Penske: Saturns May One Day Be Sold Beyond US, Canada

General Motors Co.'s Saturn escaped death in the auto maker's just-finished bankruptcy. Now the troubled brand, with auto magnate Roger Penske in charge, could go global.

Penske, working to close a deal with GM to buy Saturn, said Wednesday he could eventually consider selling the vehicles outside the U.S. and Canada.

His Penske Automotive Group Inc. (PAG), which agreed in June to buy Saturn's brands, service and parts and distribution operations, owns retailers in the U.K. and Germany.

"Maybe if we're successful in completing this transaction, we could use the Saturn brand somewhere else in the world," Penske said, speaking to investors following the company's release of second quarter earnings.

If Saturn were to expand outside North America, Penske would wholly own the brand globally.

For now, he said, Penske is strictly focused on sales in the U.S. and, possibly, in Canada.

A possible global expansion of Saturn would be the latest blurring of global boundaries in a shakeup of the world's auto industry.

Penske said he aims to take over General Motors Co.'s Saturn by the end of September, as initially planned, though some issues remain. Namely, Penske still must ink new contracts with around 350 existing GM dealers to sell Saturn vehicles under new terms.

Penske is not buying Saturn dealerships or any manufacturing operations.

"We're past midfield with GM," he said. "There are always issues you have to deal with."

Penske initially will buy GM vehicles that are already part of the Saturn lineup but eventually will branch out to purchase vehicles from Renault and its Korea-based Samsung Motors unit. Other auto makers could become suppliers, too.

Penske said Wednesday he has yet to reach a deal with a manufacturer to take over after GM stops producing.

-By Sharon Terlep, 248-204-5532; [e-mail].