Roger Penske, owner of the international Penske brand, had said that he wanted to buy the Saturn nameplate, extend General Motors production of the vehicle lines, and then eventually contract out new design work since beginning purchase talks in June. Now fans of the quirky brand may need to restrict their searches to used Saturns in New York.

While General Motors had been amenable to a situation where it would continue to produce Saturns for a short while before Penske would need to find another contracted manufacturer. The group had made one attempt, and failed, leaving officials no choice but to terminate the plans to acquire Saturn, the company reported.

It represents a stark turnaround from news just a day ago suggesting that the two companies were close to a deal, when the Detroit Free Press announced that a deal could be expected on September 30. Although some paperwork was already in place with Saturn dealerships, it now remains to be seen if new models will join used Saturns in New York.