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#1
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04 Ion- IS IT TRUE ????
is it true ??? last year for the plastic body panels, last year for the 5
speed and, sadly, last real Saturn .... ? say it ain't so, E |
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#2
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"EDeneen" > wrote in message ... > is it true ??? last year for the plastic body panels, last year for the 5 > speed and, sadly, last real Saturn .... ? > say it ain't so, > E > Not the last year. There should be 2 more years before that happens. Jim > |
#3
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> > is it true ??? last year for the plastic body panels, last year for the > 5 > > speed and, sadly, last real Saturn .... ? > > say it ain't so, > > E I was told this too - but didn't believe it. One of the only reasons I have continued to buy Saturns is because of this unique feature (among others.) I think it is unfortunate that GM wants Saturn to become so integrated with it's control that it is losing everything that is unique about it. Soon it will be another generic car with similar but slightly different body panels (eg: Camaro/Firebird syndrome OR Cavalier/Sunfire syndrome, etc. etc.)...I think it's a mistake, and one that will cost Saturn and GM. I guess the price of oil makes the plastic panels too expensive to make anymore! As far as the 5 speed - that is the AUTOMATIC 5-speed...it had too much "gear indecision" (as I call it) so the 4-speed automatic will replace it. (And, maybe a 6-speed will replace the 5-speed manual tranny!) |
#4
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All speculation and rumours for now so not to worry.
The rumour of the polymer panels being fazed out only pertains to the upcoming Relay Van. There is talk of going from 5 to 6 speed in the ION. Polymer is here to stay - for now. But then Saturn engineers are like the weather in Florida, just wait a few minutes and it'll change again. I also agree that if they do away with the polymer panels it will greatly influence Saturn loyalty. marx404 saturnofstuart.com |
#5
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GM was always in control of Saturn.
after all it was their $$$$$$ that created Saturn. to think otherwise is mere folly. |
#6
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"twinkie" > wrote in message ... > GM was always in control of Saturn. > after all it was their $$$$$$ that created Saturn. > to think otherwise is mere folly. > There is only a couple of more years for polymer panels on Saturn products. How do I know this....My boss...General Motors...has told me this. And if GM does not convert Spring Hill to steel panels not only will polymer panels be gone from Saturn products....so will I from GM employment, as Spring Hill Manufacturing will be no more. So if you like cars/SUV's with polymer panels, get them now while they are still being produced. I liked them well enough I have 2 Lumina APV minivans in my driveway. Just wish that the manufacturing world liked them as much as I do. Jim |
#7
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Many years ago there was a PBS show on Saturn and the factory. Made a big
deal of how all the panels for a particular car were made from the same batch of plastic. Then in another scene they showed where imperfect panels were dumped. What I found amusing was that logic would follow that if one panel for a car was bad, all panels should be dumped but the pile seemed to be individual panels. I'm sure there's a good explanation but kind of amusing. Reminded me of another PBS special on building the Boeing 777 jet. They had a new door design and wanted to make sure that the door could be opened after being very cold 30000 feet above the earth. So they took the assembly and put it in a freezer overnight and were happy that the door opened the next day. Seemed to me to be a defective test since the inside of the assembly should have been kept at room temperature. "Seamus's Stuff" > wrote in message ... > > "twinkie" > wrote in message > ... > > GM was always in control of Saturn. > > after all it was their $$$$$$ that created Saturn. > > to think otherwise is mere folly. > > > > There is only a couple of more years for polymer panels on Saturn products. > How > do I know this....My boss...General Motors...has told me this. And if GM > does > not convert Spring Hill to steel panels not only will polymer panels be gone > from Saturn products....so will I from GM employment, as Spring Hill > Manufacturing will be no more. > > So if you like cars/SUV's with polymer panels, get them now while they are > still > being produced. I liked them well enough I have 2 Lumina APV minivans in my > driveway. Just wish that the manufacturing world liked them as much as I > do. > > Jim > > |
#8
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"Seamus's Stuff" > wrote in message ... > > "twinkie" > wrote in message > ... > > GM was always in control of Saturn. > > after all it was their $$$$$$ that created Saturn. > > to think otherwise is mere folly. > > > > There is only a couple of more years for polymer panels on Saturn products. > How > do I know this....My boss...General Motors...has told me this. And if GM > does > not convert Spring Hill to steel panels not only will polymer panels be gone > from Saturn products....so will I from GM employment, as Spring Hill > Manufacturing will be no more. > > So if you like cars/SUV's with polymer panels, get them now while they are > still > being produced. I liked them well enough I have 2 Lumina APV minivans in my > driveway. Just wish that the manufacturing world liked them as much as I > do. > > Jim It sounds like in a couple of years there won't be anything different about Saturn anymore, so why would it exist? Actually "Saturn" is already gone since there aren't anymore cars called "Saturn". There are IONs, VUEs and Relays, but saying you drive a Saturn isn't anymore descriptive than saying you drive a GM. I kind of miss the alphabet soup, C, L, S, & W, in what ever order you pleased. ron 94 SATURN SL-1 |
#9
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"Seamus's Stuff" > wrote in message
... > So if you like cars/SUV's with polymer panels, get them now while they are > still being produced. I liked them well enough I have 2 Lumina APV minivans in my > driveway. ""If you find something you really, really like, buy a lifetime supply; because it'll either be changed for the worse or go out of production." > Just wish that the manufacturing world liked them as much as I No doubt the accountants weighed the extra cost of the polymer panels against the number of lost sales that they believe will result from dropping them. The polymer panel over sub-frame approach was supposed to be cheaper, but never was. The manufacturing cost of the polymer panels, the yield, and the problems associated with painting them, made them more costly than steel. The need for a sub-frame also raised the cost. Furthermore, there was no safety increase with polymer over steel, versus steel alone, just look at the crash test results. |
#10
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"Steven M. Scharf" > wrote in message ink.net... > "Seamus's Stuff" > wrote in message > ... > > No doubt the accountants weighed the extra cost of the polymer panels > against the number of lost sales that they believe will result from dropping > them. The polymer panel over sub-frame approach was supposed to be cheaper, > but never was. The manufacturing cost of the polymer panels, the yield, and > the problems associated with painting them, made them more costly than > steel. The need for a sub-frame also raised the cost. Furthermore, there was > no safety increase with polymer over steel, versus steel alone, just look at > the crash test results. > It did involve cost...but not those. It was the cost to convert every other plant from steel to polymer...and the cost of having only one plant that can build polymer panel cars/trucks. Since we were the only one out there. We can not build any other product GM makes at our plant. With GM moving to the flexibility of any plant being able to build most any product. We were becoming a large cost to the company. So either we change....or the accountants get rid of the dead weight. I think you can figure out why we said change... Jim |
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