Friday March 30,2007, Today's DAWN2DUSK feature looks in two directions simultaneous, kind of like a mother of twins! Today we look at the past and future of GM's newest marque, Saturn. The underlying question in the revitalisation of Saturn is whether American auto design for mainstream vehicles is coming to an end?! To answer this question we need to look back at the origins of Saturn. Saturn began back in the early '80's to defend the tarnished image of over-bloated, poorly- crafted American vehicles against the Japanese auto invasion that had taken over like Japanese Beatles on scrubs. The Saturn idea spoke of the best and worst of American thinking. The best because it illustrated a directional shift in thinking away from the "Old Detroit boy;s club" to a global thought process. The worst because it took nearly a decade to bring the products to the road by which time the Asian makers had already surpassed it. The original Saturn was not revolutionary to a Toyota owner but it was to a Buick owner. The cars were simple, worked, and proved reliable. The buying process one-upped even the imports by creating a "no-haggle" approach to purchase which somehow worked. You know the buying experience could have always been "haggle free" if you choose to pay sticker! Saturn also created an "apple pie" theme by placing their plant in Spring Hill Tenn. The plant was the site for loyal customers to come home each year like migrating geese to meet other Saturn loyalists. This idea was revolutionary at the time but rather mainstream today among other cult cars. The problem was that the typical Saturn owner didn't have the time, (and as the product became less desirable),interest, in coming home to their automotive "Capistrano". The basic Saturn idea along with their industry uniqueness has never really caught on. First the American ideology was a wonderful idea that maybe could have been embraced if the products were better. Secondly the unique features, such as the plastic side panels, were in fact a truly useful concept. The thought of having a dingless car was really a great concept. The public, however, couldn't tolerate the large panel gaps created by such a design, and the large holes that formed as the plastic shattered after minor traffic accidents. Personally I think these unique features could have been accepted if only the running gear had been top notch. The engines have always been plagued with noise and vibration problems that mechanically couldn't stand up to the best from Honda or Toyota. The final blow to Saturn came with the form of the Ion. The Ion was supposed to be Saturn's "breakthrough" vehicle. The Ion has turned out to be anything but. In it's defence it has not been that bad a car. It's increase in size makes a very comfortable interior,at least up front, a fairly large trunk, and a demeanor that is more mid-size than compact as you watch it pass. In many ways the silhouette of the Ion is very American, upright, larger than it's cohorts, with relatively long hood short rear deck design that has been used since the Ford Falcon. Saturn even pushed the envelope by including a couple rear hinged doors for easier access to the rear in coupe form. Saturn in many ways is representative of the American spirit of always trying new approaches of doing the same thing. To say this approach has not worked would be an understatement, it has entirely failed. Unfortunately it seems that American consumers are not looking for uniqueness or new ideas in today's marketplace. As a consequence dealers have been left with overstock that they are required to sell at a retail price that is not competitive. In the interim since Saturn's creation GM's European subsidiaries have slowly become world class, however. For the first time as a matter of fact the Opel Astra has outsold Europe's own "son" the VW Golf. Saturn has tapped into this pipeline of truly world class vehicles to slowly inflate Saturn's dealers stock, ego's and viability in the market place. So far it has been working as the rebadged Saturn Aura received North American Car of the year honors.The only bitter-sweet element of this total turnaround of fortune is that it has come at the expense of American labor or thought. The company that started out as "apple pie" has now turned to "bratwurst". It makes one wonder if true American "car design for the masses" is dead as each of the big three look to their European design teams to save them. As Saturn sees the European invasion working in there favor the Ion will become an ever present reminder of the old Saturn and dealers will quickly break down on their pricing giving "fire sale" deals to those who will take this past memory of Saturn from their lots. Now you may wonder, why would you want to buy the "bad memories" of Saturn for your garage? The fact of the matter is that in certain versions, such as the coupe or "tuner friendly" coupe Red Line, the Saturn represents a dieing era of American ingenuity and design that may never return. The plastic panels may be a bit inconsistent but to be among the last to ever own a car with such technology is a special thing. The rear facing doors may not help all that much since the coupe has a tiny backseat but it is neat and unique and a feature to cost in-effective to likely ever return. The style of the coupe is also representative of a time not that long ago when cars didn't look like they where being viewed through a fun house mirror, "Yes my son cars actually weren't as tall as SUV's once". The Red line, representative of the Ion's best effort, may not add that much pure ability but it adds a "rarer than hens teeth" status that will allow it to only increase in value over the years. So the general public may not embrace the original Saturn but for those who may want to do something purely American and unique will look at these shortcomings as "quirkiness". The Ion does not excel in any particular way mechanically nor does it post all that well in safety ratings, however neither do a whole bevy of other truly unique examples of American iron that are now among today's classics. Now if your brain tends to go more in the direction of "Excel" over "Word" do we have the Saturn for you. Enter the 2008 Astra. The Astra literally carries over the Opel name and all body and chassis components except for the grill. The new Astra is a handsome, although a decidedly Euro-handsome, that seems to be the rage at the moment. One look at the svelte lines and great powertrain, (why couldn't the Ion have been so blessed), will make VW dealers batten down the hatches for battle come next fall when the Astra bows. The Astra signals a final blow to American "design for the masses" as it will complete the transformation of Saturn to import from a domestic player. You will now need to by a Toyota Corolla if you want to buy American, whoa I'm starting to get a little dizzy! So we welcome the Astra as it shows that GM can compete. It will become ,without doubt, a mainstay on college campuses and urban alleys. The one pleasant side effect of this is that you will be able to buy German precision while still supporting the Red White and Blue, not a bad compromise. And as far as the Ion goes we will, I'm sure ,be among the few who will even make notice of it's final day's. Ion will be the last American Saturn car and it will be the last that dares to make industry "firsts" or go against convention, so don't miss out if it speaks to your philosophy on life for Ion will soon be a part of our American automotive history.