Two model years later a station wagon was added, giving this model line three body choices that would carry the company through its first decade of existence. Production began in July 1990, as sedan and coupe versions of the 1991 S-Series were produced. By 1988, the plant was completed, the first workers hired and by the following year, the first dealers were appointed. Construction began in 1986, representing a $1.9 billion investment by GM. In 1985, GM incorporated its Saturn company and purchased land in Spring Hill, Tenn., to build a manufacturing plant. In exchange for taking a 20 percent pay cut, Saturn workers were guaranteed profit-sharing and other income opportunities based on production and quality goals.Ĭertain other workers’ rights, including seniority, work rules, grievance procedures, and traditional job descriptions were also modified or removed. The UAW and GM began meeting in 1983 and by 1985 had reached a labor accord for the Saturn operation according to Southern Changes. During the intervening years, GM formally established the Saturn Car Corporation and began working out a labor agreement with the UAW to gain concessions to make Saturn possible. The first prototype Saturn vehicle was introduced in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1990 that a production model was made available. The following year, GM chairman Roger Smith announced his company’s intention publicly. Faced with a seemingly unstoppable advance of cheap, higher quality vehicles from Japan, General Motors was looking for a way to counteract that push by developing a new line of small cars to take on Toyota, Honda, and Datsun (later, Nissan).Īs early as 1982, GM management began planning the “Saturn” company, named for the rocket that carried astronauts to the moon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |