Penske Automotive Group couldn't save the Saturn brand after its prospective partner Renault decided it didn't want to supply cars. But Penske isn't going to pass on hiring Jill Lajdziak, the well regarded long-time general manager of Saturn, seen here getting a bear hug from Bob Lutz. As the new vice president of sales and marketing for Smart USA, she'll have the big task of turning around the struggling small-car brand.
Lajdziak worked with Penske on the negotiations for the sale of Saturn and was involved in mapping out the brand's future under Penske, which would have included sourcing vehicles from Renault's South Korean partner Samsung.
jederino says:
04:39 PM, 12/ 8/09
Smart? What the heck - who cares about those things? Terrible transmission lag, no storage and little fun. Yes, in Rome they make sense for parking on ancient and narrow streets, and would survive a collision with a scooter quite nicely. But here?
brn says:
06:32 PM, 12/ 8/09
Aren't Smart sales plummeting? I suppose it's better than being unemployed.
billt9 says:
07:32 PM, 12/ 8/09
Smart will get owned by Fiesta and Fit.
She should have tried to be the manager of Fiesta or Fit.
kingfish4 says:
04:09 PM, 12/ 9/09
The only way the Smart will "take off" is when Roger Penske figures out how to stuff a LS9 engine into it.
Really, the Smart only gets 41 mpg on the highway, but burns premium fuel. My old Escort wagon got 38 on regular unleaded, was faster, and would carry 66 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seat folded. Until they figure out how to get the mileage higher than a Prius, its just an expensive clown car.