Saturn dealers left a private breakfast meeting last week with General Motors executives in New Orleans saying they learned little more than before about the future of the troubled brand, Tim Higgins
reports. GM executives have said the brand is not profitable and that something must be done to correct the situation quickly.
"Let's face it, if you tried to sell a Saturn
franchise today, there are no buyers," says John Pohanka, chairman of a Maryland-based group that owns three Saturn dealerships.
Mark LaNeve, vp of GM North America, says the
automaker has been talking extensively with its dealer body about various alternatives to improve the business model. He notes that the assets of Saturn -- the brand, its dealers and customers --
"are incredibly positive."
An Associated Press story in the
Freep, meanwhile, reports that Chrysler vice chairman Jim Press
prodded dealers to take more vehicles during a conference call Thursday. "You have two choices," Press told the group, according to
Automotive News. "You can either help us or
burn us all down." Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau says the call was meant to be a private internal discussion between the company and dealers.
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