If anyone could've made it work, it was Penske. I believe Gm loaded the deal with so much baggage it wasn't worth his time and investment.
He took Allison and Detriot Diesel on and made them profitable and then sold them.
The Saturn Line was one of the more desirable pieces of GMs' market share that was of a stand alone entity and sellable.
I would be curious as to the involvement of the UAW in this transaction and if it had any impact as to the profitability of the Saturn line that caused Penske to dump the deal.... he's an extremely smart business man.
He's made good money on his business deals that has allowed him to play, with sucess, in many racing ventures that all racing enthusiasts are well aware of.
JUST MY TWO CENTS