According to Reuters, Saturn head Jill Lajdziak said on Tuesday that she expects the General Motors division to increase its US sales by 10% this year and next, with the goal of 500,000 vehicles a year by 2005.
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“Although we still have December to go, we expect to close out 2002 with sales up about 10% over 2001,” the Saturn vice president of sales, service and marketing told the Automotive Press Association of Detroit, according to Reuters, which said she added: “Our target is to grow sales by 10% in 2003, and we are aiming for a sales level of 500,000 vehicles a year by 2005.”
To the end of October this year, Saturn sold 238,817 vehicles in the United States, up 3.8% from last year, Reuters said.
According to Reuters, Saturn expects its new Ion small car and strong results for its Vue sport utility vehicle will help boost sales for the final two months of the year and work towards the goal of a 10% increase in sales this year.
Sales this year are expected to break Saturn’s record sales of 286,000 vehicles in 1993, Reuters said.
Saturn has expanded its lineup in recent years with the L-Series mid-size car and the Vue compact SUV, Reuter said, adding that Lajdziak told the Detroit gathering that Saturn will continue to expand its lineup with another mid-size vehicle in 2005, and is considering a larger vehicle to fit more than five passengers.
According to Reuters, Lajdziak, referring to the Sky convertible that Saturn showed as a concept car earlier this year, said that the brand is also considering a “halo” car in the lineup.
Saturn, which currently has 433 dealerships, plans to expand that network to between 650 to 700 dealerships over the next 10 years, Lajdziak said, according to Reuters.
