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Jun 08, 2009 -- Saturn gets a new lease on life
Saturn's promise of being "a different kind of company, a different kind of car" has gotten a new lease on life thanks to entrepreneur Roger Penske's plans to buy the nameplate from an ailing GM.
Penske plans to revamp Saturn by sourcing his materials from anywhere in the world where the price is right. That will allow Penske to bring new products to market much quicker. It will also free him up to concentrate on the design of vehicles instead of the intricacies of running factories and dealing with parts suppliers.
This kind of sourcing is very similar to what happens with your laptop. The brand name that's on the laptop has nothing to do with where it is sourced. Final assembly may not even be overseen by the "manufacturer" in most cases. Such a business model allows the parent company to spend real effort on design and quality control.
Capitalism ultimately thrives on people who create and who see vision that others don't. We see it in the Ted Turners, Fred Smiths and Starbucks locations of the world.
People laughed at Turner when he launched CNN with its 24-hour approach to news in 1980. Likewise, Fred Smith of FedEx had to create a market for overnight package delivery where it didn't exist. And who would have thought you'd need to spend $5 on a cup of coffee at Starbucks?
In each and every one of us, there's an idea for a way to do something better or to bring a new product or service to the world. Will you tap into yours?
Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.
I read the one atricle about the reliablity of Saturns. Obviously, this person dosen;t know anything about of which they speak. My girl friend has a Saturn. This is her fourth one. They are very reliable. Her sister has one, her third. I know other people that have bought more than one. It is possiable that any one at any time can get a bad car from any company. It's how that company deals with those issues that speaks to it's quality. Great show Clark, thanks
EJ
Outsourcing
Was considering buying a Saturn until I heard the word "outsourcing".
Basically Saturn will be a shell company and quality will become a relative term. Most people in the US, including Clark, wouldn't know quality if it ran into them. Quality used to mean 'reliable'. Today it means 'Reliable enough for what we are paying for it.'
Texan
Penske
This is not the first time that Penske has purchased a failing GM company. Several years back, they bought Detroit Diesel Allison and turned the company around.
Mediocrity, revisited.
Saturn is a mediocre product at best. Early models were right up there with the ill-fated Yugo in terms of reliability and build quality. Like Hyundai, it has gotten better over the years, but they continue to be poor sellers. They do fill a low-cost niche, but the competition has swallowed them up.
I doubt the Fred and Ted combined could turn this sow's ear into a silk purse. There's a very good reason why GM dumped Saturn: they're cheap, junky cars that have limited appeal. I like automotive products that are DURABLE and RELIABLE, so much so that they will likely outlive me. We already have enough junky-cars being peddled around here!
Perhaps Penske can also spring for a fleet of tow-trucks as well?
Outsourcing
I don't think things are doing as well as they could with Penske's Smart car, mainly because of the price. I like the car by the way. It makes a lot of sense but for the price. On the issue of making a product and slaping your name on it and you mention the laptop. Well if its anything like a HP desktop, forget it. They sell it and then want you to pay again if you waht to use it because it doesn't work. That wont fly with the American consumer.
Interesting
I wonder if they will start to make a Quality pick-up truck. I just might buy one instead of Government Motors, or Dodge. I might even buy a Ford if they really get their act together.
