I guess I don't know too much about the corporate platforms GM was cross poluting their product line with, other than my brief exposure to the Cavalier and it's kissing cousin the J-2000 pretty much cured me of really wanting one. The Ion as a product never really drew my attention to owning one however a need for something cheap and available caused me to Rent a couple of Colbalts and discovered that they were really quite a nice and quick car that handled well when pushed hard and were frankly quite inexpensive to buy at the time. And fuel economy was way up there.
I think the second one I rented I was told was a Kia and badging on the things were not real obvious and about 40 miles down the road with another 90 to go I realised (again) that I liked driving it and it wasn't a Kia and finally found a Chevy emblem on it some where.
Fast forward a couple of years just prior to the local Saturn Agency going under I was looking again to replace my Saturn S coupe and the local dealer indicated at the time that the Colbalt was initially planed to be Badged as a Saturn but GM pretty much decided it would sell better as a Chevy and so it was.
Dunno, to bad, both nice cars and gone. Like I said, rumoured. They could get me one if I wanted one.
At least in the circles I travel in, hindsite says the Saturn S cars were a hell of a package and I find it hard to argue with that. 'Specially since the same circles seem to indicate the newer ones are more than difficult to get replacement parts for.

 

I'd take a Saturn Cobalt. Tell ya the truth the salesman had and may still have no idea what he was talking about saying the Cobalt was to be a replacement for the S-Series. The delta platorm was intended to replace the S-series and it did as the ION. The delta platform was also intended to replace the J-body Cavalier and it did as the Cobalt two years after the ION came out. Now the ION run is over so is the Cobalts. Salesmen are the last people I'd ask or listen to about anything related to a car.

 

Well, corporate platform, an euphemism for a less flattering term known as badge engineering which it itself was a marketing term used to legitimize the concept of assembled. A term used when you could purchase a vehicles with a body designed and manufactured by Budd the mechanics as proprietary parts purchased from a number of generic sources, a Continental or Lycoming engine or even one purchased out right from another manufacturer has replaced the idea of a Packard Powered Nash that used a Cadillac hydromatic with designed by Opal, assembled by Dewoo, using components from an assortment of GM parts bins world wide and marketed one way or another under various guises still reflects the concept of an assembled car.

The marketing concept has worked though, now people seem to have no problem purchasing imported from Korea and while the product actually in many cases is a very good one so are the ones designed and manufactured and also imported from
Detroit.

 

huh????

 

Just happy to see Unc is back ............

 

Yep ................. good to have UnclJohn back.