Given that there's been quite a bit of Saab design conversation here in the last few weeks, there's a timely new article over at Car Design news.

It's a two-page affair covering Saab's design evolution right through from UrSaab to the Aero-X and the influence that concept car will have on Saab's design future.

It's not a huge ground-breaker of an essay and many regulars here will be quite familiar with all the territory it covers. For those who are more recent arrivals to either this site, or the Saab brand as a whole, it will give a useful insight into Saab's evolution over the years.

Click here to check it out.

And a tip..... the link to access the second page isn't at the bottom where the arrow is. You actually have to scroll back to the top of the page and you'll see it there in the top right corner.

Dagens Industri were one of several news services in Sweden that wrote about Saab right throughout 2009 and the early part of 2010 as if the company had some sort of corporate plague.

Everything was bad, bad, bad, dead, dead, dead. It must have really killed these people when the transaction with Spyker actually went through.

Today they've managed to make right Clarksonian cocks of themselves (pardon my Francais) with an article on their site that plain-and-simple infers that the Saab 9-5 costs too much because the top-line model is more expensive than a similar Volvo S80 or 'equivalent' Audi (and what's even more annoying is that they've referenced SU in their article).

They ask "Are customers willing to pay 55,900 kronor for the Saab 9-5 than for equivalent Volvo?" (Googletrans) and then point out a 42,800 SEK difference between the same 9-5 and an Audi (presumably an A6).

Of course, they don't mention that the 9-5 is a brand new car, with brand new technology and handling. They don't mention that the Volvo they're comparing it to is several years old now. And the Audi options list - want wheels to go with your car, sir? - no mention of that, either.

Thankfully, a large number of Swedes have chimed in and given them a good serve in comments to their article. Over 200 of them as I write this.

------

So who's going to buy one of these new Saab 9-5's?

Well, this 24-year Mercedes veteran has just gone and bought two of them!!!

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr Daaaaagens Industri.

......Even though Thomas Karlström is used to correct expensive cars, it became love at first sight when he got to see and test drive the new Saab 9-5.

- Sure, I have always known that Saab could build cars. But this was something completely different. Saab has not built anything like this before. The feeling is fantastic - at least in the same class of car with a Mercedes Star in front, "says Thomas Karlström.

He did not confine themselves to a car - he ordered two pieces of the family business.

- I was away and test drove both the BMW and Mercedes new top models. But even though they are very expensive, they can not quite match the 9-5: an. It is simply a fantastic car, "says Thomas Karlström.

One might suggest that DI.se should just stop crapping on and casting aspersions at Saab and simply wait until they can drive the car for themselves and see how good it is. I know that doesn't sell papers, but it might stop them looking like a packet of noodles and give one of their nation's good companies a fighting chance.

Yes, some people will have issues with 9-5 pricing. Somewhere in the world there's someone who has issues with Hyundai pricing, with Dacia pricing. Right now, there's probably someone who can't quite put together enough rupees for a Tata Nano.

There are always people on the fringe of being able to buy and they'll always have issues.

The real question here is whether or not Saab will sell enough of them. I bet they will. Di.se doesn't need to cast aspersions or make poor comparisons in order to ask the same question. They just need to ask it and then ask if the car's impressive enough for people to pay.

It's time for another Saab O The Week entry.

This week's car is owned by Barry L, the organiser of the Memphis Saab Support Convoy. I'll let Barry tell the story.....

------

This 2009 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible marks my fourth Saab, which began with a 1997 900 SE convertible. I have owned nothing but Saab automobiles since then. I must admit that yellow was not my first choice, but a great sales effort and a great "deal" on the car by the General Manager of Saab of Memphis convinced me to 'do the deal'. My only stipulation was that the car had to have a racing stripe, something I had never seen on a Saab, but wanted to give a try.

When it arrived from the shop with striping, even non-Saabist's took note of this car. And while I realize it is sacrilege to most Saab owners to even put a pinstripe on a Saab, I am happy with the look and the very professional job done in very fine detail (badges properly outlined, grille integration without compromising the 'flow' of the striping, etc.). It actually makes the vehicle look completely different, and accentuates, by virtue of the striping going all the way down both front and rear bumpers, the black lower fascia at each end.

I had and still have a passion for Saab that I have never shared with any other brand that I have owned, which includes BMW, Lexus, Mazda and others. In 2005, I joined Saab of Memphis as a salesman and am proud to say that I have continued in that capacity to this day.

After following events around the world, mainly through the very trustworthy Saabs United website, I decided that Memphis and Mid-South area Saab owners and enthusiasts should have an opportunity to demonstrate OUR passion for the brand and desire to see it live on, therefore I organized the Memphis Save Saab Convoy (which subsequently became the Memphis/Mid-South Area Saab Independence Day Rally).

This car was the 'lead' car of that Rally, and these photos were taken just prior to arrival of the other participants of the Memphis/Mid-South Rally on February 7, 2010.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my 'story' with you, and thanks to all Saab owners and enthusiasts around the world for doing your part to secure the future of the brand!

Did you know that it was one of our SU site sponsors - the guys at MobilForum, Dresden - who were behind the Rescue-Saab.com effort?

That effort was one of the first major pooling of supporters and resources to get behind the company and galvanise support for Saab. It was quite the example for others to follow and a big help in getting word out about the campaigns that followed.

It was only fitting, then, that some of the guys from MobilForum got down to the Geneva Motor Show to meet up with Victor Muller and Jan-Ake Jonsson to present them with one of their special Rescued-Saab mosaic posters - printed large!

Click to enbiggen it.

And here's a few more of their happy snaps from the Geneva Show.....

Congratulations to the guys on their efforts and I hope they got to spend some good quality time with the top brass down there in Geneva.

I don't know how I missed this before as I'm pretty sure that it's come across my feeds, probably from Etienne's blog back when sale stories were going crazy......

Still, I thought it was worth a mention here after I stumbled upon it again last night.

Saab Belgium, as part of their "I Love Saab" campaign, hosted a paper cutout design for a classic Saab 900. To make the model, you simply print the design, cut, fold and paste.

Click here to go to the download page. I'm sure the kiddies (even the grown up ones) will love it!

Swedish news service, TTELA, are reporting today that Jan-Ake Jonsson will the recipient of a business award in May.

Johan H has been kind enough to send in a translation:

Jan Åke Jonsson gets award from the Chamber of Commerce

Saab's CEO Jan Åke Jonsson has been assigned an award of the first magnitude from the West Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Industry for decisive action for the western Swedish industry.

The motivation is as follows:

"During the past year, the discussions about Saab Automobile's future has been hot and public. During the whole process, Jan Åke Jonsson stood up for the company in a vigorous, sustained and professional manner. Jan Åke's hard work and ability to handle the many different stakeholders - existing owners, potential buyers and representatives from both the media and the politics - has reinforced the image of him as a highly respected leader inside the factory gates in Stallbacka and as a role model for others in the western Swedish business community."

Jan Åke Jonsson will be assigned the award during the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's day the 3rd of May at the Swedish Exhibition Center in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. In connection to the dividend, Jan Åke Jonsson and Spyker Cars' CEO Victor Muller participates in a conversation about the change of the company, the future and the leadership.

As you know, I was fortunate enough to be there when Saab were sold to Spyker and one of the events that happened on that day was Saab's exit from liquidation, meaning that Jan-Ake Jonsson was back at the helm of the company he'd led so admirably through the sale process.

Jan-Ake's a man with a fairly serious disposition, but at that moment in time you couldn't find a bigger smile in the room.

This is a well deserved honour and hopefully the first of a few from the Swedish business community.

------

From Anders (tack!), the past winners of this award:

2009 - Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the inventor of the titanium screw
2008 - Olle Blomqvist, founder Ellos
2007 - Håkan Lans, innovator
2006 - Ivan Östholm, one of the people behind Losec
2005 - Dan Sten Olsson, Stena owner-sphere
2004 - Pelle Petterson, the designer
2003 - Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Prize in Medicine
2002 - Pehr G Gyllenhammar, former CEO of Volvo
2001 - Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA
2000 - Percy Barnevik, former CEO Asea, ABB, etc.

--

British Saab dealers, Bond Street Saab have taken some initiative and are looking to continue the momentum built up during the successful Re:Bjorn campaign a few weekends ago.

They're running some special offers on "GM era" stock, so it's basically 2009 models but with March 2010 plates (Brits will get the significance).

Click to enlarge.

That's around six bags o' sand off on several of those models.

Pretty decent stuff. Good work, fellas, and good luck.

There's been quite a bit of talk in an earlier post today about the colour palette being offered by Saab on the new Saab 9-5.

I featured a screenshot of the palette being offered (in Sweden, at least) based upon some literature I had sent to me yesterday. That palette is as follows:

It does lack a little variety, but bear in mind a few things.

• It's my understanding that the color palette that GM intended to offer was larger when the car was to be built in Russelsheim. The move to Trollhattan changed that.
• These decisions are based on what customers order as well as perceived trends in the future (see below)
• The literature I received indicated three more colors (Solid Black, Laser Red and Java) for 2011.

So more color will come, but these should do just fin for the rest of this model year.

I thought I'd reproduce a press release from PPG, one of the world's biggest automotive paint companies. It's from late 2009, so is still quite current.

From this release, you'll hopefully get a better understanding of the trends, the timing of decisions, and the complexity of modern paint and by extension, the methods needed to apply it. Like everything else in automotive manufacturing, changing it is not a finger-snap decision.

------

Silver still entrenched as world's favorite vehicle color, according to PPG data
Company introduces 70 new shades at annual Automotive Color Trend Show

TROY, Mich., Oct. 1, 2009 - For the ninth consecutive year, the silver category, which includes charcoal and gray shades, has ranked as the most popular vehicle color in the world according to data from PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG), the world's leading manufacturer of transportation coatings.

In North America, silver and charcoal saw a strong increase in popularity from 20 percent in 2008 to 25 percent this year. White was second (18 percent), black was third (16 percent) and red was fourth (12 percent). These four color categories comprise well over two-thirds of all vehicles sold in North America. Just 15 years ago, the most popular color on vehicles in North America was green with 21 percent, while silver had only 8 percent in 1994.

"What helps drive silver's popularity are all of the innovative effects that really make silver shine ... much more than just a simple gray," said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive coatings. "Silver tones work well with today's tinted metallic textural looks. The diversity of silver, from subtle hue shifts to dimensional metallic flake appearances, works with a variety of vehicle styles."

From Rune, in response to the 9-5 colors discussion on an earlier post:

Hehe, two months ago we were all grieving about the closure, and here we are now, squabbling about colours! :D

Too true.

:-)