, General Motors needed to try something new to compete. That something was the Saturn brand—and it was unlike anything else at the time. General Motors’ new project generated decades of success.

Then, in the late 2000s, it all came crashing down. We're here with the story behind Saturn’s ownership, history, and downfall.

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Who owns Saturn?

General Motors owned Saturn until it was officially shut down in 2010.

Though Saturn was successful commercially, selling millions of cars in the 90s, it was too expensive to maintain. GM had to dump billions of dollars into the Saturn brand to keep it alive—and even then, 41% of Saturn buyers already owned a different GM car.

Since Saturn was unable to branch out from the existing market (and had sky-high manufacturing costs!), GM had to discontinue the Saturn brand in 2010.

What other makes does General Motors own?

Though Saturn is no longer part of its portfolio, General Motors is still a heavy hitter in the automotive industry. GM owns four major car makes:

These four brands are a huge part of GM’s $55 billion market cap—especially the

Chevy Silverado

and

Buick Enclave

! On top of their world-class car brands, GM is on the cutting edge of the technology sector, with companies like:

OnStar

ACDelco

Periscope

Ultium

Vehicle Intelligence Platform

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Car Loan for Chevrolet

Where were Saturns made?

Unlike GM’s other car brands, Saturns were exclusively built in one location:

SpringHill, Tennessee

. At most GM manufacturing plants, you would see Chevy trucks, GMC SUVs, and Buick cars being built at the same time—but not a Saturn!

GM’s factories can be found all over the globe, in places like Egypt, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and South Korea. However, many of the company’s vital components are built in the good ol’ US of A:

Arlington, Texas

: Trucks and body panels

Bay City, Michigan

: Engine components

Defiance, Ohio

: Aluminum/iron engine blocks

Kokomo, Indiana

: Automotive electronics

Flint, Michigan

: Metal Fabricating

Tonawanda, New York

: Engines

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Though the Spring Hill factory no longer produces Saturns, it has been reconfigured to put together GM’s other models—mainly

GMCs

and

Cadillacs

Key Takeaway GM’s vehicles are produced all over the world, but when Saturn was in business, its cars were built exclusively in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

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A short history of Saturn ownership

In 1982, General Motors began to discuss their ambitious new project—a revolutionary car design, nicknamed Saturn. Twelve months later, the first Saturn car was revealed, and just two years after that, Saturn was officially founded in 1985.

By 1990, the first Saturn vehicle had hit the streets: a cherry-red

Saturn SL2

. The car was an immediate triumph, propelling Saturn to a yearly sales record of almost 300,000 cars in 1994. Part of Saturn’s success was due to their no-haggle pricing—the price you saw was the price you paid, no negotiation necessary.

Unfortunately, Saturn’s success was short-lived. Though Saturn had sold millions of its cars, many of its sales were cannibalistic, meaning that Saturn was eating away at the sales of GM’s existing brands: Chevy, Buick, and Cadillac.

GM attempted to salvage Saturn in the early 2000s by expanding its model lineup, offering sleek new designs like the

Saturn Ion

and

Vue

. However, these brand-new models simply weren’t profitable enough to make Saturn relevant again.

At the end of the day, Saturn’s mainstream appeal fizzled out, and GM was left with a skeleton of the once-popular brand. General Motors officially halted Saturn production in 2009 and closed its franchises in 2010.

How to save money on Saturn insurance

Sure, the production of new Saturns has been shut down—but its cars are still flourishing on the streets! Whether you own an old-school Saturn or another one of GM’s makes, you’ll want to protect it with the best

car insurance

policy.

Here’s the good news: we’ve got an easy way for you to find an awesome policy and save money in the process!

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If you loved the no-haggle policy that Saturn used to sell their cars, you’ll love buying with Jerry. Our friendly insurance team will walk you through the whole process and answer any questions that you have along the way—no long forms or phone calls unless you want to talk.

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