Bob Lutz: Despite the good lineup, Saturn may not survive

Bob Lutz, who recently announced that he will retire by year end, said that GM’s struggling Saturn brand probably won’t survive. He said his personal favorite would be to see Saturn survive and prosper but believes that the ”reality is that that is probably not going to be the outcome.” So in other words, Saturn days are countable and reaching to the near end.

In an interview with Automotive News, Lutz said: “We spent a huge bundle of money in giving Saturn an absolutely no-excuses product lineup, top to bottom. They had a better and fresher lineup than any GM division, and the sales just never materialized. So we have to act on that. It’s our duty.”

GM has yet to confirm what it plans on doing with Saturn, Hummer and Saab.

Saturn’s sales fell about 22 percent in 2008 to a total of 188,004 units sold. GM hoped to sell about 100,000 units of the Aura sedan which was named 2006 North American Car of the Year. However the car has yet to come close to the target. 2008 sales for the Aura totaled 59,380.

Source: [Automotive News]