March | 2009 | SaabsUnited.com

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Saab ANA dealership hanging out for the good times

March 16, 2009 in Archive

An article about Saab’s local dealership, ANA Trollhattan, has appeared in the weekend edition of TTELA.
Saab dealerships are hurting all over the world right now. ANA Trollhattan is one of the biggest Saab dealerships in the world. They’re fortunate enough to have a very loyal local clientele, but they’re still under stress.
Despite this, they’re acting as if it’s business as usual and waiting, like the rest of us, for an announcement about Saab’s future.
Dippen’s been kind enough to provide a translation of the article for us.
Thanks Dippen!

ANA Trollhattan are optimistic about the future
Even with layoffs at Saab last week and dropping sales figures, Joachim Lind ,the CEO of ANA Trollhattan (the local Saab dealer in Trollhattan) is optimistic about the future.
- I know there are new fine products on their way and i think the situation will be very good when they arrive.
On the first of April Joachim Lind will be the new CEO for ANA Trollhattan AB,the local Saab dealer. He has worked as a salesman and sales chief for Saab both in Sweden and abroad.
Even if the situation surrounding Saab is stormy, he is positive about the future.
- I am proud and glad to get this job. Even if the circumstances could have been better. We are optimistic and we do keep our heads high. Compared to other dealerships who are defensive, our motto is “business as usual” and we are more offensive. We are in this together and fighting.
At ANA Trollhättan there is a lot of bookings on the service side. They have almost sold the same amount of pre owned Saabs as last year. Sales of new cars has gone down a bit but Joachim Lind thinks that it is because of the financial crisis.
- We have managed pretty well in the financial crisis. We are following the development of the situation surrounding Saab. We also have good contacts with the people at Saab,so we feel that we are well informed.
He knows many citizens in Trollhattan want to be loyal and buy a Saab. There are no customers who have canceled their order after the reconstruction of Saab was announced.
- We do notice that people want Saab to go well. In Trollhattan, sales are pretty decent but Saab in the rest of Sweden has seen a big drop in sales and I do think it is because of the uncertainty surrounding the brand. They are afraid that guarantees and service will be not valid if something happens to Saab.
His recipe aginst the uncertainty is to meet the customers and to think positively, advertise and to have sales campaigns. Also he thinks that when the new models that are on their way finally arrive, this will help sales.
- It is very important for Sweden that the new products comes out . That will be the turning point. What is needed is a buyer who wants to do something really good with Saab and then start to deliver. That is what we are waiting for.

Tags: ANA, Saab Marketing 2 Comments »

by Swade

2010 Saab 9-5 CGI – take 2

March 16, 2009 in Archive

Tiago has done a few revisions to his 2010 Saab 9-5 CGI based on some comments and suggestions made to the post featuring his first attempt.
Here is the original image, which was featured here late last week. Tiago constructed the image around some of the spyshots that we’ve seen of the car so far as well as some of the new exterior design elements that we expect to see such as the 9-4x tail lamps, etc.
I should also mention that the image was considered convincing enough to be picked up by at least one international motoring website. Congratulations Tiago!!

And below is the slightly revised version.
You’ll see that the lower bump strip has been removed, as has the fuel filler door and the chunky exhaust outlet at the back.
The color has been toned down a little as well, to remove some of the reflection and contrast. The Saab wordmark has been added at the rear, too.

I can live without the bump strip (though I did like it) and the fuel filler being on the other side is only right. But I’ve got to say I’m truly sad to see the chunky exhaust pipe missing.
This is probably a more accurate reflection of what the exhaust would look like (i.e. tucked away) on most models that will be purchased but it’d be great if the performance models could get a feature exhaust like the one in Tiago’s first image.
A great looking car.
I’m really looking forward to see how close it is to the real thing.

Tags: 2010 Saab 9-5, CGI, spyshots 30 Comments »

by Swade

Swedish Day UK – 2009

March 16, 2009 in Archive

After the success of Swedish Day UK 2008, our unofficial Saab Ambassador to the UK, Robin M, has organised another get together for 2009.
Last year there were around 40 cars in attendance throughout the day ranging from some old Saabs like the 96 and 99 and an old Volvo 144 through to some brand new Turbo Xs.

This year they’re hoping for a good range of Saab 900s to show up, being the 30th anniversary of the Saab 900 going on sale in England.
The event will once again be held at the Haynes Motor Museum, in Sparkford.

View Larger Map
Those attending with a Swedish vehicle will receive reduced-price entry into the museum. There’s hot and cold food available at the museum cafe and plenty of stuff to keep the yougsters amused as well.
Swedish Day UK will be held on Sunday 10th May, 2009.
Registration for the event is via the Swedish Day UK website. We had a number of Trollhattan Saab readers get to the event last year and by all accounts, it was a fantastic day.
So if you’re in the region, please make sure you get along, say G’day to Robin for me and let me know how it all went.

Tags: Saab gatherings No Comments »

by Swade

Movie Review: Love The Beast

March 15, 2009 in Archive

If you don’t feel like reading an overly long movie review on a car website, then just read this: SEE THIS MOVIE!
There are two categories of people in the world.
The first are those for whom a car is just an appliance. It gets them from A to B. Their car needs to be reliable, resonably comfortable, safe and economical. They know what their car looks like, they probably know the make and model, but will know little else about it.
The second are those for whom a car means either a little or a lot more than that. They range from those who appreciate some finer points (e.g. a car’s design) to those who love a particular brand, or brands, to those who build, paint, or even race their cars.
This movie is made primarily for the second category. If you’re reading this site, you most likely fit that second category, whether mild or wild, and I can’t commend the movie highly enough for you. If you’re in the first category, but you’ve got someone in your life who’s in the second category, then you should see it too. It’ll really help you understand them.
——
Love The Beast weaves together a quartet of inter-related stories.

The story of Eric Bana and his car, a 1974 Ford Falcon Coupe – The Beast
The story of Eric Bana and his mates, for whom The Beast is a kid of campfire that they all gather round over the course of 25 years.
The story of Ivan Bana, Eric’s dad, and his car, a Ford Thunderbird. This is the car that started it all
The building of, racing of, and destruction of The Beast

The story takes you right back, albeit briefly, to Bana’s school days and the Ford Thunderbird his Dad always wanted, finally got, and which was used as the daily driver during Bana’s school years. Bana got the bug young, and when he was nine years old he saw Mad Max, which cemented his desire for a Ford Falcon Coupe.

With his Dad’s consent, he bought one at age 15 – a full three years before he was licenced to drive it. It was pretty beat up, too, and required a fair bit of work – which is the essence of the whole story.
Over the years, Bana and his core group of best mates tore down and rebuilt the car three times. As they all grew a little older, fixing the car was the only time they saw each other. The love of this car and what they’d done with it was the glue that kept them all together.
In 1996, the group prepared the car and Bana entered one of the premiere tarmac rallies in the world – Targa Tasmania. They were a completely devoid of experience, but they did well and finished third in their class. More than that, the experience lit a fire for motorsport that Bana would pursue over the next 10 years whenever he wasn’t making movies.
Love The Beast closely follows the culmination of that journey: his entry in the 2007 Targa Tasmania. With the car completely rebuilt (again) and putting out around 600hp, the team comes to Tasmania again.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: Eric Bana, Swadeology 8 Comments »

by Swade

News that will Sheikh up the Saab Ownership story….

March 15, 2009 in Archive

Last night, before heading off to see Eric Bana’s movie Love The Beast (review coming shortly – it’s effing brilliant!) I shot off an email to a contact at Saab asking how good his Chinese language skills were.
I got a reply this morning. He said that both his Chinese and Arabic were completely non-existant.
This had me a little baffled until I clicked on a link to this news story at GT.se
It’s an expansion on their Geely story from yesterday. It seems there’s interest from further afield as well.
The Google Trans:

[the first half of the story re-states the Geely story, then there's this]
…….Just over a year ago PG Gyllenhammar met with Binter Princess Haya Al Hussein in Gothenburg. Princess Haya was in Sweden to award a prize in horse races in Scandinavia.
And Princess Hayas husband’s nephew is the bilfrälste Sheikh Maktoum Hashar Maktoum al Maktoum. Sheikh Maktoum is described as a bilgalning in a family that is otherwise only dealing with racehorses.
- I love to drive, I drove the car the first time when I was four years, the Sheikh Maktoum said.
Sheikh Maktoum is not afraid of risky bilprojekt. When he started racing car series A1GP sentenced many out there that clean playhouse. Sheikh Maktoum lost more than a billion in the first season, but the series lives on. A1GP To establish itself as a competitor to formel1.
Although one billion loss in 2007, Sheikh was the awards’ Young Global Leader “by the Association World Economic Forum. Maktoum family has distinguished itself as a very keen about the environment in Dubai and they have introduced requirements for environmentally friendly cars.

Now……
The one thing that’s unclear from this story is whether or not the Sheikh is interested in Saab on his own, or as a financial partner with Geely.
As I understand it, Geely are one of the few privately owned Chinese car manufacturers and are pretty small, so raising the funds to take over even a small operation like Saab could be a challenge for them.
The Sheikh is young, an absolute car nut and obviously he’s pretty well connected and not short of a buck or two. He likes to be known as ‘Hasher’ to his mates and the ladies think he has a nice smile.
Like many of you, I have my doubts as to Geely’s ownership of Saab and whether Saab’s operations would stay in Sweden. I have fewer doubts as to the Swedish question when it comes to the Sheikh.
I’m sure we may hear more about this in the coming weeks, but it’s definitely getting interesting, wouldn’t you say?

Tags: Geely, Reconstruction, Saab Company, Sheikh Hasher 42 Comments »

by Swade

Saturday Night Saabs on Flickr

March 14, 2009 in Archive

This is just a quick post before I go and enjoy Eric Bana’s new car-buff movie Love The Beast. Vrrm Vrrm! It’ll be especially poignant to watch here in Tassie, too, being the state that that halted the beast and turned the direction of the movie.
Anyway…..
There’s a great photographer on Flickr named Andy South Wales who owns a 2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible. Good for him, and good for us!
What an absolutely superb shot!

And this high-speed lights shot’s pretty darn good too.

This shot was taken by our unofficial Saab ambassador in the UK – Robin M, whilst in Geneva.
Two points to make:
First, I think Saab needs a new Lightning Blue. Some more color in the range wouldn’t hurt, would it?
Second, is that Jan-Ake Jonsson giving an interview in the background? I think so.

The Saabs United movie report on Love The Beast will come in a few hours.

Tags: Flickr, Geneva Motor Show, Saab Convertible, SOTW 4 Comments »

by Swade

Saab 9-4x spotted in Belgium

March 14, 2009 in Archive

Belgian motoring webophiles, Moniteur Automobile, recently ran into a wrapped up prototype that they couldn’t identify.
Undeterred by a lack of knowledge, they snapped a few shots until the engineers looking after the car came back and rushed off.
Later on, a number of their readers clued them in as to what the vehicle actually was – the Saab 9-4x.
It’s thought that the vehicle might have been in the care of a number of engineers from gearbox manufacturers, Aisin, who have a facility nearby.
Here’s a couple of the shots, which are clickable. You can find more at the link above.

Tags: Saab 9-4x, spyshots 3 Comments »

by Swade

Report: Geely are looking closely at Saab

March 14, 2009 in Archive

Swedish paper GT.se have a report today stating that Chinese carmaker, Geely, are looking very closely at Saab. The report says that whilst they’ve also been looking at Volvo, the low buy-in price for Saab is what’s really sparking serious interest.
How serious?
Geely have apparently commissioned British bankers, Rothschild, to assist with the potential transaction. Rothschild have an ace in the hole, too, with former Volvo powerbrokers contracted to help them out.
From the Google trans:

Geely are now acting vigorously to implement the deal.
Company founder Li Shufu said earlier this week that he is “studying” the market in Europe and that “it is likely” that he buys a manufacturer or a subcontractor.
Geely has contacted the British investment bank Rothschild to help with a purchase of Saab.
For the Bank is working, among others, the former Volvo heads PG Gyllenhammar and Hans-Olov Olsson.

Swade’s selling tip: take good photos

March 14, 2009 in Saabology

I can’t remember exactly when I first mentioned the possibility of selling my 1985 Saab 900 T16 Aero, but I think it was as far back as 3 or 4 months ago.
Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and placed an ad on our big car selling internet service here in Australia – carsales.com.au
Click here to view the ad.
I placed it around 6.30pm and the notice I got at that time was that it would be reviewed and would take up to 24 hours or so to appear online.
At 8.30pm – just 2 hours later – I got my first call. The guy is a Tasmanian and will hopefully come around and look at it tomorrow.
Today I got an email from a guy who’s heading overseas next week but if the car’s still around in 10 days time, he says he’ll come down from Melbourne and pick it up.
I don’t know if either of these leads will result in a sale, but it’s encouraging. Whilst it’s obviously the car and the details I provided that’s prompted enough interest for them to make contact, I’m pretty sure the reason they clicked on the ad in the first place was this photo:

You can spend all the time in the world writing a great, descriptive ad, but to get people to read that ad, you need a hook.
On web-based car sales sites, I think that hook is the photo (or photos) you associate with the ad. If someone’s looking for a Saab 900 and they see that photo, how likely is it that they’re going to pass that photo without clicking?
If you’ve been hanging around here long enough, you know that I love good car photography. I’m not a great photographer, but that’s one of the photos that I’m proudest of and I really think it’s going to help generate interest in the advertisement.
If you’ve been hanging around here long enough, then you’ll also know that I’ve bought a few cars in the last few years. I can’t believe how poor some of the photos on car ads are. All it takes is a half-hour of your time and a half-decent location to improve your photos and your chances ten-fold.
So that’s my car-selling tip of the day. I absolutely hate selling cars, by the way. At least photographing them is an enjoyable part of the experience.
——
Anyone else out there selling a car at the moment?
Got any tips to share?
Comments are open.

Tags: Saab 900, Swadeology 19 Comments »

by Swade

Euro sales data – February 2008

March 13, 2009 in Archive

When is Swedish Prime Minister, Frederik Reinfeldt going to wake up an smell the coffee?
Reuters have him quoted today, as follows:

If the world’s largest carmaker hasn’t been able to lay the groundwork for creating a profitable company … I don’t see why the state should be a better owner.

I think he might have said that a little while ago, but the quote is still resonating. That Reuters story, an update, was 19 minutes old as I write this.
The answer to Reinfeldt’s query is that when it came to Saab, GM didn’t know their ass from their elbow. I’m not sure that the state would be the right owner for Saab, but recent history has shown that you could barely get a worse owner.
The point of all this: the lack of in-principle support for Saab sees them not only in a fair bit of trouble, it’s sucked much of the faith that people have in the brand right out the window.
The Swedish government don’t have to make promises about Saab, but some supportive talk about one of their homegrown companies and a contributor to one of their most important industrial sectors wouldn’t be out of line.
——
European sales data for February is in and predictable, it’s a bad month for Saab. In fact, it’s worse for Saab in percentage terms than it was for almost anyone else.
ctm sent in the numbers:
–
The market was down by 17% in February and is down 22% for the year so far. There were 902,000 cars sold, and there’s been 1,795,000 cars sold in Europe so far in 2009.
The worst brands (YTD in parenthesis):
Saab -55% (-55%) 2,121 cars
Land Rover -46% (-57%)
Lexus -42% (-45%)
Mercedes -34% (-33%)
Seat -32% (-29%)
Volvo -32% (-32%)
Mini -31% (-40%)
BMW -29% (-29%)
Peugeot -28% (-26%)
Mitsubishi -24% (-36%)
Nissan -24% (-25%)
Kia -23% (-28%)
Renault -23% (-28%)
Opel/Vauxhall -21% (-28%)
The best brands (YTD in parenthesis)
Smart +1% (-5%)
Skoda +5% (-15%)
Dacia +8% (±0)
Suzuki +8% (-13%)
Jaguar +15% (+18%)
Alfa Romeo +24% (+9%)
Hyundai +25% (+3%)
Of other interest
Audi were down 6% (-6%) but are winning the war against BMW, selling almost 25% more cars per month
Chevrolet (aka Daewoo) down 1% (-16%) – The fall in Eastern European sales is one of the big factors in the European negative market this year. Eastern growth has been a big factor in Europe in the last few years.
–
I did mention above that one brand went worse than Saab. Actually, it was one group of brands.
GM (US) were down 73% (-69%) – probably Cadillac, Pontiac, Corvette, and Hummer with 164 cars sold in Europe.
——
thanks ctm!
And go Alfa Romeo!

Tags: sales data 15 Comments »

by Swade

Classic Saab 900 review

March 13, 2009 in Archive

Time to go old skool….
Forgotten what this Saab thing is all about?
I would feel secure in suggesting that around 50% of the readership of this website have had a fantastic personal experience with the Saab 900. Unfortunately, even the fondest memories fade a little, which is why it’s handy to come across people who are having those experiences right now.
I got an email from James M, who writes for a blog called Car Throttle. He’s just posted a test-drive-cum-review of a 1988 Saab 900 Turbo on the site. If you need a reminder of just how well thought out and put together this car was, then click on through and have a read.

James liked the car so much that he bought it. Can’t get much better than that.

Tags: Road Tests, Saab 900 8 Comments »

by Swade

Our very own 2010 Saab 9-5 CGI

March 13, 2009 in Archive

Everyone seems to be showing their ideas as to what the 2010 Saab 9-5 will look like. Why not us?
As you know, we have a couple of very talented computer artists in our midst, and one of them’s whipped up a quick rendering of what he thinks the 2010 Saab 9-5 might look like.
Tiago do Vale is the guy responsible for the banner here at SU, as well as other artwork that I’ll get around to implementing some time in the future. I’ve shown a number of his CGI’s in the past, and he’s just sent along this one – a quick effort that I think looks quite desireable.
Hockeystick, clamshell, rear light strip – check, check, check.
Click to enlarge.

My thanks to Tiago for this quickie.

Tags: 2010 Saab 9-5, CGI, spyshots 62 Comments »

by Swade

More 2010 Saab 9-5 renderings emerge

March 13, 2009 in Archive

Hot on the heels of the “close-ish but no cigar” rendering shown at Auto Motor and Sport yesterday, they’ve followed up with a CGI rendering of what they believe to be the rear end of the 2011 Saab 9-5 SportCombi.
Here’s a little version, but once again, head on over to AMS for a massive image for download.

And the following image of the sedan was posted this week at BilNorge and AutoSpies.
I’d put this is the same category as the original AMS rendering from yesterday. Yes, the front-on image is the one that was “not even close”.

Tags: 2010 Saab 9-5, Auto Motor and Sport, spyshots 14 Comments »

by Swade

GM and VM Motori 2.9 V6 diesel no longer on hold – now cancelled

March 13, 2009 in Archive

I reported last night that the 2.9l V6 diesel being developed by VM Motori and to be used in the Saab 9-4x and 2010 Saab 9-5 had been paced on hold due to issues at the coalface in Italy.
I’ve had a note passed on to me by my mates at Auto Motor and Sport, saying that the engine program is now cancelled. This was confirmed to them via email from Saab Sweden.

GM has taken the decision to cancel the 2.9 V6 Diesel engine program which is a result of current market conditions and the consequent financial concerns. In December 2008, GM confirmed the engine would be delayed approximately 12 months. However, the final decision has been made to cancel the engine program.

Saab also emphasised that they have other diesel options for the Saab 9-4x and Saab 9-5, without stating what those options were.
Saab’s current diesel engines are great performers and when tweaked a little by Saab’s official tuners, Hirsch, they get even better. The loss of the V6 may be felt at the upper end of the new Saab 9-5′s market, however.
Do Saab have another diesel option up their sleeve? We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.

Tags: 2010 Saab 9-5, Diesel, Saab 9-4x, VM Motori 17 Comments »

by Swade

CAR Magazine hot hatch poll in print

March 13, 2009 in Archive

In order to tie off the grand result that was an international effort to see the Saab 99 Turbo recognised for the innovator that it was, here’s the print version of the CAR Magazine Hot Hatch poll results.
Well done, everyone. Please click to enlarge. It’s worth it not just for the poll, but also the listing of hot hatches over the years. If you’re into this class of car, as I am, then it’s an interesting list to read.
My thanks to John at Elkparts for scanning it and sending it through.
Note – the bars on this graph aren’t to scale. The Lancia and Saab bars would bell and truly off the page if they were.

And the list of hot hatches through the years. I’d love to get a chance to add some of these to my garage.

Tags: CAR Magazine, hot hatches, polls 8 Comments »

SaabsUnited.com

You are browsing the archive for 2009 March.

Saab ANA dealership hanging out for the good times

2010 Saab 9-5 CGI – take 2

Swedish Day UK – 2009

Movie Review: Love The Beast

News that will Sheikh up the Saab Ownership story….

Saturday Night Saabs on Flickr

Saab 9-4x spotted in Belgium

Report: Geely are looking closely at Saab

Swade’s selling tip: take good photos

Euro sales data – February 2008

Classic Saab 900 review

Our very own 2010 Saab 9-5 CGI

More 2010 Saab 9-5 renderings emerge

GM and VM Motori 2.9 V6 diesel no longer on hold – now cancelled

CAR Magazine hot hatch poll in print

Int. Saab 2012 in Belgium

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