With company officials awaiting a decision from parent company General Motors, Saturn's crisis is deepening day by day. As a direct result of the chaos surrounding Saturn, consumers have lost their confidence in the brand, so sales are decreasing at an alerting rate, authorized dealerships explain. Furthermore, GM's announcement that it plans to get rid of the brand and the uncertainty state it currently lives in have collapsed Saturn's sales all over the country, causing several dealership closures across the US.
But Saturn is extremely concerned with the current situation, spokesman Steve Janisse was quoted as saying by Autonews, and the company is "fighting to hold onto".
Since the beginning of the year, a total of 1,209 dealerships closed their doors, citing the collapsing sales as the main reason. In addition, four dealerships shut down their operations last week, three of them in Kansas City and one in Springfiel, Mo.
"That's partly why we're working so quickly to find a solution and to let our retailers know what is going to happen with Saturn. "We're in warp speed for this study phase," Janisse says. "Once we make the announcement that this is the plan, we'll continue to work at warp speed."
The car manufacturer is currently considering a new deal to sell cars in Kansas City, following the closures of so many core dealerships. "We hate to lose a whole market," the spokesman added.
Gordon Walker, an authorized dealer based in Chicago, told Autonews that interest in Saturn cars dropped once General Motors confirmed that it plans to get rid of the company. "We hear from people who planned on buying a car; they want their deposits back," Walker says. "They talked to a friend who advised them not to buy a GM car."
But Saturn is extremely concerned with the current situation, spokesman Steve Janisse was quoted as saying by Autonews, and the company is "fighting to hold onto".
Since the beginning of the year, a total of 1,209 dealerships closed their doors, citing the collapsing sales as the main reason. In addition, four dealerships shut down their operations last week, three of them in Kansas City and one in Springfiel, Mo.
"That's partly why we're working so quickly to find a solution and to let our retailers know what is going to happen with Saturn. "We're in warp speed for this study phase," Janisse says. "Once we make the announcement that this is the plan, we'll continue to work at warp speed."
The car manufacturer is currently considering a new deal to sell cars in Kansas City, following the closures of so many core dealerships. "We hate to lose a whole market," the spokesman added.
Gordon Walker, an authorized dealer based in Chicago, told Autonews that interest in Saturn cars dropped once General Motors confirmed that it plans to get rid of the company. "We hear from people who planned on buying a car; they want their deposits back," Walker says. "They talked to a friend who advised them not to buy a GM car."