Saturn Automobile

General Motors Corp. launched its Saturn division in 1985 as a "different kind of car company," one given the task to sell cars in a new way and compete with Japanese juggernauts like Honda and Toyota. The idea, simply, was to make money on the small, economical vehicles that had always been losers for the Detroit giant. Now GM may be abandoning the brand altogether.

An unheralded private equity firm in Oklahoma City emerged Wednesday as the only known suitor for General Motor Corp.'s Saturn brand, promising to keep the marque and its dealership network alive. The firm, Black Oak Partners, said that if it acquires the brand, it would continue to distribute GM-made vehicles through 2011 and would also source vehicles from foreign manufacturers to badge as Saturns.

CONSIDER the beauty of the base hit. The pitch, the swing ... \o7there! ... \f7a skittering worm-burner between second and third, just beyond the shortstop's glove. Is there anything so majestically modest? No vainglorious windmilling for the fences. No manager's chicanery (the ignoble bunt or sac fly). The base hit is the game's fundamental increment. Car companies are like baseball teams. They love home runs. They \o7need\f7 base hits.

I would like GM executives to grab hold of something so they don't hurt themselves when they fall down. GM is my new favorite car company. You know, I've been so infuriated by the lack of progress in GM products, so unrequited after years of empty promises that fuel efficiency, design, build quality and competitiveness are about to turn that damn corner they keep talking about, I might have been rather uncivil.

General Motors Corp. faces a U.S. safety probe and a potential recall of 227,303 Saturn Vue sport utility vehicles because the rear suspension collapsed during federal rollover tests. The review covers 2002 through 2004 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The suspension failure in both four- and two-wheel-drive 2004 Vues was the first in rollover driving tests added this year. The left rear wheel collapsed under the vehicle, NHTSA said.

The redesigned Saturn Vue passed the government's rollover test with a score similar to other sport utility vehicles, federal regulators said Monday. General Motors Corp. redesigned the Vue's rear suspension after the SUV failed two previous rollover tests. In both cases, a wheel collapsed beneath the vehicle. The newer version earned three stars out of a possible five from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Saturn will use next year's auto-show circuit to let the public see at least two of three models that will expand its portfolio starting in 2006. The look into Saturn's future starts with the Detroit show in January, Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak says. Lajdziak said the three new vehicles will be in market segments Saturn is absent from and represent the beginning of its revitalization program.

General Motors Corp. will invest about $3 billion in an effort to double sales of its Saturn division in three years, Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said. Saturn hopes to sell 400,000 vehicles in 2007 after adding a roadster, minivan and sport-utility vehicle. Saturn is expected to sell about 208,000 vehicles in the U.S. this year, 23% below last year's 271,157 and 27% below Saturn's 1994 peak.

General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that it is recalling about 254,000 Saturn L-Series cars to correct an engine problem that has led to fires. The model years affected are 2000 to 2003. About 240,000 of the cars, which are equipped with 2.2-liter engines, are in the United States and the rest are in Canada, the world's No. 1 automaker said. The company plans to begin notifying owners next month and instructing them to take the cars to Saturn dealers.