Valley says so long to Saturn

Saturn of Henderson, the only Saturn new-car dealership in Southern Nevada, will fade into the sunset sometime next year.

General Motors is expected to wind down the brand, which made its first appearance in Southern Nevada in 1990, after a bid to buy the company fell through. Roger Penske had planned to buy Saturn from GM and run it as an independent company.

When the deal's collapse was announced Oct. 1, "We kind of had our backup plan in place," Findlay Automotive Chief Financial Officer Tyler Corder said.

The company hopes to find replacement jobs for the 50 Saturn workers at its other 14 Southern Nevada dealerships.

"My goal is to keep every one of them," Corder said. "We feel very, very fortunate."

The end of the Saturn brand is creating grief for dealers, particularly those who sold only Saturn vehicles, he said.

Findlay closed Saturn of West Sahara last summer and consolidated its Saturn operations at the Henderson location. Findlay changed the location at 5325 W. Sahara Ave. into a Kia dealership.

With the shuttering of the last Saturn dealership, Saturn owners will be able to get service at Findlay's two GM dealerships for Cadillac and Chevrolet, Corder said. Findlay Cadillac is at 993 Auto Show Drive in Henderson, and Findlay Chevrolet is at 6800 S. Torrey Pines Drive.

The Saturn dealership has about 75 new vehicles still for sale at the Henderson shop at 310 N. Gibson Road.

In keeping with Saturn's tradition of no-haggle car shopping, Findlay is not discounting prices on the remaining cars. However, Corder said the dealership will offer some attractive prices for trade-in vehicles.

Findlay also has a Saturn dealership in St. George, Utah, and the company intends to convert it into a Volkswagen dealership.

The Henderson location will become a dealership for another car brand when it takes down the Saturn sign, but Corder said he is not at liberty to disclose the brand name.

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.