The Times-Picayune reports all three Saturn dealerships in the New Orleans metro area (Slidell, Metairie and Harvey) will shut down Wednesday. GM has announced it will stop building Saturns at the end of 2009. Saturn's brand (still loved by many) and its dealer network are seen as valuable assets, and GM is open to selling the line. Penske (car parts chain) and an Oklahoma firm are both considering buying Saturn.
Saturn of Lafayette closed earlier this year. It had just been bought by the Courtesy Automotive group - owners told reporters they didn't see a future in the brand. The Mann family brought Saturn to Lafayette and ran the dealership for many years before selling to Courtesy.
The Bohn family owns all three New Orleans-area Saturn dealerships. In the T-P article, Van Bohn said the Slidell site will sell Kias, and an Audi dealership will open at the Metairie site. A Saturn executive is quoted saying the Metairie store was one of the company's top-selling markets before Hurricane Katrina
This week, GM is expected to cut 2,600 of its 6,000 dealers. Chrysler is also reportedly cutting 800 dealers soon. I'll keep my eyes open to see if any Acadiana dealers will be affected. So far, my sources say they haven't heard of any local dealerships shutting down.
Saturn of Lafayette closed earlier this year. It had just been bought by the Courtesy Automotive group - owners told reporters they didn't see a future in the brand. The Mann family brought Saturn to Lafayette and ran the dealership for many years before selling to Courtesy.
The Bohn family owns all three New Orleans-area Saturn dealerships. In the T-P article, Van Bohn said the Slidell site will sell Kias, and an Audi dealership will open at the Metairie site. A Saturn executive is quoted saying the Metairie store was one of the company's top-selling markets before Hurricane Katrina
This week, GM is expected to cut 2,600 of its 6,000 dealers. Chrysler is also reportedly cutting 800 dealers soon. I'll keep my eyes open to see if any Acadiana dealers will be affected. So far, my sources say they haven't heard of any local dealerships shutting down.
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