BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- First it was Saab, Pontiac and Hummer, now Saturn has fallen victim to the downfall of General Motors.

The auto maker said it will phase out the Saturn brand by October 2010

It was a deal between GM and Penske Automotive Group that was expected to save Saturn's 350 dealerships and keep 13,000 people employed.

That deal fell apart after Penske was unable to find a manufacturer to supply cars for the brand's dealerships.

Saturn of Bakersfield has been a staple at the Auto Mall for the past 15 years, but this may be the last curtain call for the dealership.

"We're frankly not shocked," said John Pitre of Motor City Auto Center. "It was a long shot that Penske would be able to put it together in that short period of time, but frankly we're also not concerned because we do have an entire year to take care of our customers to potentially merge it with our other GM divisions."

Loyal Saturn customer Dorothy Wimbish said she is not surprised of the news considering all of the bad news coming out of the auto industry this year.

"It does not surprise me but what is so sad is that so many people will be losing their jobs, and it's scary," she said.

Scary and unsettling for the 30 employees at the dealership.

"We're a little disappointed but with the economy we have now and situations it's just the facts of life," said employee Jon Gattian.

Pitre said when the time comes, they will do their best in reassigning those employees to other departments within the Motor City Group.

For now, it is business as usual for the next year.

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