Dragonfly Exterior Parts

Thanks for visiting our site!
Saturn Sedan
Checkout Ebay Auctions For The Cheapest Prices

Here are some more information for Saturn Sedan:

Count BMW as the next manufacturer to dive head-first into the U.S.'s new clean diesel pool.

The Greenville News (greenvilleonline.com) is reporting that the company will introduce diesel versions of its popular 3-series sedan and X5 SUV, dubbed the 335d and X5 xDrive 35d, at next week's Los Angeles International Auto Show. Concept models were introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year.

The vehicles will be priced at $44,725 and 52,025 respectively. And just as many hybrid model tax credits are expiring, the BMW's will be eligible for a tax credit of $900 and $1550 under the IRS' Alternative Motor Vehicle code.

Noisy, dirty and unpopular?

Diesel's have been largely unpopular here despite superior fuel economy, while the streets of Europe teem with them. Diesels account for the majority of European BMW's and just under half of them worldwide. Why? Stringent U.S. environmental standards (with state-by-state variances) traditionally rendered their development and production cost prohibitive. Diesels are also perceived stateside as heavy polluting cars with clackety engines.

The "new diesels"

But times have changed. Mercedes-Benz introduced several 2009 models powered by its 50-state legal "Blue Tec" diesel engines. Audi is slated to release a clean diesel version of its A4 sedan, and Cadillac has jumped into the fray with CTS diesel scheduled for 2009. On a recent trip to France, my wife and I rented a Ford C-Max, a European model which was sort of a mini-van-agon. The vehicle was solid, quiet, and emitted no visible exhaust, even under heavy acceleration.

In fact, the new diesels are virtually indistinguishable under operation versus gasoline cars and many produce lower emissions as well. According to BMW spokesman Richard Brekus, the new diesels will continue this trend, with the 335d achieving 30 percent better fuel economy than its gasoline counterpart and the X5 scoring impressive MPG's of 19 city and 26 highway.

Expect to see the new BMW diesels to hit showrooms just in time for the Christmas holiday.

Upcoming Clean Diesel Vehicles:

Manufacturer Model Estimated MPG Release Date

Audi A4 N/A Late 2008

Audi Q7 suv N/A Late 2008

Cadillac CTS N/A 2009

Buick Enclave N/A 2010

GMC Acadia N/A 2010

Ford F-150 31 hwy 2009

Honda Accord 51 combined 2009

Saturn Aura N/A 2010

Chris Amos
D.C. Auto Examiner - Examiner.com
URL: http://www.examiner.com/x-1524-DC-Auto-Examiner
Email: carzandcargo@gmail.com
Mobile: (202)258-2100

Saturn's Gamble Slowly Paying Off

General Motors’ Saturn division has always been given less priority as compared to Chevrolet or other General Motors marques. But recently, the Detroit automaker has enlisted the help of one of its subsidiaries to turn around Saturn's fate. German automaker Opel has helped Saturn in designing the latter’s new lineup.

With the help of Opel, Saturn has become one of the fastest growing brands in the United States auto market. With the European-styled vehicles from the General Motors brand, consumers are increasingly becoming more and more aware that American automakers has what it takes to take on Asian and European automakers.

One of the fruits of the working relationship between Opel and Saturn is the new Saturn Aura which replaced the L-Series. The said sedan has already received positive responses from critics and consumers. In fact, the said midsize car was adjudged as the North American Car of the Year earlier this year. The Aura edged out two established nameplates for the distinction, the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.

With that distinction going to the Aura, General Motors initiated an aggressive marketing campaign which saw Saturn dealerships offering customers the chance to drive not only the Saturn Aura but also the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. This bold move by the company is highlighted by the tag line for their ads which says: “For a car company to put one of their competitor's cars on their lot, they must be crazy.”

But General Motors surely knows what it is doing. Analysts pointed out that the belief that Asian cars are better than American cars have been deeply ingrained in the minds of the majority of new car buyers. Therefore, to attract the attention of auto buyers, they have mounted this marketing campaign with the confidence that the Saturn Aura is better than the Camry and the Accord.

Michelle Krebs, the senior editor for Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com, says: “It's a really smart, bold thing to do.” With General Motors’s market share in the United States on the decline, the automaker is doing everything in its power to regain the trust of the American auto buying public.

The only way to judge the effectiveness of Saturn's marketing strategy is by looking at the sales figures. But General Motors pointed out that they are not expecting the Saturn Aura to immediately challenge the Camry and the Accord for the supremacy in terms of sales.

In fact, while sales of the Saturn Aura are posting an increase, it is still way below sales figures posted by the Camry and the Accord. For the first half of the year, Saturn sold 27,229 units of the Saturn Aura. In comparison, Toyota sold 240,530 units of the Camry and Honda sold 182,346 units of the Accord.

This disparity though does not discourage General Motors. In fact, the automaker is confident that they are already creating a huge buyer base for the Saturn brand. With the European styling of the Aura and other new Saturn auto models and their improved auto parts such as the Saturn fuel pump, steering and suspension components and other auto parts, General Motors is showing auto buyers that American cars are now as reliable as Japanese ones.

With General Motors now in the middle of pushing through with its turnaround plan, it needs the Saturn brand to rack up sales fast. Similar to Ford’s predicament, General Motors is fighting against time in their quest to regain the attention of American auto buyers.

About the Author

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

Can I use a 2002 Saturn sedan to tow a boat?

We're looking at buying a boat (bayliner 21 foot) and wondering if we need to buy an SUV or whether a Saturn sedan can tow it? It looks like our mercedes C-240 cannot, as I looked for towing packages for it and couldn't find any. Thanks!

I owen that car and it cannot pull a boat that size. Personally I'd get a Trailblazer or a Durango with a V8 for the best results and also you'd get more storage for the little things like food, friends... and maybe the kids.

Three-vehicle crash ties up traffic
No serious injuries were reported Monday afternoon following a three vehicle collision on Broad Street in front of McDonald's.

Thanks for visiting!