Saturn Case Analysis

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Saturn Case Analysis

Saturn's sales are down, and market share needs to be increased. Also, the product line is too narrow. Current advertising is targeting the younger population, but the average age of a Saturn buyer is 43. Saturn's initial focus on employee relationships seems to be fading as demonstrated with the clash between GM designers in Europe and the U.S. on the L-Series car. In addition, overall styling of the vehicles needs to be addressed.

Key drivers of change in the industry (e.g., driving forces):

The trend in vehicles has moved towards larger sedans and SUV's, and the ones who are purchasing smaller vehicles are looking for cars more sporty than the models Saturn offers.

Competitor Strength Assessment (Competitor strengths & weaknesses,

primary strategies of each competitor (e.g. low cost leader, focused differentiation, prospector, reactor, etc.), Porter's 5-forces assessment):

Hyundai- cost leadership strategy, breadth of product line is low

Kia- cost leadership strategy, breadth of product line is low

Ferrari- differentiation strategy, very high price, breadth of product line is low.

Lamborghini- differentiation strategy, very high price, breadth of product line is low

Porsche- differentiation strategy, high price, breadth of product line is low.

Mercedes- differentiation strategy, high price, breadth of product line is moderate

BMW- differentiation strategy, high price, breadth of product line is moderate, known for their cars being in the shop constantly and high maintenance bills.

Toyota- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is low. Company is known for quality products, and nice styling.

Ford- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. A strength is their pick-up truck market share, a weakness is perceived reliability and styling on some of the lines.

GM- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. A strength is market share, and a weakness is styling and reliability and perceived quality.

Honda- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. Strengths are quality, reliability, overall value, and styling.

Nissan- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. A strength is styling, and a weakness is some Americans simply will not buy any car that is not American made; obviously this weakness applies to all imports, but is only listed once.

Porter's Five Forces:

1. Intensity of rivalry among competitors- there is intense rivalry among the automobile industry. There is only a handful of companies in the world, and it is war to survive.

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