By Leftlane Staff
Tuesday, Jun 20th, 2006 @ 12:08 pm

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.

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