The Auto Writer

Reading in the news yesterday that Saturn’s chief Jill Lajdziak (pictured) is taking an early retirement came as no surprise to me. With the brand officially toast, Jill’s role in the new GM is disappearing before her eyes with no real prospect of further advancement. After all, when the parent company is still trimming its core operation, there are more executives to go around than what will be needed to carry the automaker forward.

New Saturn

Ms. Lajdziak’s history with GM goes back to 1980 when as an eager, young college graduate she began to work her way up through the ranks of the company, holding various sales positions before joining the newly created Saturn Corporation in 1986. From that vantage point Lajdziak could see first hand GM’s plans for “A New Kind of Car Company,” contributing to the brand’s launch and early success.

Several promotions and a change in brand strategy later, Lajdziak advanced to her most recent position as General Manager of Saturn, a position she has held since 2004.

Penske Group

When the Penske Group announced earlier this year its intent to buy Saturn from GM, Lajdziak was active in that transition. Analysts expected that Penske would keep her on after the deal closed, given her knowledge of the Saturn network and industry connections. When Penske suddenly reversed plans, GM immediately announced that the brand would be dissolved by year end. All of a sudden, Lajdziak and thousands of other Saturn affiliated employees were cast adrift.

I first met Lajdziak at a dinner she held for new media people in January 2008 at the luxe Andiamo Detroit Riverfront restaurant located in the Renaissance Center, GM’s world headquarters complex in Michigan. Between courses, Lajdziak visited with each of her guests in a bid to assess our then current perception of the brand which was moving along in its transition to sell Opel designed vehicles as Saturn products. The 2008 NAIAS was in full swing and we were able to take in a number of concept models including a proposed PHEV VUE.

Missed Opportunity

When it came my turn to talk with Lajdziak, I soon recounted an odd experience I had at a Saturn dealership a few years before. That was in 2004 when the lease on our Saturn L-Series had come due – my wife and I decided that the Saturn VUE was on our short list of vehicles to be purchased or leased, replacing our sedan. I fully expected that when the lease paperwork was completed that the dealer, Saturn of Pompton Plains (NJ), would discuss a replacement vehicle.

Astonishingly, the dealership accepted the return of our car without discussing options, so I didn’t mention my interest in the VUE because no one had asked me. I ended up leaving the Saturn dealer without a new car in my possession, ending up a few months later buying my wife’s top choice, a Toyota RAV4, a vehicle she still drives to this day.

Lajdziak was surprised when I recounted my story, asking me which dealer had blown the opportunity, apologizing for the lack of interest on their part. I wasn’t upset with Saturn — just very surprised — that the laid back sales staff at the dealership had allowed me to leave without at least trying to sell me a new car. Besides, we ended up buying the VUE’s chief competition instead which meant one less sale for Saturn that year.

Best Wishes

As for Ms. Lajdziak, the retiring Saturn chief has already exited GM, taking all of her accumulated vacation days with retirement officially set to kick in by year’s end. Will she emerge in a new role elsewhere in 2010? That’s hard to say, because with the industry still consolidating the good pickings are few and far between.

Photo Courtesy: GM Corp.