Roger Penske, owner of United Auto Group and UK subsidiary Sytner, has backed out of plans to buy US brand Saturn from General Motors.

Penske Automotive Group announced it is walking away from the deal, unable to find a manufacturer to make Saturn cars when GM stops producing models sometime after the end of 2011.

GM then announced it would stop making Saturns and soon would close down the brand, just like it did with Oldsmobile in 2004 and soon will do with Pontiac.

Saturn was established in 1990 to fight growing Japanese imports in the USA.