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.
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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.
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……
OK, so Chris Bangle never worked on a Saab, but I couldn’t resist……..
Thanks to Robert N for the Blocket link….
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Carl-Henrik also sent along this image of an interestingly decorated Saab 96 in his hometown.
Anyone seen those wheels before?
Click to enlarge:
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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.
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Forza3 is out and Jörgen from the Saabs United Historic Rally Team has been taking the Turbo X for a spin.
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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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{ 14 comments }
The 9-3SS 2003-2007 edition was a stunning design. The current 9-3SS is great at the front (with maybe just a bit too much bling) and the rear lights are in my opinion are cheesy. With regard to that Bangle Butt I hated it when I first saw it but nobody can deny Bangle has had a MASSIVE impact on car design this decade. I actually liked the BB7 and the current 5 but BMW seems to have wimped out and gone back to being conservative.
Want an example of a truly ugly car – the new MB E-class is beyond hideous!
Re: “Evidence has now emerged that Chris Bangle may have used a Saab 900 for his prototype work on the 7-series”
Thought I was reading Sniff Petrol for a moment.
I think those are just plastic hub caps/wheel covers on that 96. Aftermarket, in all likelihood.
I need to go out and get a copy of Forza now. Driving simulations have come a far way….
Haha, the Bangle Butt comparison is golden!
I’m with Greg. Cheap & nasty set of market-stall tupperware wheel covers.
Hi
I hope you haven’t missed this article:
http://www.gp.se/ekonomi/1.230960-saabs-tilltankta-agare-planerar-fabrik-i-kina
It hints on the plans for china as well as the coming product line up.
Swade is at this moment quite busy with his 99T.
Di.se has also an article on that
http://di.se/Avdelningar/Artikel.aspx?ArticleID=2009\10\24\358565§ionid=BilMotor
Here some Facts:
And the Google Version:
3 things I would like to point out.
1. Are those production costs? Or next Year SAAB will be much cheaper. The cheapest SAAB at this moment is a 9-3SS linear and it costs 236.900 SEK.
2. To me a New 900 means they will go back to pre-GM nomenclature rather than build a modern OG900.
3. By increasing the average price by about 50% they reduce the possibilities to many of us to buy a brand new SAAB.
But as I said on my last comentary, I hope this is not the real plan.
Me,
I think they’re listing prices after incentives (actual transaction prices) rather than the list price you see on a dealership. They have to increase prices/margins or else they’ll be 100% dependent on volume. SAAB will never be a volume player, so it has to be done on the price side.
But you cannot influence the actual transaction prices that much.
And still 18.900 € as an average price for all SAABs is even after incentives and without VAT to low to be selling prices. Maybe those are the prices they get from the dealers?
Anyhow, if they increase the prices by 50%, I will only be able to buy the cheapest one, and on that case the car has to have more then a SAAB badge on the hood.
Sent this to Swade but he seems to be busy on his own product development scheme, so here goes:
Koenigsegg’s secret business plan for SAAB
The business plan that Koenigsegg Group has for Saab Automobile provides a range of new models and extends until 2016. Swedish business daily Dagens industri has read an internal document which formed the basis for negotiations with both the European Investment Bank, EIB, and the Swedish state.
The document shows that several new models are planned, including a fully electricity-powered Saab 9-3X launched 2012. At that time hybrid versions of the 9-5 and 9-3 will also be available on the market.
The owners promise under the business plan to invest 6 billion SEK in product development from the next year onwards.
The goal of the plan is to turn Saab into a true premium brand company by 2016. Then it is to build more expensive and exclusive cars, and it must be profitable at 65.000 cars a year for its operations to make ends meet financially.
In the first phase of the plan between 2010 and 2011, sales of 115,000 cars per year are required in order to avoid loss.
The business plan clarifies the ownership. Main financier, Augie fable, and his Russian partner, businessman and scientist Dmitri Zimin, are principal owners of Dutch Solsken BV, which in turn is majority owner of the Koenigsegg Group.
Saab’s three phases
2010-2011: The current phase
115,000 cars sold gives zero in operating profit
Average price per car: 189.000 SEK
2012-2015: transition
80,000 cars sold gives zero in operating profit
Average price per car: 208.000 SEK
New models include 9-5 Koenigsegg Edition
2016 -: premiumphase
65,000 cars sold gives zero in operating profit
Average price per car: 280.000 SEK
New models include New 900
If you are reading this Augie, sorry for misprint of your family name. It is Fabela and not “fable”. No pun intended
Cheers,
Blow-go
Since this is (supposedly) an internal document the quoted prices are most likely net i.e. what Saab Auto gets for each unit sold. What the customer might or might not pay is of no interest whatever to the bottom line.
I must make my ignorance public and say: I have no idea how much dealers add on to the manufacturer’s price and what sort of discounts are hurled at buyers. I would also assume that these vary from country to country. Anybody out there got an idea?
Re. the plan itself: I think it sounds good. Some of you may have noticed that I have been against the K-segg deal. However, they have managed to get the whole thing this far despite the flack, and one can really only admire the guys.
The so called “current phase” is in my opinion a bit dicey. Current sales are maybe 30.000 units / annum. The 9-5 is to boost these to 115.000. I tried to find post-launch sales of the old 9-5, but was unsuccessful. Anybody have an idea of the numbers sold world-wide when the old 9-5 was a new car and what share of total unit sales did it have?
Blogo keep in mind that the new 9-5 will get people into the showrooms and will most likely have a slight boosting effect on the other model lines as well. That and with the economy picking up in 2010 it seems achievable.
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