You are browsing the archive for 2009 October.

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by Swade

Saab 99T – the spare parts 1

October 26, 2009 in Troll Stuff

This will most likely be the last Saab 99T post for a little while, but I unpacked the car this evening and couldn’t resist a little photo of all the bits we managed to cram into the car.
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Click to enlarge.
What you’re looking at there:

  • Used but good windscreen with Saab Accessories tint sticker
  • Spare turbocharger – condition unknown but still spins OK
  • Spare starter motor
  • Regular rear spoiler
  • Box full of assorted hoses in good condition
  • Rear hatch sill plate
  • 2 x spare front grilles
  • Cowling that sits at base of windscreen
  • Right and left front guards
  • Nardi woodrim steering wheel
  • EMS steering wheel (will be fitted to car)
  • Box full of engine mounts and bushings
  • Box full of electrical relays
  • Box full of dash switches and stalks
  • Box #1 of interior trim pieces
  • Box with headlamps and front indicator lamps
  • Box with as-new rear light housings
  • Box of assorted bits and pieces (window rubber showing)
  • Box of assorted fluid bottles for washers and radiator heater tanks
  • Box with headlamps and replacement airbox and fuel distributor
  • Box with two sets of power side mirrors, with wiring and switches
  • Box #2 of interior trim, featuring dash pad with turbo meter
  • Saab Accessories big rear spoiler

Of course, the very Saaby thing about this is that we were able to fit ALL of that into the rear hatch of the 99, along with this (which I didn’t get out for the photo as it’s too darn heavy to lift.
A spare Saab 99Turbo gearbox:
GearboxInboot.JPG
——
There’s more to come, too.
Back in Melbourne and hopefully coming soon in the back of Simon P’s C900 are:

  • 2x replacement doors
  • 4x Inca wheels
  • 2x steering racks
  • Assorted other odds and ends that I can’t remember right now.

BRING BACK THE HATCH!!!!!!! :-)

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Used Saab 9-3 scores well in German defects report

October 26, 2009 in News

Here’s a nice way tos tart the working week, especially if you’re considering the purchase of a not-quite-new Saab 9-3.
German magazine Auto Zeitung has published a report covering cars from different classes. Radulf was kind enough to take a scan, make some highlights and send it in.
His notes:

Defects Report: Out of more than five million cars examined from the GTÜ, Auto Zeitung identified the most reliable used cars.
Here I send you the “Medium class” with SAAB 9-3: Not so bad at all!
From left to right we see them sorted by age “1 – 3 years” to “9 – 11 years”. One to five years, the 9-3 beats all German premium cars …

Click to enlarge.
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This really is quite an impressive result and again raises the same old concerns about US ratings (where Saab doesn’t tend to do so well in reports like JD POwer, etc) – vs – European ratings (where Saab seem to do consistently better).
Thanks again to Radulf for sending it in.

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by Swade

Roadtrip Day 3 – Home and hosed (with fuel)

October 25, 2009 in Troll Stuff

We had proof yesterday that the Saab 99T made it onto the road under it’s own power. Today, proof positive that the 99T made it all the way home – under it’s own power.
InGarage.jpg
Of course, whether it gets out again is another matter, but……. Let the third and final digital diary of this roadtrip begin!
——
Drew thought it important to record the fact that blogging does not cease simply because we’re on a boat in the middle of Bass Strait. Thanks to his roaming internet connection, last night’s diary got online before we’d hit midnight.
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Around 4.30am…..
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And around 90 minutes later it was breakfast in Devonport:
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At 6.30am we were called to go to our car deck in order to get off the boat. That’s where today’s dramas started. We’ve learned since picking the car up that whilst it’s in running order, it’s not exactly in GOOD running order.
The first problem of the day was the 2 minutes or so it took to start the car this morning (it felt like an eternity). The cold start injector is not functioning at the moment, so it took a while to get going, which isn’t a nice feeling when you’ve got a long line of cars and sleep-deprived cranky drivers behind you, all of them waiting to get home or get their Tasmanian holidays underway.
We got going eventually, and headed off to Hobart….
TheRoadtoHobart.jpg
We actually made a stop along the way to refuel and as I was filling up I noticed a very strong fuel smell. Of course, I had the nozzle in the fuel filler, so I figured it was just the fact that I was filling up……..silly me.
Our next stop was a little bit further down the road, at Campbell Town, a ‘human pitstop’…..
CampbellTown.jpg
While we were outside the car, we noted that the strong fuel smell remained. Given that I was no longer filling up the fuel tank, this was very out of place to say the least.
A quick look under the car revealed the problem.

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Koenigsegg’s alleged business plan for Saab leaked

October 24, 2009 in News

I’m away and obviously haven’t seen this emerge but it’s all over comments and I’ve received this translation via email from Carl-Henrik (thanks!).
I’ll reprint it here without commentary as I haven’t really had a chance to read it yet.
——
Koeningsegg’s secret buisness plan for Saab.
The buisness plan that Koenigsegg Group have for Saab Automobile includes a number of new models and goes all the way to year 2016 writes Dagens Industri.
The newspaper has got its’ hand on an internal document that was the foundation for the negotiations with both the EIB and the Swedish governement.
The document points to many new planned models, among thos a totally new eletrical powered Saab 9-3X that will be launched in 2012. Then there also will be hybrid-versions of the 9-5 and 9-3 on the market.
The owners promises, according to the buisness plan, to invest 6 billion SEK (about 595 millions EUR today) in product development from next year and onwards.
The target with the plan is to transform Saab to a true preium brand in 2016. Then they will build more exclusive and more expensive cars and it should be enough with 65.000 cars a year to reach break-even financially.
In the first phase of the plan, between 2010 and 2011, it will need 115.000 cars per year to avoid making a financial loss.
In the buisness plan they clarify the ownership. The main financier, buisness man Augie Fabela, and his russian partner, buisness man and scientist Dmitri Zimin, are main owners in the Dutch “Solsken BV” which in its’ turn is the main owner in Koeningsegg Group.
Facts:
The 3 phases for Saab:
2010-2011: present phase
* 115.000 cars sold gives break-even financially
* Average price per car: 189.000 SEK
2012-2015: transformation phase
* 80.000 sold cars gives break-even financially
* Average price per car: 208.000 SEK
* New models including a 9-5 Koeningsegg Edition
2016 – : premium phase
* 65.000 sold cars gives break-even financially
* Average price per car: 280.000 SEK
* New models including a New 900

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Saab 99T Roadtrip – Day 2

October 24, 2009 in Troll Stuff

It’s day 2 of the Saab 99Turbo roadtrip and right now Drew and I are on a boat, travelling from Melbourne on the Australian mainland to Devonport, Tasmania. The good news is that the Saab 99Turbo is below deck and yes, it got there under it’s own power.
Woohoo!!! And yes, I actually got my hands a little bit dirty…..
0-DirtyHands.jpg
Yesterday was very frustrating as fuelling issues continued with the car. When I woke up this morning it was still somewhat questionable as to whether we’d be driving at all today. Some wicked chemistry was performed overnight, applied to the fuel tank in order to clean it and thankfully, when I called the mechanic at 9.30 this morning, I got the good news that the chemical cleaning of the tank had worked.
George the mechanic had actually been on the job since 6:40am – on a Saturday – so by the time we got there at about 11:00am, the car was ready to go.
1-LoadingUpSaab 99.jpg
We had to transfer some parts that had been stored previously, which gave us a chance to look over some things again. Like the somewaht rare rear louvre, which i’m still considering the use of. Apparently it’s quite noisy when it’s on to the car.
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That’s Wantirna Automotive, above, who have gone to some great lengths to get a car up and running when it hadn’t run for a number years. Take note of the condition of the hood of the car – paint quite thin and rusty in a few spots.
Below is the even rarer big rear spoiler. An original Saab accessory, this will NOT be going on the car, but is so unique that I’ve just got to have it hanging around.
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We got underway and I’ve got to tell you, it was SO GOOD to be on the road in my own Saab 99 Turbo once again.
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Saturday morning snippets – Banglebutt edition

October 24, 2009 in Saabology

I received a very nice email in my inbox this morning from a guy in Sweden named Carl-Henrik. It was the first time he’d been in touch after reading the site for a while and he sent along some good snippets fodder that I’ll share with you here.
We’re all fans of Saab design and Carl-Henrik had some thoughts on that, which agree with 100%:

I’ve always liked Saab because of the design. It was so “complete”, in the way I mean from the front to the back. You see it so clearly when you pass a Saab. For example BMW never managed to get the rear of the cars to look right. Their front of the M3 might look good, but it doesn’t “work” with the rear. But for me, when I compare the design of the 9-3 with an M3 the 9-3 is so much more “complete” as it works as one unit.

——
Now on Saab design and BMW design……
There is a condition called “Bangle Butt”. This is the totally awful rear end that BMW designer Chris Bangle gave to the BMW 7 series a few years ago.
It was quite rightly panned across the entire automotive universe and has since been revised, but this eyesore still remains on the autobahns of Germany thanks to the purchases made by a number of top level execs who had to have the latest BMW at the time, regardless of whether or not it was uglier than a bashed crab.
BMW_745i-03_1024.jpg
You can see the Bangle Butt quite clearly there, as if he said to himself “well, I like the front but can’t think of a single thing that makes sense at the back, so screw it”
Evidence has now emerged that Chris Bangle may have used a Saab 900 for his prototype work on the 7-series. This Saab 900 is currently for sale on Blocket.se and whilst there’s no acknowledgement of Bangle in the description, I have a feeling……
BangleSaab900-1.jpg
BangleSaab900-2.jpg
OK, so Chris Bangle never worked on a Saab, but I couldn’t resist……..
Thanks to Robert N for the Blocket link….
——
Carl-Henrik also sent along this image of an interestingly decorated Saab 96 in his hometown.
Anyone seen those wheels before?
Click to enlarge:
CHB_028047.jpg
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For the technical junkies out there, here’s Wes Siler’s Jalopnik review of that new Lexus Supercar that made it’s debut at the Tokyo Motor Show during the week.
The details are impressive (impressive enough for me to include a reference to it here, which is something considering my contempt for Lexii) but at the end of the day, it’s still just a Camry to me.
——
Forza3 is out and Jörgen from the Saabs United Historic Rally Team has been taking the Turbo X for a spin.



——
Lots to do today, as we head off to pick up the 99T. Here’s hoping it’s a more successful trip than yesterday.

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Saab 99T Roadtrip – day 1

October 24, 2009 in Troll Stuff

What a frustrating day!
We headed out to Wantirna Automotive this morning feeling quite excited about getting the 99T and then sorting out all the spare parts ready for the boat trip tomorrow night. I got there and the car started OK and ran OK, but then came the bad news.
I’ve documented that bad news here, but basically we still have fuel problems, with the tank contaminated from standing still for so long. It killed a new fuel pump and whilst we could have driven it away with the replacement pump, it would have been just a matter of time before it stopped again.
So we talked over the options and left the car there for the day. Hopefully the chemical cleaning of the tank tomorrow morning will get things right.
But it was, by no means, a wasted trip. David B at Wantirna Automotive has some great cars stored over there and we got to take a look at a few. His quite immaculate Saab 99EMS and white Saab 96 bullnose were in dark sections of the warehouse so I haven’t got photos of those. But this car should give you an idea of the quality we’re talking about here.
This is David’s 1975 Saab 95 wagon. Fully repainted and restored, it really is a very clean and straight car. My fellow Tasmania SaabNut, Drew B, already has a couple of 95s back at home and let’s just say he was looking at this one with a VERY curious eye. I think he’s looking at dominating the Saab 95 market here in Oz :-)
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In the shot above, that’s me showing my brother-in-law around the car. He’s not a Saab nut at all, so this strange looking little wagon had him interested for quite some time. I don’t think he’d ever seen anything quite like it.
Isn’t that the way it should be?
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——
After getting the bad news about the fuel system, we headed back to my nephew’s place, where the cache of spare parts was stored. There was quite a lot to get through and the task was to figure out what was worth keeping, what was worth selling on and what would have to be thrown away.
We examined all the bits and by necessity we had to be pretty ruthless. Some stuff is just unlikely to ever be used, would be hard to carry and take up space forever. So it had to go. Some of it was cracked or not in decent order and again, just had to go.
In the end we culled about two thirds of the volume we’d initially brought over.
The keepers:
DSC03158-1.JPG
The keepers include many interior bit such as switches and vents. There was a full box of hose pipes (not pictured), some good headlamps, fluid bottles, clips, a full set of Incas and other bits. Hopefully the spare fuel pump works, though I hope we don’t need to find out too soon.
Some of it will be kept as spare bits for the car and some (like three of the four steering wheels, or three of the spare instrument binnacles) will be sold on for others to make use of.
And the discard pile:
DSC03161-1.JPG
There was a huge mix of stuff here. Spare seat coverings (non-turbo) that were a little torn, lots of slightly broken grilles, wiper arms – just about anything you can name, really.
It’s always a little sad to let stuff go, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The good news is that we should be able to fit just about everything into the rear of the car.
Here’s hoping we can actually drive it.
——
The day ended with a great gathering of the Saab Nuts for dinner.
Here’s a few names you might be familiar with, which you can now put to faces.
From left to right: Simon P, AlAero, Drew B, Some nutcase, Steve B (SAB) and making his full photographic debut on SU for the first time – Turbin!!
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Plenty of good chats and plenty of horsepower in the carpark, too (although not from my ride – my sister’s Toyota Echo. Grrrrrr)
——
I really hope tomorrow brings better news on the 99T roadtrip. It’s been a rocky start but the car was running nicely earlier today. We just have to make sure it’s running in a way that’s sustainable without seizing up any more of the fuel system.
Have a great weekend. Will check back in some time tomorrow……

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by Swade

99T problems……

October 23, 2009 in Troll Stuff

UPDATE below
——
So we’re here………
I went down to Wantirna Automotive today to pick up the 99T but there has been an issue. It’s the same issue that’s always been a problem for this car (the fuel system). We thought it had all been sorted, but it’s reared its ugly head again.
Basically, there is still some contamination in the fuel tank.
When David went to start the car up again earlier in the week, it killed the new fuel pump. What’s happening is that when you run the car, the fuel picks up the little bits of contamination left in the tank (from ethanol in the fuel eating away at rubber fittings over time) and this is what’s killed the pump.
We’ve put a 2nd hand pump in there for the time being, but obviously its life could be quite limited without some further action. We’re treating the symptom instead of the disease.
So as I faced this news this morning, there were two options:
1) Chemically clean the tank, which would see the car stay here another week as the alkaline salts acid stuff has to be made from scratch (not a great option), or
2) Swap out the tank for a good one.
Thankfully, David’s got a good store of old Saab bits and had a suitable tank amongst it all. The tank swap is being done and I should be able to pick up the car in a couple of hours from now.
Isn’t buying old cars fun?!!!
——
UPDATE
I just got a call from the mechanic and it wasn’t good news……
The spare tank isn’t suitable for the job. They thought on a quick visual that it would suit, but it won’t.
So we now have to resort to Option 1 – chemically cleaning out the tank.
Thankfully, their chemical guy can mix the stuff up tonight (you can’t buy it off the shelf) and drop it in to the workshop early tomorrow morning. He’s 100% confident that it will do the job so we should have the car before lunchtime.
It really puts us under some duress for tomorrow, though. We have to

  • pick the car up,
  • pick up the spare parts we were going to transport in the car,
  • head over to another guy’s place to swap the hatch and the bonnet,
  • detach the gearbox off the spare engine and load that up

And all that before getting the car to the boat for the overnight ferry.
The clock will be ticking……..

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The 99Turbo story begins – for real

October 22, 2009 in Troll Stuff

It’s rubber-hits-the-road time for me and my new (old) Saab 99 Turbo.
Things might be a little quiet around here as I collect the vehicle.
There is now operational, but we’ve got a lot to do before bringing it home. I have to detach a gearbox from the spare engine, swap over a few panels and then figure out what parts to bring back in the car, what to store and what to scrap.
Saab 99 Turbo
Hopefully there’ll be no more need for one of those flatbeds……
Fellow Tassie Saabnut, Drew B, is coming along for the ride and we’ll catch up with a few of the Melbourne Saabers while we’re there.
I’ll try and update things from time to time, but a little patience would be helpful. Plenty of photos from the weekend will be forthcoming, I’m sure, including one of Drew driving the porcelain bus on the boat ride home :-)

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by Swade

Saab waiting on the EU

October 22, 2009 in News

I know most of you are probably quite aware of Saab’s current situation and the process they’re facing.
Nevertheless, TTELA’s Magnus Nordberg has (another) excellent article outlining the situation facing Saab now.
Google?
——
Since the EIB said yes we are now focussing our attention on the remaining pieces of the puzzle in this process. And especially one of them: How long will the EU Commission take on deciding whether to accept the matter?
Time is something that is scarce for Saab. Partly because their money won’t last forever, but also because each day of low production is a bit of a lost day.
- We have no real cause for concern, but we are still very keen to get started with what we have in the pipeline”, says the information manager Eric Geers.
But before the Saab is through the loan process, the State must provide the loan guarantee required by the EIB. And the guarantee must in turn be approved by the European Commission, to ensure that it does not violate state aid rules.
Commission splits time frame?
the Ministry of Industry submitted a notification nearly three weeks ago, but no one seems to now know how long the Commission needs to come to a decision.
- Their position is perhaps nothing that concerns us, but it’s timing that feels a bit unsure,” says Paul Akerlund on Saab IF Metall club.
For the same view, Christian von Koenigsegg.
- Timing is critical. There should be no more delays,” he says.
Saab’s goal to have everything ready by late October or early November will not hold if the Commission needs the two months that was rumored.
TTELA searched yesterday, Jonathan Todd at the European Commission’s press department to clarify the issue, but the written response from Brussels made us not much wiser.
“The commission deals with the notification it received. It is too early to make any further comment.”
On the other hand, there is much to process with the Debt Office of the loan guarantee is near an end. The Debt Office has constantly worked to October 21.
- We will be reporting to the government, but when it becomes, I can not say today. Our intention is not to delay this, “says Erik Sjulander, Administrator of the National Debt Office.
GM’s lawyers in the City
In parallel with the loan process is also under final negotiations with Beijing Automotive, as well as the GM for all the service that must be set up at Saab and GM are separated.
- We sit there day and night now. This week and perhaps into the next, we have no through them one by one. It is not that we are not negotiated before, but now flies GM in their lawyers, “says Saab’s General Counsel Kristina Geer.
A little above the head of Saab, new owner Koenigsegg Group also agreed with Beijing Automotive, which is expected to inject billions of dollars and get a minority stake.
How far the negotiations have reached is unclear.
——
Both Geers’ in the same article!!!
The takeaways from this are that the EU has had the facts about the Saab guarantees for a few weeks already. They could take us long as two months from when they received those details to provide their decision, but hopefully it’ll come sooner.
Saab and Koenigsegg Group will be ready to close this deal pretty quickly after the EU and the Debt Office give their tick.
As you might have read in today’s ‘reaction’ article, CVK and the other KG players are in the Saab offices in Pixbo and it’s all hands at the wheel as they tie this baby up.

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by Swade

South African cops get Saab 9-3 V6

October 22, 2009 in News

AussieLars saw today’s article about a ‘professional thug’ getting caught in a Saab by the cops in Britain and thought he’d better balance the ledger with a good-guys story.
PE-SAABpolice.jpg
What you see here is the South African police in Port Elizabeth taking delivery of a Saab 9-3 V6, courtesy of General Motors South Africa.
If fact, they didn’t just get this one, they got three!
The Saabs were handed over to the ‘Flying Squad’ who handle all the high priority get-there-quick stuff, of which there seems to be a fair bit for one city:

Statistics from 2008 showed that the PE Flying Squad attended to 9 874 complaints, made 600 arrests and recovered 503 stolen vehicles.
“This donation will enable the PE Flying Squad to render a more professional and quicker service to the community,” Rabie and Kapp commented.

Good luck with those Saabs, Mr Plod. Drive ‘em like you stole ‘em.
——
I’ve got a special article coming up soon, too – a close up look inside and out at a Swedish police Saab 9-5.

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Mobil Forum land conquest sale with Saab 9-3x

October 22, 2009 in Saabology, sponsors

After my little Saab 9-3x featurettes yesterday, I received an email from site sponsors and Saab dealers, Mobil Forum in Dresden, Germany.
They were one of the first dealers in Germany to get a Saab 9-3x in stock and have shown it to a lot of customers, always with positive comments. As you know, though, sales are very tough due to the GFC and Saab’s turbulent year, so all this positivity hadn’t led to much movement in the bank account.
Anyway, Andre from Mobil Forum just told me about their first potential Saab 9-3x sale, as follows:

IMGP0002.jpg Last week I had a really positive meeting with a new customer. He came in to our showroom and we were talking about cars. He knew a lot about Saab and Volvo, because he is a fan of Swedish cars. But his company has always bought BMW.
So he came here with a BMW X3 3.0 Diesel (not really bad). He is driving about 70,000 km per year. He asked about the 9-3X Diesel with XWD. I had to say no, we couldn’t get one, but I explained to him the positive side of the Bio Power model and maybe a gas-opportunity.
I gave him the car for a day. In the evening he came here and his reaction was great! He doesn’t like the automatic, but that’s no problem! If his company could give him the ok, he will order a new 9-3X 2.0T Bio Power with the Hirsch 240hp upgrade and a manual gearbox as well.
I know, to sell just one of these cars doesn’t sound very spectacular, but in these times, we are very happy about this!!!

Congratulations Andre and I hope it comes through very soon.
What interests me a bit more about this, rather than just the sale, is the fact that it’s a ‘conquest sale’ not only from a BMW driver, but also a small SUV driver.
This is exactly the segment that the 9-3x could really appeal to. Yes, the XWD/diesel combination would help if they could do it, but from all the information we’ve received, they can’t. And probably 85% of people can do just fine with Diesel and FWD or the petrol/XWD combination.
As I’ve been saying, this really is a well thought out vehicle and it’ll deserve every bit of interest it receives.

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by Swade

Saab electric van – for sale!!!

October 22, 2009 in Saabology

We covered the Saab-source electric postal phone company van a few weeks ago and it seems a similar vehicle has come up for sale on a website in Germany.
This is the image I showed a few weeks ago:
Saab 99 Electric Postal Truck
The vehicle that’s come up for sale is advertised under the title Saab Andere and as you can see, it features a somewhat different different front end, though the rest looks very similar.
Click to enlarge.
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If I’m reading that information sheet correctly then it looks like it was made by a company called TJ Electric in 1974, based on a Saab 95 (rather than the Saab 99 that previously figured).
Top speed is a heady and silent 70km/h.
If someone’s interested in this exclusive piece of Saabology, someone’s asking 10,000 Euros for it.

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by Swade

Reactions to Saab’s EIB loan

October 22, 2009 in News

Jan-Ake Jonsson, via emailed Saab release:

“With our loan application now approved by the EIB another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. We are also in the final stages of negotiations with Sweden’s National Debt Office and we expect confirmation from the EU Commission that Sweden’s state guarantee conforms with EU rules on state aid. It is a complicated process however we remain extremely confident that our plans are on track.”


Augie Fabela from Koenigsegg Group, via Bloomberg:

“This is one step, but it’s a milestone for us. Everybody is working for the same goal, the revival of Saab.”


The People’s Daily claims credit :-)

The Swedish government said a no for the guarantee earlier, but after Saab negotiated with Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings two months ago, upon the important decision making time for EIB, the Swedish government agreed with the guarantee.


Anna Petrie, from Saab, via TTELA:

For Saab was told expected, but nonetheless it was a sigh of relief at the factory when the news came yesterday afternoon.
- We had probably our hunches, but it’s always nice to get the message, “says Anna Petre, responsible for regulatory contacts at Saab, and emphasizes the importance of EIB decision:
- This is the first step in the process, and this decision was a prerequisite for the other steps may be encountered, “she says.


Annette Hellgren and Paul Akerlund, Union Reps at Saab, via TTELA:

- It’s very gratifying and reassuring to have come one step closer. This was a very important piece, “says Annette Hellgren……
- This may well help to create a more positive image, hope Paul Akerlund, IF Metall Club President.

Joran Hagglund, via TTELA:

Joran Hagglund, State Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, nor was he surprised by the announcement from the Bank.
- That was not entirely unexpected. Saab’s time for the sake of it was an extremely important step. Without loans would of course have been completely driven, “he said.


And finally, a Googletrans of an article with Christian Von Koenigsegg.
From TTELA:
Koenigsegg hope for completion in November
Gothenburg CEO for Koenigsegg Group, Christian von Koenigsegg, was working at Saab’s office in Gothenburg where he was told about the EIB loan.
- It is an important milestone we have passed today, but many important milestones remain, and says he is well aware that the money not yet secured.
The money needs to fall into Saab’s account before the year end according to Koenigsegg.
- Timing is critical. There should be no more delays,” he says.
In addition to the news from the Debt Office and ultimately the government on state guarantees and the approval of the commission must Koenigsegg Group have clear agreement with the Chinese Beijing Auto, BAIC.
Negotiations with the former owner GM of Rights regarded as the most formal.
- We have found a way to break down. It is well emerged because we have negotiated a long time,” said Christian von Koenigsegg.
The new business plan will Saab be profitable at 100 000 cars sold. In addition, the company intends to cooperate with many different partners in the industry to be cost effective.
- We have a sober view of where Saab is and how it should move forward,” said Christian von Koenigsegg to explain that the bank believes in the business plan.
To cope with that drive Saab to the company in 2012 is expected to be profitable on its own merits requires about 11 billion according to Koenigsegg. BAIC will contribute around three billion of the company becomes a minority owner of the Koenigsegg Group. But Beijing Auto’s interest based on that Saab may loan.
- All parties need to have everyone on board. I see before me that all processes will be completed on the same day, or almost. Probably in early November,” said Christian von Koenigsegg.
He does not want to go into the details of how the negotiations with BAIC go or if the Chinese company will be taking over the tools of the old 9-5. BAIC is interested in Saab’s technology.
An additional sponsor is not seeking Koenigsegg Group, owned by companies controlled by American businessman Augie K Fabel, Norwegian businessman Bard Eker and Christian von Koenigsegg.

Avatar of Swade

by Swade

Thursday Snippets – oops! Edition

October 22, 2009 in Saabology

It was all good news for Koenigsegg at the EIB board meeting, but it was nothing but bad news for a New York Koenigsegg dealership after a car was bought in for service and ended up like this:
wrecked_koenigsegg.jpg
Apparently this scrape with a guard rail also managed to scar a Porsche GT2 as well.
There ain’t a font big enough for this OOPS!
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People like this shouldn’t drive Saabs:

A “professional thug” from Thames Ditton, who was caught by police with a sawn-off shotgun and a pot of sulphuric acid, was jailed on Friday for at least 10 years…..
Police recovered the shotgun and acid, as well as ammunition, ties ready for use as handcuffs, two baseball bats and a picture of the men’s target, from the Saab convertible they were travelling in, the court heard.
They also later found a stun gun.

“Bubba” is waiting in cell block B, Mr McRae.
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You know I love Alfas, right? And I can appreciate Anime, even if it’s not something I’d choose to watch.
But the two should never meet.
This abomination was spotted in the carpark of the Tokyo Motor Show, which is on at the moment. More pics at the link.
RuinedAlfa.jpg
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Employees at the new HQ of Saab Cars USA stand to make an average of around $2,200 per week.
This little factoid was revealed in a story about the company getting some initial approval to set up their headquarters in Royal Oak, just outside Detroit. They’ve applied for some tax concessions and consequently have to spill some beans on how many people they’ll employ, what the jobs will be worth, etc.
That’s an average of six figures a year for 50+ employees.
Here’s an offer, Mike Colleran: I’ll uproot my family and drag our soon-to-be miserable butts all the way to Michigan and work for you for $95K a year.
That’s a bargain, and a genuine offer.
UPDATE: That offer’s out there for you, too, Mr Batish. We could be in Melbourne by yer-end. Just say the word.
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I haven’t covered Per Eklund’s exploits for a little while.
It seems the GFC has limited Per’s schedule and travel to a point where he’s competing in races mostly around the Nordic region. He cancelled an appearance in Belgium in August, but has since taken 5th in a race in Norway and 1st in a race in Finland.
More over at Mike Jager’s page.
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One final little observation from here in Australia.
It seems Saab have had to give up sponosrship of one of the big horseracing events of the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne.
The Saab Quality Stakes was the final big hitout and always keenly watched by punters as an indicator to the biggest race in the country – The Melbourne Cup. Saab have sponsored this event for a number of years, also hosting a hospitality tent during Cup Week.
Not in 2009, however. A search of the Melbourne Cup Carnival website shows no reference to Saab and it seems the event has been taken over by insurance company, AAMI.

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