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Saturn Sky Prices Go Sky High

March 20, 2006
Some Saturn dealers are jacking up the price of the hot new Sky sports car, adding as much as $3,000 to the suggested retail price. Saturn dealers usually charge prices lower than the MSRP in order to unload their slow-selling inventory, but not so with the Sky. This may be the first time Saturn has charged a premium for one of its cars.

A company spokesman insists that the price gouging does not violate Saturn’s "no-haggle" pricing policy since every customer is, basically, gouged by the same amount.

Dealers have no obligation to charge the sticker price as many people looking at the Saturn Sky are now discovering. Most Saturn customers had assumed that the Saturn policy of "no-haggle pricing" meant that customers would always be charged the vehicle's sticker price.

Saturn corporate officials are aware that some dealers are charging premiums on the Sky but the insist it is Saturn corporate policy to frown on the practice.

Nevertheless, retailers are free to set their own prices even though the company "always highly encourages our retailers not to sell above the MSRP," according to the spokesman.

News of the sticker premium is not sitting well with Saturn's most loyal customers. On the Saturn Fans Web site - www.saturnfans.com - 85 percent of votes cast in an online survey agreed that jacking up the Sky's price violates Saturn's customer-friendly image.

Charging a premium over the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for a popular car, especially one that's in short supply is a common practice at car dealerships throughout the automobile industry.

Chevrolet dealers are charging a $15,000 market adjustment premium for the blindingly fast new Corvette Z06, raising the selling price for the quickest Corvette ever from an MSRP of roughly $64,000 to $79,000 adjusted price.

The Toyota Prius, BMW Mini Cooper and Chrysler PT Cruiser are among recent vehicles that were marked up from their sticker price because of high initial demand.

The Sky is based on the same vehicle design as the Pontiac Solstice sports car. Saturn plans to make fewer than 10,000 Skys however.

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