2007 Saturn SKY: The Wait Is More than
Right 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 creating nondescript, but dependable vehicles. With an MSRP of $23,690, the SKY is certain to sell for a number of thousand dollars more than the dealer’s sticker cost as demand is expected to far exceed capacity. Let’s examine the Saturn brand and also the automobile behind the hype to see if the SKY was worth the wait.
Considering that Saturn’s initial vehicles became accessible in 1990, the brand 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 among dealer and customer altering the typical adversarial business transaction into a partnership benefiting buyer and seller alike.
Originally, Saturn was established as a separate business, but wholly owned by General Motors. The concept behind Saturn was that the company would develop import fighting little vehicles to compete against the likes of Toyota and Honda. The S-Series, produced with “ding proof” polymer side panels was an instant hit and Saturn relied exclusively on this line of compact coupes, sedans, and wagons for practically a decade before a second, larger model was introduced.
The dream of keeping Saturn separate from GM ultimately died as well as the brand was brought into the GM fold to be managed considerably like Chevrolet, Buick, etc. are today. Indeed, the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory, which was exclusively created to develop Saturn vehicles remains in company, but several with the division’s automobiles are now getting built elsewhere such as the SKY.
So, the SKY has caught your attention, has it? Who could blame you? Pictures of the SKY have been circulating heavily on-line for months and it really is certainly an attractive vehicle. According to GM’s new Kappa platform, the SKY shares some components with the earlier released Pontiac Solstice, another two seat roadster. The SKY, nonetheless, has its own look with a very pronounced fender peak and sleek physique style. Here are some of the attributes with the SKY:
– Front engine, rear drive, two seat roadster
– 50/50 front/rear weight distribution
– Manually operated cloth covered best folds down into the trunk
– Front pivoting hood
– 2.4L I4 engine producing 177 h.p. paired having a 5 speed manual or five 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 created to compete against two other roadsters, the Honda S2000 and Mazda’s Miata. Despite the fact that the SKY is technically a sister automobile to the Solstice, it appears that it is better suited to compete against the Japanese brands as the Saturn roadster comes totally equipped and incorporates a sleeker physique design. Taking absolutely nothing away from the Pontiac, the SKY is unquestionably the far more competitive of the two.
For Saturn, the SKY improves the brand’s image immeasurably. A lot within the way that the Corvette can be a “halo” automobile for Chevrolet the SKY will probably be the identical for Saturn. Production will likely be restricted to just 10-12,000 vehicles annually and buying a SKY will most likely mean buyers paying properly more than sticker price for their automobile. Indeed, some reports are indicating dealer mark ups as high as $5000 within the face of stiff demand.
Beyond the SKY, Saturn will also be introducing a second new car 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 becoming known as a builder of compact plastic automobiles in Tennessee is more than; a brand new Saturn is rising and if all of the hoopla related to the SKY is any indication, Saturn’s future is definitely very promising.
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