Saturn aims to make dealerships like Apple Store

If there's one thing Saturn has an especially good reputation for, it's customer service and friendly dealers. Accordingly, General Motors is hoping to further strengthen that image by giving its dealerships a massive makeover. General Manager Jill Lajdziak said that the changes will give Saturn showrooms a "more contemporary, more interactive look and feel - like an Apple store."





According to GlobalAuto Systems, one component that should be a hit with customers is the planned installation of the Saturn "Sky Dome" in showrooms.

"Showgoers stepped into a domed room with pictures of the sky flashing on the ceiling and a silver Saturn Sky roadster in the middle of the floor," explains analyst Anita Lienert. "After pressing a button on the kiosk near the vehicle to call up features ranging from engine to safety, a series of computerized projectors beamed images onto the car's exterior. The setup basically enabled consumers to get a look inside the vehicle in a virtual way, without using the primitive cut-away vehicles that populate older displays."

Saturn is also said to be courting celebrities -- everyone from Howard Stern to Cheryl Tiegs -- to spread the word about its latest products, the report said. Stern recently held a party in the Hamptons to preview the Sky, and Tiegs was given a new Vue Red Line to build buzz.