Saturn

Saturn answers reader questions on GM Fastlane blog

Following the Saturn press conference at the Detroit Auto Show, Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak put a post on GM's Fastlane blog about the vehicles that were shown. In the comments section of that post readers asked lots of questions about what Saturn had shown and where the company is going. In the latest entry on the blog, Kyle Johnson, director of Saturn communications, has responded to some of the more interesting questions such as why does it take so long to build a new vehicle when they can get a concept from drawing board to stage in six months. Unfortunately the answers aren't as detailed as they might have been in some cases. That timing question should have mentioned the fact that concepts that are built so quickly are generally non-functional or barely functional. All the systems that are required on a real car are generally not present on a concept. Check out the all the questions and responses at the Fastlane blog.
·
Jim Dawson's 80-mile range electric Saturn

Jim Dawson gives a great tour of his 1994 Saturn SL1 converted to run on electricity for an Illinois public access cable show (you can watch the video below the fold). Jim shows us the insides of his four-door electric car, pointing out all the changes he made and then takes us for a drive. There is a fuse so Jim does not have to worry about electrocution and everything else - like brakes, air bags, etc. - is basically the same.Jim could not leave the back suspension alone though because he added a thousand pounds of batteries which gets him up to 80-mile range. Jim has put over 8,000 miles on his electric Saturn and likes paying only 2 cents a mile (30 MPG gas car with $3 a barrel a gas costs 20 cents a mile). Jim thinks more people will be interested in electric cars when gas hits $4 this Summer.
·
Big GM Crossovers not going hybrid anytime soon

After a report here on ABG yesterday that General Motors was set to introduce hybrid versions of their full-size Lambda crossovers, I decided to call up Brian Corbett GM's spokesman for hybrid programs. The Lambdas include the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. According to Corbett, there are no immediate plans to hybridize the Lambdas. During a conversation with GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November he indicated that the shape of the engine compartment of the big CUVs was too narrow for the two-mode transmission to fit. Corbett said that a second-generation version was being designed but it was still at least 3-4 years away. The current mild hybrid system also isn't suitable for the bigger vehicles although the second-generation version of that might be adapted. That, too, is still three years away. So if you like the Lambdas but want better mileage, you'll be waiting a while . As for the GMC Sierra hybrid, Chevrolet announced the identical Chevy Silverado hybrid in LA and the Sierra will no doubt be announced soon.
Detroit 2008: More photos than you can shake a stick at

The Detroit Auto Show is open to the public this week. If you're the type of person who really wants to be there, but can't find the time or money to arrive, allow me to present you with a viable alternative. Sure, we already brought you news about the green cars that were revealed or are on display at the show, but sometimes you'd like to just aimlessly wander the aisles and see what you can find, right? If that sounds good to you, here's a way to do just that at your computer. Click on the gallery thumbnails below to begin a journey through 111 images shot by Newspress at the NAIAS. As I was posting these images, I felt like I was back in Cobo Hall. You can feel like you're there, too. Enter any time.