Revstone Industries, the parent company of Saleen, announced that it will
refocus its strategy in performance vehicles to become a distributor of
aftermarket performance parts. As part of this strategic shift, the company has
announced that the 2011 Saleen S302 (shown at the 2010 SEMA show) will be the
last car produced under the Saleen name. The production of the S302 vehicles
will be completed by the third quarter of this year.
"The teams
responsible for engineering and development of Saleen bring a level of engineering prowess and passion that
is second to none," said Bob LaCourciere, President of Revstone Aftermarket. "We
want to apply that same talent and dedication to second stage manufacturing.
"We feel it is time to retire the legend, and to usher in a new era of
performance," continued LaCourciere. "We will continue to honor our warranties
on Saleen vehicles, and Saleen parts will be available through Speedlab."
Saleen also wants to put an end to the confusion and controversy with Steve
Saleen's company SMS Supercars.
Saleen Performance Vehicles sent this
statement to their dealers and customers:
"Over the past several years,
we have witnessed a lot of confusion around the Saleen brand, due to a number of
financial ups and downs and accompanying changes in ownership. The name itself
has become the center of countless conversations and debates, detracting from
the cars themselves, and from the culture of performance that they both embody
and serve.
"Through our conversations with Ford Motor Company and one
another, we have come to feel that those things have become overshadowed by
questions surrounding the name. So we want to wipe the slate clean, and usher in
a new era of American Muscle. We are confident that, in time, you will agree
this was the right decision."