Saturn Bidder Eyes Samsung Cars For Brand
Samsung, the fifth largest car manufacturer in South Korea may soon find its cars sold in the United States. Saturn dealers may soon become Samsung showrooms if the Penske Group has their way.
Korea's smallest car manufacturer,
Samsung, may soon find a market for its cars in the US if an American investor/importer has his way. Roger Penske, whose name is well known in automobile racing, dealerships and in the distribution of Smart cars, is eying Renault Samsung of Korea as its partner for GM's Saturn brand.
Renault Owns Samsung Motors
Penske is one of the parties bidding for Saturn, GM's erstwhile import fighting make. General Motors, who is undergoing a historic restructuring, plans to sell Saturn which means that the brand's 425 plus dealer network could soon find itself marketing one or more brands of cars in the near future. If Penske's bid wins out, that brand could be Samsung which is 80% owned by French automaker Renault.
The Penske bid for Saturn isn't a done deal nor is its quest to bring Renault Samsung vehicles to the US assured. But, the prospect of selling Asian cars through Saturn is a bit ironic given the brand's mandate from GM to be an import fighter. When founded in the 1980s, Saturn was expected to challenge the onslaught of cars from Japan, particularly Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics. These days the Asian onslaught is from South Korea, as the country pushes Hyundai, Kia and GM Daewoo models across the Pacific.
Renault Taps Nissan For Samsung Which May Benefit Saturn
Renault Samsung is the smallest of South Korea's car manufacturers a market which is dominated by Hyundai and Kia followed by GM Daewoo and SsangYong Motors. Renault harnesses its partial ownership of Nissan to provide several of the platforms for Samsung vehicles, some of which could be US bound. The QM5, SM7, SM5 and SM3 are among the Samsung models which were developed by Nissan.
Penske has been selling Daimler's Smart cars since they went on sale in the US in January 2008, therefore the company is well acquainted with being the exclusive distributor for a brand. The company operates more than 300 car dealerships and manages a truck leasing company in addition to its race car venture and other automotive interests.
