DETROIT -- With mega-car dealer Roger Penske walking away from a deal to buy the ailing Saturn brand from struggling General Motors, the automaker now plans to shutter the brand and its facilities.

Penske’s deal required securing another auto producer to take over production of the Saturn lines while Penske managed the sales, marketing and administration of the company. According to reports, a production deal with an overseas producer – rumored to be Renault in Europe – was axed by that company’s board of directors.

At stake now is the future of some 13,000 Saturn and Saturn dealer jobs.

''That agreement was rejected by that manufacturer's board of directors,'' Penske said in a statement. ''Without that agreement, the company has determined that the risks and uncertainties related to the availability of future products prohibit the company from moving forward with this transaction.''

GM has not revealed specific plans for “winding down” the Saturn brand and its facilities. (Tire Review)