AUTOS

Saturn Shifting Into Export Gear: Ten years after General Motors Corp. formed its Saturn subsidiary to compete with imports, the upstart unit is making plans to take its show on the road and export cars to Japan and Europe. The company is already selling cars in Taiwan but hopes to expand to other Far Eastern markets and Europe by the end of the decade. “Japan is No. 1 on our list,� Saturn President Richard LeFauve said. He said Saturn is testing a right-hand-drive model for possible sale in Japan and Britain and is studying establishing sales operations in Singapore, Israel, China and Thailand. Saturn officials declined to say how many cars they plan to sell overseas, but Vice President Donald Hudler said international sales could ultimately account for more than 100,000 cars a year by the end of the decade.