Saturn:Personal Accents Industry First

FOR RELEASE: March 27, 2002

Saturn ION Designed with Personalization in Mind

Inside and out, the new Saturn ION models have been designed so that customers can easily personalize their vehicles. A wide range of accessories to customize the 2003 Saturn ION sedan and quad coupe will be available when they reach market late this year.

One unique aspect of ION personalization involves plans to offer "personal accents" accessories, consisting of interchangeable roof rails that are color-coordinated with interior trim bezels for the center-mounted instrument cluster, shifter and HVAC control panel. Saturn plans to offer carbon fiber accents and as many as four other choices of color and finish when the 2003 ION sedan and quad coupe come to market. The kits can be easily installed by customers themselves or by retailers.

Customization is a fast-growing trend that especially appeals to younger buyers. According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Americans spent approximately $1.6 billion on products to accessorize their small cars in 2001, a number expected to grow to nearly $2 billion this year.

"Saturn is in tune with young customers who want an affordable vehicle that lends itself to making an individualistic statement," said Jill Lajdziak, vice president of Saturn sales, service and marketing. "The personalization accents demonstrate the flexibility and broad appeal of Saturn's new entry-level cars, as well as our commitment to making it easy and affordable for customers to express their own unique personalities."

Industry first
The easily interchangeable roof rail is an industry first, and is made possible by the ION's spaceframe construction. Polymer body-side panels such as the roof rails are not required to carry structural loads and are simply mounted to the steel spaceframe.

With the ION models' innovative center-mounted instrument cluster, the customized interior trim is easily visible even from outside the car, providing a stylized complement to the roof rails. The overall look is clean and durable, because the interior accessories replace production parts, as opposed to an appliqué that goes on top.

Easy to change
While Saturn retailers can apply the exterior and interior accents, it's estimated that most customers can make the changes themselves in less than one hour with proper tools. The ease of changing means a customer can vary the car's appearance several times, and still change back to the original look at any time, such as at time of resale. Saturn plans to price the kits so they will be affordable to younger buyers with tight budgets.

In addition to the interchangeable roof rails and interior trim bezels, Saturn will offer a full array of ION accessories such as floor mats, cargo trays, and is even considering colored key fobs to match personal accents colors. Saturn is working with specialty equipment manufacturers to develop appearance and performance-related accessories such as ground-effects packages, spoilers and special wheels. Saturn also is planning unique accessories to take full advantage of the front passenger seat's fold-flat capability. To highlight the vehicle's personalization opportunities, Saturn will be showing the VisION quad coupe - an accessorized version of the production ION quad coupe - at the 2002 New York Auto Show.