GM to terminate sales of Saturn in Japan

NEW YORK (Kyodo) General Motors Corp. will halt sales of its Saturn brand vehicles in Japan by the end of this year, company sources said here Monday. The move is a result of sluggish sales amid the ongoing recession, the sources said.

In the future, the U.S. automaker will focus its resources in the Japanese market on cars made under the Chevrolet brand, the sources added.

The termination of the Saturn will constitute the second retreat of a GM car model from the Japanese market, following that of the Cavalier last year. The Cavalier had been handled by Toyota Motor Corp.

GM will instead target the North American market for its Saturn brand.

The Saturn was launched in Japan in 1997. It sold 1,375 units in 1998 but sales plunged to 1,002 in 2000, according to the automaker.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nb20010214a2.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), February 13, 2001