The performance of his company hasn't been all that great.
Posted on 06/07/2009 8:41:43 AM PDT by Kaslin
Breaking News: An American car company will soon be taken-over by a business person who has expertise in the car industry. And the guy “taking over” is actually “happy” about it.
As the bankrupt General Motors corporation seeks to get rid of it’s “non core” car brands, Roger Penske, the American race car driver-turned global business magnate, will soon be purchasing Saturn, and taking over the sales, marketing, and distribution of Saturn cars and parts.
Penske‘s company will not be manufacturing Saturn cars themselves - he’s soliciting bids from other companies to design and build the cars for him - but will focus instead on what the Penske group does best. "Our success has been with handling the business that is closest to the customer,“ Penske stated when the news was announced, “so I don't want us to get into our own manufacturing business.."
You may have ignored this news, and it may seem like “no big deal” now. But consider how this conflicts with the predictions and assumptions made by Washington politicians.
Recall that fateful day (November 18th) back in 2008, when the executives of Ford, G.M., and Chrysler, took their turns before Congress begging for their “share” of bailout cash. “This is about much more than just Detroit," then- G.M. President Rick Wagoner stated, "It's about saving the U.S. economy from a catastrophic collapse."
And it was presumed that catastrophe would necessarily ensue, if our government didn’t “bailout” the car companies. “We're concerned about the hundreds of thousands and millions of people who are involved in the automobile industry” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rationalized 2 days later, “we want them to have the jobs..” If our tax dollars weren’t spent to save these companies from their own mismanagement, then, to follow Senator Reid’s logic, the companies would simply cease to exist, and “millions” would be unemployed.
But we all know what happened after the U.S. car exec’s groveled. Politicians insisted that without their meddling, the entire industry would collapse, and so they went about meddling. The Congress tried to pass a “car bailout bill,” but it failed. President Bush then used his executive powers to take money from the TARP (bank bailout) funds, and doled-out a few billion to G.M. and Chrysler (Ford had to good sense to say “no thanks”). In doing this, Bush completely defied the will of the people and the Congress, and kept Chrysler and G.M. afloat just long enough for Obama to get inaugurated.
And one inauguration and two additional car bailouts later, President Obama has now kicked and punched his way to the point of having GM and Chrysler in a headlock, and both companies are at his mercy. With Chrysler, President Obama has drawn law suits for his interfering in the relationship between the company and its secured creditors. Additionally, Chrysler executives are fearful of Obama’s coercive efforts to “force” a Chrysler-Fiat merger, believing that Fiat is in even worse financial health than Chrysler itself. As for G.M., President Obama claims that "our goal is to help GM get back on its feet ... and get out quickly, " but the Administration’s behavior suggests that G.M. will be, indeed, “government motors” for the foreseeable future.
So despite all the “without us they will fail” predictions from Washington, after some $50 billion of our hard-earned money being handed-over, and now with two of the nation’s automakers in the hands of one individual - Barack Obama - the companies are still failing. Yet in the midst of the doom and gloom, and despite the predictions of President Obama, Senator Harry Reid and other congressional Democrats, an American business owner and entrepreneur sees opportunity in the car industry and is excited to jump-in.
Roger Penske isn’t asking for a “bailout.” He isn’t even asking for special government-subsidized financing for his purchase. He wants Saturn, a product line deemed to be one of the least attractive on the G.M. roster, because he believes that he can make money with it, and he’s willing to risk his money and his good reputation to make it happen. “This (Saturn) is still a good business” Penske stated, “and we’re going to make it better.” In the process, it is believed that Penske’s acquisition will in the short-run save some 13,000 American jobs, and eventually create more.
For some, it’s hard to believe. But all this benefit is being derived- - for Penske, for his associates, for the can industry and for the global economy - without the expenditure of more of our tax dollars, and without President Obama coercing it. It’s happening at the hands of free people, freely choosing to take risks, to innovate, to create, and to produce.
This is the reality of American-styled Capitalism at work. I’m quite certain that most members of Congress lost sight of this reality long ago, and I suspect that President Obama knows nothing about it at all.
But it is a reality that the American citizenry must never forget.
I’d buy a Penske car before I’d ever buy a government car.
Will Saturn become Uranus?
That was my thought. He will keep the dealer network, but the cars will be made in China or Korea—not the US. It will be the equivalent of buying a foreign made TV that still sports an “American” brand name.
Maybe he’ll team with a foreign maker with a US manufacturing facility. Non UAW of course.
best of luck to Penske in trying to revive Saturn which has always struggled. I had also heard, though I can’t confirm, that GM was loaning Penske a few billion to help int he purchase.
Unless Penske is looking to totally change the direction of the company, wipe the slate clean with newly designed and engineered cars, I don’t see this ending well.
~~Yay for capitalism........... PING!
If this comes to pass, I’ll be driving nothing but Fords or Saturns in the future.
Buying either a Ford or Saturn will be a vote for free capitalism.
Buying GM will be a vote for socialism.
The performance of his company hasn't been all that great.
How is he going to deal with CAFE regulations?
I realize Saturns tend to be smaller cars, but I think the ONE has a huge weapon to put any rivals out of business. Either you force your customers to buy cars they don’t want, or we will shut you down.
A company with a larger product line can be profitable making only a few luxury cars per year, and letting the price (and profits) soar to whatever the market will bear, while selling lots of little tiny cars under a different badge.
Smaller companies get frozen out of this scheme, it just isn’t feasible to make only a few thousand of a high end car.
"Our success has been with handling the business that is closest to the customer,“ Penske stated.
Penske will demand that Saturns will be well built, then his organization will take care of them and the customer.
A win - win brand of car to buy.
that's gonna make a whole lot of FReepers and Pravda loook pretty dim.
Saturn now on my buy list, beside Ford
Currently:
Vue: Mexico
Aura: Kansas
Astra: Belgium
Outlook: Michigan
Sky: Delaware
Unless Penske is looking to totally change the direction of the company, wipe the slate clean with newly designed and engineered cars, I don’t see this ending well.
If he keeps the Saturn model I think you're right. However, Penske is too smart to do that. I think he'll have his people, or some outside contractor, design one fine line of automobiles,and he has a huge dealer network already in place to support it.
Heh.
During the same time frame you cited, GM went from 50 dollars to 86 cents.
ping
No it is Palin Mulally 2012.... :-)....
In the process, it is believed that Penske’s acquisition will in the short-run save some 13,000 American jobs, and eventually create more.
It is hard to get a straight answer or at least one that is agreed upon across the board. 13,000 jobs via the Saturn brand and in the GM closing announcements it was mentioned some 25,000 total jobs lost. I know that Saturn doesn’t equal half of the GM losses.
That said any jobs that Penske can salvage will help the economy for sure.
Sure, but Penske isn’t the corporate miracle worker he’s being made out to be. This is a self preservation move for him.
Post #4 ROFL
What were Saturn’s sales in 2008? Somewhere around 200,000 units I think.
Importing Korean cars and calling them Saturns? I’d buy a Hyundai first. The only benefit in this deal is to Roger Penske. That’s capitalism. But, another part of the capitalism deal is for Penske to convince me that buying a “Saturn” is a good choice.
Not likely to happen.
Whatever you say.
I wouldn’t count on Ford being free enterprise.
I agree. I will never buy a GM or Chrysler ever again. Ford and Saturn only.
If "US" means U.S. Workers, let me name a few:
US sales people, US auto mechanics, US investors who have millions in Saturn Franchises, US Clerical workers in Dealerships. In my world all of these US citizens are just as valuable as people who build cars; in the US government's view, they are second class to UAW workers.
Indeed. If he’s just marketing more stuff made somewhere else, then who cares? We have plenty of that already.
I suspect an enormous factor weighing for Penske’s plans not to manufacture the cars is avoiding substantial long term pension cost.
Ford is still a free enterprise that hasn’t accepted any “bailout” money.
Any reason to believe otherwise?
I still want a Jeep. I have no idea what’s going to happen to that name.
I say he buys up some of the wreckage at Chrysler too, especially some of their successful newer lines like the Challenger, and puts his own name on the new (non-union) company. I think he can figure out how to make cars people want to buy and can afford.
Only if they acquire the Probe name from Ford.
Please, does this even need to be mentioned? Obama has never in his entire life produced a nickel's worth of value. Every job he has ever held has been parasitic. He is unfit to run a lemonade stand, and everyone who ever has run any productive enterprise knows it.
I would buy cars from Roger.
A smart move by Roger.
Could be he’s trying to get out from under UAW contracts.
Saturn already does some of it’s work in Japan...Have a relative who worked for them there.
I am hoping Hummer is acquired by a more favorable entity OTHER than the Chinese though it appears that even that prospect may not go through.
I would like to hear a possibility of a company like PACCAR buying the name, they have the expertise with over the road trucks like Peterbilt. And that would be a boost for future Hummer sales especially if they can get the price down a bit as I am attracted to owning an H2 but I cannot reason buying one when it costs almost as much as a Corvette.
Isn't FIAT one of the Church of Rome's big holdings? Hmmmm?
Roger Penske isn’t asking for a “bailout.” He isn’t even asking for special government-subsidized financing for his purchase. He wants Saturn, a product line deemed to be one of the least attractive on the G.M. roster, because he believes that he can make money with it, and he’s willing to risk his money and his good reputation to make it happen. “This (Saturn) is still a good business” Penske stated, “and we’re going to make it better.” In the process, it is believed that Penske’s acquisition will in the short-run save some 13,000 American jobs, and eventually create more.
If "US" means U.S. Workers, let me name a few: US sales people, US auto mechanics, US investors who have millions in Saturn Franchises, US Clerical workers in Dealerships. In my world all of these US citizens are just as valuable as people who build cars; in the US government's view, they are second class to UAW workers.
It also helps us tremendously that Penske will not be using taxpayer money to finance the new operation. From the article:
Roger Penske isn’t asking for a “bailout.” He isn’t even asking for special government-subsidized financing for his purchase. He wants Saturn, a product line deemed to be one of the least attractive on the G.M. roster, because he believes that he can make money with it, and he’s willing to risk his money and his good reputation to make it happen. . . .For some, it’s hard to believe. But all this benefit is being derived- - for Penske, for his associates, for the can industry and for the global economy - without the expenditure of more of our tax dollars, and without President Obama coercing it. It’s happening at the hands of free people, freely choosing to take risks, to innovate, to create, and to produce.
In my book, that is an enormous benefit for all Americans, even if Penske does import foreign-made cars.
With Penske in charge, Saturn will have a better chance of survival than the rest of General Motors.
I loved my Vue.
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