[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 145 (Thursday, October 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S10309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SATURN'S DEMISE

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed 
in the Record remarks I made this weekend on the Saturn car company, 
which has lived and apparently passed away in the State of Tennessee 
but has contributed a lot to our State over the last 20 years.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       I spent almost all the state's $450,000 advertising budget 
     to buy a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal saying, 
     ``Well, Saturn finally found its home . . . in Spring Hill, 
     Tennessee.''
       The ad answered a questioned that was on the mind of 
     millions of Americans for a few days in August, 1985: ``Why 
     Spring Hill, Tennessee?''
       General Motors had looked everywhere for the best place to 
     put its $5 billion Saturn plant. The biggest corporation in 
     the world was making the largest one-time investment in U.S. 
     history.
       Three banks of GM computers analyzed 1000 sites in 38 
     States. Then (so the ad went) the top brass answered the 
     question: ``Where is the best place in America to build the 
     highest quality car at the lowest cost, a small car that will 
     compete with the Japanese imports?''
       General Motors hadn't spent a penny yet advertising Saturn, 
     but the intense competitions for the Saturn plant made the 
     front pages for months during 1985. As a result, twice as 
     many Americans were able to identify a Saturn as could 
     identify a Pontiac even though Pontiac had been building cars 
     since 1926 and Saturns wouldn't be produced until 1990.
       Governors had made fools of themselves making pilgramges to 
     Detroit and sitting on stools on Phil Donahue's television 
     show arguing the merits of their States. I hadn't done that 
     but had met GM President Roger Smith in a hotel room in 
     Memphis after he made a United Way Speech. I knew that the 
     big Nissan plant, which had just located in Symrna, would be 
     either the hook or the kiss of death. So I said to Mr. Smith, 
     ``Why don't you put your plant right next to your 
     competitor's plant, and tell your union and tell your 
     management, if the Japanese can do it, you can do it, too.''
       That's is exactly what GM decided to do. The Nissan and 
     Saturn decisions put Tennessee on the map for companies 
     looking for plant sites. (Nissan was the largest Japanese 
     investment ever in the U.S.) Then, Tennessans had almost no 
     auto jobs and one of the country's lowest average family 
     incomes. Today, thanks to the good work of Governors 
     McWherter, Sundquist and Bredesen and Tennesseeans' work 
     ethic one-third of our jobs are auto jobs and our family 
     incomes are a good deal higher.
       The Nissan plant became the most efficient auto plant in 
     North America and will begin making electric cars next year. 
     Its future seems secure--and so does that of hundreds of 
     suppliers--who have migrated to Tennessee because it is now 
     central to the American auto industry's most efficient 
     assembly plants as well as its market and because it is a 
     right-to-work State with one of the ``best 4'' lane highway 
     systems.
       Saturn started off with a bang, created almost a cult 
     following of owners but never made a profit. Its apparent 
     death this week when Roger Penske couldn't find anyone to 
     make Saturns so he could sell them is like any death, sad but 
     full of memories.
       Most of the memories are good. Saturn's life was a good 
     life, for Tennesseans. It helped put us on the map, job wise. 
     It helped raise our incomes. There is still that $5 billion 
     plant there, with another billion or so spent to improve it, 
     waiting for GM or someone else to start making cars again. We 
     Tennesseans will miss Saturn but are grateful for its short 
     but good life that truly made our lives better.

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