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Just as important, tiny Spring Hill (population 1400 at the time) was about 35 miles south of Nashville and 30 miles from Smyrna, Tennessee, home of Nissan’s North American factory, so vital railroad lines, interstate highways and suppliers were all conveniently close. That was a tall order for an established car company, but Saturn was starting from scratch. Groundbreaking took place in April 1986, by which time fledgling Saturn, barely a year old, had its third president: Richard G. “Skip” LeFauve, transferred from GM’s Buick-Olds-Cadillac Group after Bill Hoglund, LeFauve’s predecessor at Saturn, was named to head that unit.
Initial funding was $150 million, and up to $5 billion was earmarked for future expenditures, including some $3.5 billion for a “greenfield” factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Oldsmobile general manager Joseph Sanchez was tapped as Saturn president, but died of a heart attack less than three weeks later. Smith hoped production would start by fall 1987, and vowed to drive the first car off the line himself. Saturn, a division of GM founded in the 1980s, had its own dedicated car factory from the beginning. A prime reason for locating in Tennessee was to distance Saturn from other GM facilities, thus allowing a unique “corporate culture” to flower more easily. Pontiac general manager Bill Hogland was named to replace him.
Adding visceral appeal at mid-2004 was a racy Ion Red Line coupe with a supercharged 2.0-liter Ecotec pumping out 205 eager horses. The $21,000 list price included mandatory five-speed manual, a tauter suspension on 17-inch wheels and performance tires, rear disc brakes, big-bolster front seats, snazzy leather/cloth upholstery, and the obligatory “go faster” body addenda, though Saturn wisely left a bulky rear spoiler to the options card. Car and Driver clocked 0-60 mph at a brisk 6.1 seconds versus a sedate 8.4 for the base 140-bhp manual coupe. This Ion aimed at the fast-growing youth market for tuned-up, glammed-up “sport compacts.” It was mostly on target: nimble, eye-catching, and noisy but quick.
So instead, GM offered three-month leases that included all normal servicing, though not the required home charger. Acceleration was strong — about 8.0 seconds 0-60 — but you dare not use full power very often. Even careful drivers were hard-put to get more than 60 miles on a full charge. The program was extended to Sacramento, California, in 1997 and to San Francisco the following year. If you enjoyed this short article and you would such as to receive more facts concerning Condo for sale Singapore kindly go to the web-page. Fittingly, EV1s were first leased in smoggy Los Angeles and San Diego, California, and in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
Two engines covered five models with familiar Saturn nomenclature. Powering the LS and LS1 sedans and LW1 wagon was a dohc 2.2-liter four-cylinder, part of GM’s new “L850” engine family and marketed under the “Ecotec” name. The LS2 sedan and LW2 wagon carried a twincam 3.0-liter V-6, also designed by GM Europe and shared with Saab of Sweden (by now part of the GM empire). The V-6 teamed only with a four-speed automatic transmission, which was also available for four-cylinder models in lieu of five-speed manual.
