Saturn Trivia
Test your knowledge with these Saturn ‘did you know’ trivia bits.
- Saturn built its two millionth car, a bright red 3-door coupe, in January 1999… yes, that’s 2,000,000 cars!
- The 3-door RAD coupe went into production on Monday, November 2, 1998.
- Only 1877 special edition black-top coupes were built during the 1998-99 models years. 1308 were produced in 1998; 569 were made in 1999.
- Saturn was the first U.S. auto manufacturer to build both manual and automatic transmissions on the same assembly lines.
- When designing the 1996 models, Saturn engineers discovered that the polymer body panels conducted road noise and other sounds from outside the car. As a fix, engineers lined the inside of the panels with Thinsulate.
- The ‘96 models were 10-to-15 dBA quieter at high RPMs when compared to 1992 models.
- Then-GM chairman, Roger Smith, drove the first Saturn (a medium red ‘91 SL2) off the assembly at 10:57am on July 30, 1990 — 5 1/2 years after final approval…
- When Roger Smith announced the Saturn project in November 1983, GM’s market share was at 44.2%. Today its market share is in the mid-20’s.
- Saturn has been equipping its cars with airplane style “flight” recorders since 1995. They allow Saturn engineers to retrieve safety data from the cars after a crash. The engineers use the information to help them design even safer cars.
- In 1993 Saturn recycled 41,700 tons of steel/aluminum and 1,640 tons of plastic.
- Saturn posted its first operating profit (before taxes and interest) in 1993.
- Saturn received Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” award in December of 1990. Here’s what they said: “Saturn, GM’s best engineering effort to date at an economical small car, pays off with a sedan and coupe based off a new kind of body construction, which layers high-impact thermoplastics over a steel space frame that is impervious to rust and easily repairable. We judge it to have an unusual harmony of design and performance.”
- Saturn’s traction control system was named “Technology of the Year” by Automobile magazine in 1993.
- A sign at the end of the Saturn assembly line reads: “Inspiration Point: Shipping point for the world’s best cars.”
- Saturn cars in Spring Hill, TN travel though the plant on skillets, which let both workers and cars travel down the assembly line in sync. The skillets are like moving sidewalks. They can be adjusted up-and-down to best fit the particular individual assembling the car.
- Saturn’s manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, was the first fully integrated automobile factory in the United States. It consists of an air-conditioned foundary, engine assembly, transmission facility, and stamping, fabrication, paint, vehicle assembly, and parts distribution area.
- Spring Hill, TN is within 600 miles of 65% of the U.S. population.
- Process fluids such as gasoline and windshield washer are usually stored in underground tanks at typical car plants. However, costly enviormental leaks can occur (and often go unnoticed until its too late). At Saturn, all fluids are stored in above-ground tanks, surrounded by containment materials to prevent leakage.
- When building their Spring Hill manufacturing facility, Saturn designed a new way to build sewer pipelines across creeks. Similar designs have since been adopted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
- Saturn Retailers demonstrated the power of profit sharing in 1993, when they gave back 1% of their margin to Saturn Corp. The unusual move raised $13 million, and helped Saturn turn its first operating profit that year.
- In 1992, Saturn led the industry is sales per outlet with an average of 1072 cars through each of its stores.
- By 1993, that number fell to 899 cars per outlet, mostly because Saturn added 46 stores, that year.