New Saturns: Small Car, Small Glimpse

Orange County got its first glimpse of General Motors’ much-ballyhooed new Saturn cars Wednesday. But they are small cars, and it was a very small glimpse. A truck carrying 11 of GM’s American-made import-fighters dropped off just three of the cars at Saturn of Santa Ana before continuing its rounds.

They were the first Saturns delivered anywhere in the state, said dealer John Campbell, whose lot is the only Saturn franchise in the county and one of just 30 in the state that will open for business next Thursday.

The tiny delivery signaled an inauspicious start for the new line. Production problems are forcing GM to radically reduce the number of cars dealers will have on hand opening day. Campbell says he has been told he’ll only get 25, down from his original target of 80.

The Saturn line--two four-door sedans and a coupe--are priced in the $9,000 to $13,000 range and are designed to compete with imports like Toyota’s Corolla.