Saturn Corporation

The Saturn Corporation was founded in 1898 by Rondo Martinis and Andrew Saturn In Raleigh, North Carolina. They started out making bikes, and in 1902 they made their first car.

Beginning Years (1898-1912)
When Rondo and Andrew started making bikes, they experimened with strapping a 3 hp engine to it, similar to how Henry Ford made his quadricycle. It wasn’t successful, only 100 were sold. Saturn wasn’t making money that much, because operating costs nearly outweiged annual revenue. In 1910, General Motors bought a 25 percent stake in the company, allowing Saturn to use GM’s platforms.

Getting Popular (1913-1939)
In this time period, their cars were getting better, and by the beginning of the Great Depression, Saturn was a symbol of status and luxury. In 1928, Saturn built their first factory in the outskirts of Raleigh.

War (1941-1945)
During WW2, Saturn was making tanks and small arms. They weren’t making cars during this time.

The “Golden Age“ Of Saturn (1948-1970)
During these years, Saturn was well known. It now was a international company, and it was making great cars like the S200 and the Aviator. This all came to a screening halt due to the fuel crisis.

Fuel Crisis (70s)
Because of the crisis and emissions regulation. Saturn was hit hard, ecpecially the gas guzzling Aviator wagon with its giant 5.3L V8 with 364 hp making a measly 13 mpg. The Aviator got a V6 instead, making a respectable 20 mpg, but only with 272 hp. Then, in 1977, Saturn was bought by GM.

A new car (1985-1990)
A new, fuel efficient car was planned, whi then became the Saturn S-Series. It was saturn’s best selling car in decades, with nearly 1.5 million sold in its total lifespan.

Modern Saturn (1991-present)
Saturn is now one of GM’s best selling brands, selling an average of 750,000 every year.

Current Models

 * Saturn Galaxy
 * Saturn Astra
 * Saturn Aura
 * Saturn Vue
 * Saturn Outlook
 * Saturn Sky
 * Saturn Ion