Mister Saturn

Today was a really good day.  I had a consultant in my office for a meeting, and twice we were interrupted by a couple of long-time customers who were there to remind me what is so different about the Saturn brand and about our dealership.  First, I heard some music playing, and I was invited out into the showroom for the delivery of a brand new Saturn Vue to one of our repeat customers.  Yes, we still do all the fuss and noise with our customers new and old, including a cheer and a line to shake the hands of our newest customers.  This is something that happens a couple of times a day in our dealership, but it never gets old for me.  In this case, the car was the EIGHTH Saturn that this customer had purchased, and as I walked back to my office with the consultant, he looked at me and said, "Does this happen often around here, eight cars sold to one customer?"  Well, I am delighted to report that in fact, it does, that Saturn still does have the best brand loyalty of any automaker in the business.

Then, on the way back to my office, we bumped into Les, who is a Regional VP in a national financial services firm.  Les was in for an oil change on his car (pictured above), and he proudly told me that the car now has 204,000 original owner miles.  Again, I got the same does-this-happen-every-day look from the consultant, and I am delighted to report that while it may not happen every day, it happens often enough to remind me what we are all about.

 With great fanfare, the fifth new Saturn vehicle in two years was announced at the Chicago Auto Show last week.

The sporty compact Saturn ASTRA completes the new Saturn model line, and will be the lowest price Saturn when it arrives at the dealerships beginning in early 2008.

Our Phoenix Arizona Saturn Dealerhip is delighted to pioneer a new online service technology, putting more control and 24/7 access in the hands of our customers.

If you are a customer and we have your email address on file, you should have already received a login password which will allow you to book an appointment to service your car.  If not, you can always register on the Saturn of Scottsdale Service Appointment page.

By booking online, you can be assured that there will be adequate technicians avaialable to quickly resolved your service needs, that a ride back to the office will be available if needed, and that you will have the least possible downtime.  Also, if we are running a service special that is appropriate for your vehicle, you will be offered any service specials that may be appropriate for your vehicle according to its factory recommended maintenance schedule.  You will also be able to view your service history online.

In coming months, we hope that more than 50% of our service appointments will be booked online, which will help our customers build their service histories online.   In the testing we have done so far, we found that after the initial setup and first use of our system, more than 90% of customers say they prefer online booking to calling for an appointment.

It looks like GM is finally "going green" and they are doing it right, putting Saturn front and center in their battle for green car market share.  Saturn has long been known as the “safety company” and has also earned the title of the “green company.”  Saturn is GM's "alternative" brand and was introduced in the early '90's targeted younger buyers, and during the past 20 years, the company has grown up and evolved alongside our customers.  Just like our customers, we have not forgotten our ideals or what made us a force to be reckoned with in the auto industry.  Customers want style, they want safety, they want eco-friendly.  Saturn's designers listened and responded with some very green models and initatives in recent months.

Saturn has now announced THREE green models showing that the U.S. can still lead, that we are a serious contender and that we are listening to what customers want and expect.  Our ground-breaking Vue is already the leader-of-the pack of eco-friendly SUVs.  However, the 2010 Vue is expected to be available as a true plug-in hybrid that can run as a pure EV.  Given that the Vue is anticipated to be GM's first commercially available electric car, the Vue is definitely turning some heads and putting some smiles on customer's faces.