Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG), www.penskeautomotive.com,
an international automotive retailer, announced today that is has signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with General Motors regarding the
Saturn brand.
Under the terms of the MOU, if the transaction is completed, Penske
Automotive Group would obtain the rights to the Saturn brand, acquire
certain assets including the Saturn parts inventory, and have the right
to distribute vehicles and parts through the Saturn Dealership network.
General Motors would continue to provide Saturn Aura, Vue and Outlook
vehicles, on a contract basis, for an interim period.
“We have agreed upon a framework that we believe will build momentum for
the Saturn brand,” said Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske.
“Saturn has a passionate customer base and outstanding dealer network.
For nearly 20 years Saturn has focused on treating the customer right.
We share that philosophy, and we want to build on those strengths.”
Saturn began selling cars in 1990 and has sold more than 4 million
vehicles. More than 80 percent of those vehicles are still in operation,
according to data from R.L. Polk. Saturn has regularly scored among the
industry leaders for non-luxury brands in customer satisfaction surveys.
Commenting on the proposed deal, Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak
said, “This is the combination of two iconic teams: Saturn and Penske.
GM had the vision to create Saturn and has the desire to see it succeed
in the future.”
Further details of the transaction are not being released at this time.
The closing of the transaction is expected to occur during the third
quarter of 2009 and is subject to customary conditions, including the
completion of due diligence, regulatory and other approvals.
About Penske Automotive
Penske Automotive Group, Inc., (www.penskeautomotive.com)
headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, operates 310 retail
automotive franchises, representing 40 different brands and 25 collision
repair centers. Penske Automotive, which sells new and previously owned
vehicles, finance and insurance products and replacement parts, and
offers maintenance and repair services on all brands it represents, has
158 franchises in 19 states and Puerto Rico and 152 franchises located
outside the United States, primarily in the United Kingdom. Penske
Automotive is also the exclusive distributor of the smart fortwo through
its wholly-owned subsidiary smart USA Distributor LLC (www.smartusa.com).
smart USA supports over 75 smart retail centers in the United States.