Saturn’s Comparison Promo Paying Off

Saturn’s Comparison Promo Paying Off

Saturn’s gutsy promotion that offers shoppers a test drive of its Aura midsize sedan against as its competitors is working, Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak told Reuters in an interview.

In fact, the success of the program may prompt Saturn to expand it to other models, including the upcoming 2008 Vue compact sport-utility. The Vue  would be pitted against the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.  Other General Motors divisions, specifically Chevrolet with its upcoming Malibu, may follow Saturn’s lead as well.

The showroom challenge is intended to shift public perception and demonstrate GM has, indeed, improved quality.

In mid-June, Saturn told its dealers to buy a Toyota Camry and a Honda Accord for their showrooms so that shoppers could do comparison test-drives with the Saturn Aura. The marketing campaign, the “Side-by-Side-by-Side” challenge, has been heavily promoted.

"It has bounced back in the marketplace. And consideration numbers are going up," Lajdziak told the wire service. "I expect the consideration and the conquest levels to continue to rise."

Even before the promotion, Edmunds.com’s data showed the Aura gaining traction. In May, the number of Edmunds.com visitors considering an Aura rose to over 48,000, almost double from January. The Aura was voted the North American Car of the Year by automotive journalists in January, an award that was heavily promoted by Saturn.

U.S. sales of the Aura totaled 27,229 through June. Toyota has sold 240,530 Camrys and Honda 182,346 Accords in the same period.

Mark LaNeve, GM's North America vice president of sales, service and marketing, said in an exclusive interview with AutoObserver.com that a similar though not identical program might be used to launch the critically important 2008 Chevrolet Malibu in the fall.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.