Maybe A Swan After All

For most of its bumpy, 10-year history, General Motors' Saturn project was derided by auto-industry critics as a $5 billion ugly duckling -- an experimental, money-losing attempt to match the value and quality of import models. To ensure customer satisfaction, Saturn built cars at its all-new plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., with the crawly pace of a craft shop. It also gained something of a quirky reputation for recalling them at the tiniest hitch.

Saturn's diligence has finally paid off handsomely with a third-place finish in J.D. Power's highly regarded annual survey of car customer satisfaction. Not only was that the highest ranking achieved by any U.S. make in the respected survey, but at an average price of $12,500, Saturn was alone among luxury favorites such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura, all with price tags three times as high.