthusiasts, Bread Box, Car Models, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Nitro, Engine Choices, Generation Y, Honda Fit, Jaguar Xk, Land Rover Freelander, Nissan Versa, Opel Saturn, Saturn Aura, Saturn Sky, Scion Xb, Series Predecessor, Toyota Fj Cruiser, Toyota Matrix, Toyota YarisRelated posts
