The Los Angeles Auto Show is coming up soon and Saab have a half hour allocated for the press corps, so one would assume that they’re going to be showing off the new Saab 9-5 there.
If the timing of the EU announcement falls into place, they might even have a bit more to say!
The Saab announcement is slated for 11.50-12.20 on Thursday, December 3. Not an ideal slot as these automotive journos like their lunches, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of coverage to be had.
And I believe that might be one of Olaf’s photos. Nice.
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Saab should set up a decent buffet…and then all the journos will come…
Wednesday Dec 3rd?
December 3rd is a Thursday ( only reason I even caught that is the 2nd is my b-day)
I hope it draws a lot of POSITIVE press….
The New England Auto Show (Boston) is December 2-6. The floor map shows a section for Saab (far away from GM). I assumed the 9-5 would be there, but with LA going on at the same I’m not so sure. I’m holding out hope for Boston – otherwise, what’s the point of Saab being there?
I hope they show up for the Washington Autoshow
I also figured that we’d be seeing the NG9-5 at the Boston show, and I was planning on going there to see it. It especially made sense to me seeing as to how they’ve already shown it at the similarly irrelevant Miami show.
Let’s hope that Saab has enough NG9-5′s to be two places at once!
I would assume the Portland auto show as well?!
Buffet lunch is served at the LA show, so count on journo coverage.
Also don’t forget the San Fransisco auto show appearance with press conference Wednesday afternoon, Nov 25. Public days 26th to Dec 3 – also see: http://www.bbsaab.com/MiscPage_6
Olaf’s photos are very nice. I’m enjoying all of them very much
I hope it comes to Houston, but the Houston Auto Show website doesn’t the exhibitor list up yet…grrr.
I saw the the new 9-5 in Trollhattan october 8 together with some other norwegians.
Fabelous car. Looking forward to try on the road.
The new 5 series official photos are out… so are the tech details. And while I think that the NG 9-5 is a miles ahead better looking then the new F01 5 series(inside-out), technical details and perfomance are sadly on the BMW’s side. Base 520d diesel has 181 bhp and gets to 100 kmh in only 8.4 s, tops out at 141 mph. Base petrol engine is an straight six with 201 bhp(523i). That one matches the 9-5 2.0T cceleration, but is somewhat faster in top speed.
eight speed ZF automatic is optional on all models. wheelsbase is huge, 2970 mm, only 2 cm short of the last 7 series SWB.
just to add
base 520d is £28,165 in UK.
base 523i is £31,235, so obviously, it will be more expensive then the NG 9-5. What gets me really worried is CO2 figures for the new 5 series.
520d is 132 g/km, with start & stop technology, which is not much better then the 9-5 2.0 TiD. But, petrols are another story altogether, where the 535i, with 306 bhp, matches the 2.0T 9-5, and 550 with a biturbo V8 and 400 bhp is actually less polluting then the 2.8 V6T 9.5.
Saab should hurry with engine upgrades.
Ragusan, dont believe anything BMW says about CO2 emissions as they are always 25% more than advertised. A quick read of official test drives by AutoExpress shows none of the cars they have ever tested matches official government CO2 figures which makes the whole CO2 argument a farce.
I am actually disappointed that BMW has chosen to go back to building somewhat anonymous design language as I think the current 5 series BMW is a stunning looking car. The new one just looks like a smaller 7 series.
PS the back of that new 5 series looks like an Infiniti. The new 9-5 is WAY more interesting!!!
That is true, since the vast majority of cars have worse economy then specified by manufacturers.
But it’s still a problem, since many markets prefer cars with lower CO2 emissions.
Zippy, +1 on BMW CO2 figures. And if SAAB ads a S&S to the 9-5 they will be able to match the Beemer.
To me the new Beemers look the same, is like being able to buy the 3-series in L, XL and XXL.
SAAB 240kph Beemer 238 kph
SAAB 7.9 sec Beemer 7.9 sec
They only have to get those economy values right
SAAB 8.4 l/100km beemer 7.6 l/100km + 25% = 9.5 l/100km
I think SAAB only problem is the A6-Gearbox they have paired with the 2.8T Engine, its almost a second slower in the sprint and the economy is 11.4 vs 8.5, ok the Beemer is now AWD, but on the other side you can’t buy the SAAB as a FWD only with that engine.
A6 gearbox and weight… new F10 530d weighs 1715 kgs… I suppose that 535i is very close to that number, which makes it around 300 kgs lighter then the porky 9-5 2.8 V6T XWD. OK, for a fair comparison we should compare the Xdrive model, but even with the added weight of the XWD(around 70 kg), it’s still waaay lighter then the 9-5.
to compare economy we should wait for first comparisons, until then it’s clear that BMW has the upper hand on paper. But sadly, most buyers will just take a look at stated figures in the brochure and see just how much faster and more economical the 5 series is and go with that.
I was afraid of this. The new gen 5 series is a mean machine clearly a cut above the 9-5. And the new A6 is also just around the corner. With 9-5 not coming in showrooms until spring next year, SAAB is loosing precious time to attract buyers. I expect the new A6 to come in even stronger then this 5 series, and it could mean trouble for the 9-5, which, as you already now, was targeted at the current A6 primarily.
I guess that is the price of GM’s bad policy concerning the cancellation of the ’05 9-5 which was based on the Premium platform(alfa 159). Now the new 9-5 is getting outdated and it’s not even out yet.
Dare I say it, the BMW even looks better than the 9-5, at least on the outside. They’ve nailed the classic BMW long hood, short trunk proportions and while the design isn’t quite as clean as the old E39 or E34, it’s definitely a major improvement over the E60. The bangle streaks actually work on this car, and the only slightly awkward aspects of it are the busy taillights and the Euro Pedestrian safety bullnose. The NG9-5 looks as boring as a camry by comparison, especially with it’s huge slab sides and that bloated beltline.
Add me into the “I have a hard time seeing the NG9-5 steal any sales from this car” crowd.
The simple fact is that BMW has done so well over the past 20 or so years, with each model comfortably outselling it’s predecessor, that it can afford to sell cars like the F01 that have more expensive bodywork and better mechanicals than the competition thanks to sales volumes and profit margins. Companies like Saab simply cannot develop cars with nearly the level of complexity and features as BMW’s and have any prayer of matching BMW’s pricing. But then again, BMW’s situation is just a perk of being successful in a business where success can easily beget success if you have half a clue what you’re doing.
Through my North American lens (so, I’ll pass on the CO2 readings;not going to obsess over .4 litre per 100 kms either — nor will the average buyer/leaser (in Canada or the US) of this class of car):
Frankly, I don’t see how the new 5 series is a ‘cut above’ the 9-5. For one, it is hideous. I thought the previous 5 series had some aesthetic merit: This version is, echoing ‘Me’ above, an oversized three series (or squashed 7 if you prefer). I fail to see any advantage on the interior front either, dimensions nor visuals.
In North America, the bread and butter BMW and Mercs in that class are the E350/300s (4matic or RWD) and the 528/535s (x drive or RWD). I’ll wait to be proved wrong but I see no reason why a 300 HP 9-5 Aero XWD wouldn’t equal or better either of those on any performance parameter.
It’s the dealer network (or lack thereof) that gives me the anxiety attacks…
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