I’m positively as giddy as a schoolgirl with anticipation.
It occurred to me while writing a comment on Swade’s last post that Saab will now have an opportunity to reinstate the European Delivery program that General Motors discontinued for good in 2008.
This is a double bonus from my point of view. First, Saab has historically had one of the best European delivery programs in the business. In round figures, a buyer picks the car up in Sweden after a night at one of the historic landmarks in Skane. A Saab training pro gives you a complete orientation on your new Saab and a tour of the factory and the Saab museum. You then have two weeks or so and an additional US$2000 to tour Europe in your brand-new Saab! You may then drop the car at one of the designated ports and fly home. Your Saab arrives at your dealership about a month later. I would expect no less from Saab this time around.
The potential second bonus just dawned on me: Spyker could also extend an invitation to visit their facilities and test drive a Spyker as a part of the deal. Would that not be amazing punctuation to your European dream vacation? Driving to the Netherlands in your new Saab only to transfer to a Spyker super car for your laps on the track? I’d say that’s a package!!! Even if it were optional or at slightly higher cost it would be worth it to me.
What else, if anything, would you want in such a package? Could this really get much better? Hmmm…. new Saab, trip to Sweden, visit the Saab museum, drive a Spyker. Nope, I can’t improve on that one. That would pretty much work for me. I guess that I could ask for a quick spin in UrSaab, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m sure that some of you have ideas, so comment away.
Footnote: For me, personally, this is the way to get my wife on board with the idea of buying a new 9-5. For her, buying a new car — meh. Getting a huge trip to Europe in the deal — she’s totally in.
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{ 62 comments }
Nice to see you’d want a USD 2000 & up incentive to buy a new Saab 9-5… Boy, this entry really gives me high hopes that Saab will have loyal buyers and make a profit by 2012.
I don’t know where you’ve read “incentives” in this post, but it’s not there. The EDP generally helps dealers AVOID incentives by bundling the package at a set price. Marketing dollars are involved, but they are generally used to employ people in Sweden to handle the program. EnG
Stuff like European delivery and the Aero academy do add a lot to the customer experience, something Saab needs to repair once disconnected from GM. But do you really think they’d give us Saab riff-raff the keys to a Spyker while we’re over there!?
Sounds perfect!
Swedish dealers will put in the last 180 mkr if needed to Spyker, talk about a loveable brand!
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.svd.se%2Fnaringsliv%2Fnyheter%2Fsaab-handlare-lovar-spyker-miljoner_4213175.svd&sl=sv&tl=en
Yes!
This is one thing I received a lot of negative feedback on when GM killed it 2 or 3 years ago.
Bringing it back would be a very smart move.
I’ve been fortunate to have a decent number of customers do this and the experience goes a long way toward customer loyalty and enthusiasm.
You need to have someone experienced with the program complete the paperwork as a small error in the documents can cause big issues for the participant particularly when there are different pick-up / drop-off countries…which seems to be the case most of the time.
Sounds very nice… I’m in!
Sounds very nice… I’m in!
Sounds very nice… I’m in!
Maybe not a DRIVE in a Spyker but certainly a RIDE in a Spyker. (race car?)
Check this out! TTELA has gotten information form the swedish saab retailers that they are willing to finance the final payment to GM (if necessary). I’m starting to feel a bit more proud of being Swedish.
http://ttela.se/ekonomi/saab/1.724551-saab-handlare-lovar-spyker-miljoner
(I do not know how to do the google-thingy but I guess you do by now)
Ohh, sorry for double info…
How it worked was pretty neat. The car would get imported as a used car, since it already was used and technically owned by you. As a result they saved a ton on import duties and passed the savings to you!
The $2k isn’t perceived as a ‘discount’ to prospective buyers of a Euro-delivery SAAB. Offering the 2k was primarily offered to offset travel expense which was likely what kept people away from doing this.
All good. Better too much than not enough to me. I’ll let Swade elaborate once he gets revved up this morning (in Oz).
Hey, I didn’t say it had to be new. Just one of their test vehicles on a closed track. It’s a thought. Mr. Muller wants to sell Saabs, this will appeal to many. It would be a brilliant piece of halo marketing.
When I was looking at getting a new car in 2006, the Saab EDP won me over. Without EDP, I wouldn’t have bought a new Saab and I probably wouldn’t be a Saab customer (and SU and SaabCentral junkie
). It really is a great program to attract new and keep current customers.
This is very good news! The money as such is really peanuts in this context, and Spyker not having it yet, several months before it’s needed, was a non-story. But the vote of confidence from the Saab dealers, that they believe in this enough to put their money into it, that’s worth a great deal. I like these quotes:
- We don’t doubt that Spyker can manage the financing themselves. But if a request should come, we can oblige, says Lars
This is very good news! The money as such is really peanuts in this context, and Spyker not having it yet, several months before it’s needed, was a non-story. But the vote of confidence from the Saab dealers, that they believe in this enough to put their money into it, that’s worth a great deal. I like these quotes:
- We don’t doubt that Spyker can manage the financing themselves. But if a request should come, we can oblige, says Lars
This is very good news! The money as such is really peanuts in this context, and Spyker not having it yet, several months before it’s needed, was a non-story. But the vote of confidence from the Saab dealers, that they believe in this enough to put their money into it, that’s worth a great deal. I like these quotes:
- We don’t doubt that Spyker can manage the financing themselves. But if a request should come, we can oblige, says Lars
Well done, dealers!!
Let’s not look into the eco-side of it, though…
I Think that should eas down the press a bit. Or maybe all the dealers are mafia too:/
This is what I’m talking about! Visiting Sweden and driving before having it shipped has always been on my list.
That’s the spirit of Saab in action, I must say. Great stuff.
It will be healthy for the dealers to have a stake in the manufacturer. I think that’s a business model set for success if they do it right.
That’s awesome spirit, and typical for SAAB ‘hangarounds’. Remember the time in the past when we sent Swade to Sweden? It’s a bit of the same.
It’s so great being part of such a great community!
Cheers from Norway
-Olav-
Always on the longest road home when out there with my SAAB. Always!
Thanks Joek, I had email in my inbox about this at around the same time. Now posted as a separate article.
——
How about Hobart becoming Saab’s southern Hemisphere HQ and offering a Tasmanian Delivery Program. We got some hellagood roads here and I’d love to hand out Saabs all day…….
OK, I got that idea from notgonnahappen.com but the revival of the EDP would be a HUGE bonus for all concerned.
Imagine if dealers got this and good leasing support back tomorrow? Dealership janitorial staff would need bigger buckets for all the drool.
I have a good mind to ban you for excessive display of bodily fluids. Keep it in check, mister. EnG
ha ha swedish mafia huh… they must carry sawed off swiss army knives
I don’t know about that, but I do know that most of the people that “sleep with the fishes” lay on the ice until spring thaw. EnG
hmmm… i think i took my meds today
I purchase a Volvo wagon over 40 years ago through their EDP. It was the worse car that I ever owned and left me stuck broken down on remote roads far from home more times than I want to rememember, but the EDP was great, albeit without the factory tours and stuff (although perhaps I passed on that since I was traveling with two young kids). As I recall, the way it worked, you could have your car delivered by a dealer in any of several major cities. We picked ours up in Brussels. We then spent a month driving around Europe ending up in Gothenberg where we turned the car over to the Swedes to be shipped back to the US. At that time, the incentive to do this was to have a free rental in Europe because you were driving your own car, and a discounted price because the car came back to the US as used at a lower import tariff.
hey ho – dealers
a great idea,
and a loveley idea.a ride with a spyker if you take a saab with you.
i have some friends witch take a ride to ingolstadt to carry theire audi home, it was a higlight for them. carry a saab home with a ride on a spyker it would be unbelieveble. great idea.
I think the return of European Delivery and Aero Academy would do wonders for bringing customers back into the showrooms.
Saab, or at least Saab North America, needs to bring back financial and leasing support- I think Jaguar/Land Rover and Mazda partner with Chase to offer cut-rate leasing and finance rates, and that always jumps starts sales, at least in the US.
if GMAC were willing to step in and provide buyers with financing, that would work too. I’m not sure Saab can move enough US volume to set up a separate Saab Financial entity like other automakers.
You know what I just thought of? If I had the car in Europe, I could take it to Hirsch for some of their magic, which I can’t do in the US (at least for now)!!
Triple bonus!!
Pick up your Saab, test drive a Spyker.
Best European delivery program in the business?
AWESOME IDEA eNg!!!
As others have stated, bringing back EDP will help a lot, and the addition of the Spyker drive or ride would be very memorable. And it could indirectly help with Spyker sales as well.
This is the kind of stuff that would get me excited as a potential customer. Just gotta finish off my remaining 20 years of school and I’ll being my journey to buying a new SAAB
The Germans are masters at this (their museums are exemplary — but Saab’s is no 2nd fiddle!)
Mercedes is famous for such (I’ve heard that Porsche Delivery is a real treat too — with different, optional ‘packages’, depending on the length of stay).
It’s certainly not a panacea(that Swedish experience/patina needs to rub off at the local dealers too, everyday…), but can’t hurt.
And,needless to say, there needs to be a home dealer to ship to!
EDP is a wonderful prospect. In 1990 we bought a VW Vanagon Camper that way and the experience was seamless and fairly priced. Because we were gone many months we even got an import tax break on return.
Yes . . . EDP could get some of us with fairly recent SAABS trading in sooner but the resale market needs to firm up so trade-in values are decent. And the NA dealer network needs to be consolidated (or rebuilt in Canada) first!
Corvette has or had a plan that allows (or at least allowed) purchasers to pick up their car at the Corvette museum near the factory (I have not checked if this is still the case). The occasion was marked with a special plaque in the car and a little celebration. Probably cost Chevy $100 to make the buyer feel very special indeed.
As for that LA Times article, no-one should take offense at a good-humored jibe! Interesting to read how many mainstream journos own Saabs. Humor sells–just ask VW and Ikea during their classic campaigns in years past.
B
Whatever works for leasing, we’ll take it. Saab needs leasing in the US whether by GMAC or through Saab. Incidentally, my 2005 9-5 was leased though something called Saab Leasing Co, which was associated with Chase, not GMAC.
Chase operates in Canada too – especially premium credit cards (e.g., a Visa for the Marriott network). Could be a connection to be renewed. I completely agree that there is no need for SAAB to have its own finance operation, any more than it needs to build its own engine blocks. It just needs a partner with a quality brand image (e.g., a successful and stable bank) rather than one of the card issuers that chases every organization in the continent for affiliate cards.
B
I love that idea EnG, been thinking the same thing myself for a while. There are so so so many options for the new Saab Spyker. It’s crazytown. The options to get customers to fall in love and embrace the brand are endless.
I think GMAC just posted a 5 billion dollar quarterly loss; it’s also part of the US government bailout. Another source perhaps, but not one with those initials in it.
I was feeling guilty for not running down to order a new 9-5 for 2010 delivery. But with a low mile CPO 2006 9-5 and 2001 9-5 which has cost me all of $28 in unscheduled maintence over the last 60,000 miles it was hard to justify a new Saab right now. Now I’m going to save up an extra week of vacation so I might be able to tool around Scandinavia for a couple of weeks in 2011 in a new Saab. Just hoping for them to change their mind and offer a standard gearbox on the Aero by then.
THIS IS AWESOME!
As per the incentive picking up a Saab in Sweden.
Sounds like a brilliant idea that could give some nice PR to the new Saab Spyker business.
If for some reason it is not possible to extend this offer to “everbody” from overseas, due to cost etc. maybe Saab Spyker could offer this to the first 10 or 25/50 or 100 people from overseas, buying a Saab picking it up in Sweden. That would I assume give Saab great PR. The people picking up a Saab in Trollh
If that Delivery program materializes, Saab fans from SU living in Trollhattan should program an “open house evening” at some pub in town, where who ever from this site is in Trollhattan and so wish could drop in and join in entertaining the people from overseas having come for the Saab delivery program just to honor them. That would be nice. And not to forget calling in TTELA, the local newspaper, they are just around the corner from the pubs and could easily pop over to cover the evening…
Listen, I really think that VM would like the Delivery program idea, as long as it fits in the budget. I hope he will be reading about it on the SU site. Otherwise somebody maybe could send the info about it across to the Spyker company info email being posted at the Spyker web site, should you not be holding some VM personal email address. I bet VM likes anything that is innovative and adds on some good PR for Saab, so he might as well be happy to embrace the Delivery Program idea.
A TUNE JUST CAME TO MY MIND… humming it
*** CELEBRATION la la la… ***
IT’S CELEBRATION….
Actually that would be a good song to accompany some visual Saab promotion ads….
This song brings the message of CELEBRATION once the new Saab cars start hitting the market..
Maybe some future model should also get this same name CELEBRATION, or is that name having copy rights, maybe also the song is having copy right thus not allowed to be used in PR unless written permission from who ever owns the rights.
Whatever, I keep humming “CELEBRATION” for myself hoping this will add to the spirit of hope and confidence in a bright future for Saab.
I recently picked up a 2010 Land Rover brochure and in the back it says they offer financial solutions through Chase.
Saab NA should get on this. With a lot of luxury “sales” being leasing contracts, to not offer leasing would be detrimental and result in years like 2008 and 2009 when leasing was basically dumped.
I know GM offered (and still offers, actually) really cheap financing through GMAC, but those days will end soon, I bet. Without some finance or lease incentives (ok, it doesn’t have to be 0%, but something like 2.9% APR for 36 months) or an attractive lease offer would get a lot of former Saab owners back into the fold.
But, for that to happen, resale values have to come up a bit to keep the lease cars from being loss leaders. Saab can’t afford to chase volume for the sake of volume.
Aero Academy
I have 95 aero 2007 and was 2 month before the program was killed bur thanks to GM it was never honored and the place is only 3 hours away
How about:
Buy a Spyker and get a Saab for free………….
Hm, maybe not
I have done the EDP three times for SAABs and they were all great experiences even without a ride or drive in a Spyker. The employees involved went out of their way to make it worthwhile to do it even without the perks. The various discounts and bonuses over the three trips varied but still helped. I am looking forward to being able to do it again. Barney
That brings up an interesting question. How many visitors here would actually consider buying a new Spyker? Has a poll been taken?
I’ve wondered what would happen if Saab offered a discout to current BMW and AUDI owners…….. Might be a good boost in sales.
If I had the money I would have bought one 2 years ago. I have been in love with Spyker ever since I saw an article about the C8 on Piston Heads.
This is just fantastic. I would love to visit Sweden again…and with the ability to pick up a new 95 to tour the country is just a great bonus. I’m ready to sign up and build a car as soon as the program is established.
Just a few random additional thoughts…
Earlier, comments were entertained on the future internet presence of SAAB. I think that the concepts of marketing automobiles today can be, and should be, imaginative, and should be pursued: Although the GM experiment to do Ebay earlier did not meet with volume success, I applaud the vision that goes with the notion that all venues of reaching buyers are open. I think that this idea was perhaps not well thought out…but if it is linked or based with strong local dealer support…it can work if the onsite materials are creative, and exhaustively thorough in SAAB company data and information. I am not familiar with Facebook and Twitter, but the popularity of this phenomenon suggests that the old ways of getting the word out are no longer sufficient. Today, we are witnessing a storm of fast paced awareness of everything we do, buy, and how we share information about our desire for products. The internet can be very robust, especially since traditional mediums for advertising are so expensive, i.e. television and the print media. Although, this commercial is absolutely brilliant and innovative, and should be televised…I just think that it depicts what I would be attracted to if it were on television: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/saab-tv-ad-change-perspective/874C8503FEED3F9F68BE874C8503FEED3F9F68BE
The SAAB website.
Incorporating the above concepts, (Facebook etc.) would be necessarily linked. Many other folks here have suggested great ideas beyond the scope of the general car company website. To include webcams, interactivity with engineers and parts personnel via emails and so on. There are at least three groups of clients that could be addressed:
1. Super enthusiasts, (SAAB nuts)like the folks on this Web Blog and other specific SAAB sites.
2. The general public looking for information who want to buy a car and visit sites like Emunds.com etc. that can be linked to the SAAB website through advertising.
3. More knowledgeable, (web savvy) and traditional SAAB type buyers.
I think that a new SAAB website could incorporate:
1. A vigorous SAAB enthusiast component through some serious registration, (keeping the trolls out).
2. A car configurator.
3. SAAB database of things unique to the automobile, to include the museum, Spyker car and other affiliations, and programs such as racing, rallys, SAAB clubs, meetings, conventions and so on.
4. A section devoted entirely to the dealerships
5. A buyer center that would include…my favorite…a European Delivery Program, with a modest “travel agency type” ability for the European travel options.
Web Sites like SU do have a great function…actually, sorry…there is nothing else like SU in our SAAB world today. I hope that Steve has the energy to continue. (I do occasionally visit the other SAAB sites for a variety of technical information). The new SAAB site, because of legal/business model requisites, will not have the freeform give and take spirit as SU. Unfortunately. SU is valuable, unbelievably so because…it just works…
Another, previous body of discussion here at SU centered around the topic of what should the new SAAB produce for the future…how to make sure that it is “saaby”…how to incorporate new technologies like electric and bio, and others. Although I have my favorite configurations, I honestly believe that what we should do is to just let the SAAB engineers plug in the coffee pot in the morning, and everyone else get the hell out of the room. I have that much faith in their abilities, and more importantly, their timeless vision.
Guaranteed, we will get great things…
Hey EnG. Sorry, I don’t want to be the one to spoil your party but I am afraid that the American Saab drivers will have to pay more for their Saabs as the did in the past. Compairing the Saab prices in US and Europe I’d say that you should rather look for the extra 2000 bucks for your european experience than expecting incentives. Saab/spyker will definitely have to raise the US prices in order to make money. Producing in EUR and selling in $ is very expensive. Best Regards from Germany, Johann
Great idea! Would love to pick up my 9-X Air in Trollh
Great idea!!
On top of that the people who live in Sweden ( which is a big market for SAAB ) could get a trip to the Spyker factory!!! and we don’t have to wait 1 month for our SAAB neither
Nice idea…
How about adding a free introductory flying lesson ?
I believe this was offered to new Saab customers some time ago in the Netherlands.
Beware though that the moment you cross the border into Holland you WILL be stuck in endless traffic jams…!
:- (
Johann: Every automotive OEM has virtually the same program; this is not an incentive. The program has been no additional costs for some time.
Re: Chase
Won’t happen, in my opinion.
Chase was one of the first banks to axe SAAB from their portfolio over a year ago when our troubles started.
Years ago Chase was a great lender for SAAB; Fantastic leasing and financing but when SAAB was put up for sale they gave up on us.
Can’t speak for the entire dealer body but all things being equal I can’t see us ever wanting to do business with them again. Other banks stood by the brand, thankfully. I can’t imagine how much of a risk the typical SAAB buyer is. I know our default / repo numbers were literally zero during our many years with them. The demographic of a SAAB buyer is such that most banks would kill to have a portfolio filled with them. High income, great credit, very little risk, generally speaking.
Having said all that, if Chase came out with an amazing lease package, we’d likely have to swollow our pride and jump back on board…afterall, we’re here to sell SAABs.
VM is securing an agreement with GMAC and hopes to have everything in place by mid-Feb.
This could be the thing that gets me to buy a new car vs. a CPO for my next purchase, although it will be a while (we bought our ’98 900 S in 2001, and we just bought a CPO 2007 9-3 SportCombi in November).
I’ve been too frugal to even consider a new vehicle in the last several years, but with everything that’s been going on with Saab, I’ve started thinking that it’s something I will consider again although it will be a while.
The reason I choose used over new is so we have more money for the important experiences in life. A European Delivery Saab would definitely be one of those experiences!
EnG – if the EDP comes back into existence, I think you may have just single-handedly sold a couple dozen new Saabs! Saab Spyker needs to seriously consider implementing this as soon as possible.
And particularly since here in Canada so many Saab dealers have gone the way of the Dodo, purchasing through the EDP would provide a considerably attraction option for many – including myself. Wrapping a European vacation around a Saab purchase would be an easy sell for my wife too. And a Hirsch upgrade would be the icing on the icing of the cake! Mmmm…Hirsch.
All I can say is:
BRING EDP BACK!!!
I’d hop on it in a heartbeat.
This ide ‘flying lessons’ would be a great idea, worldwide or just in trollh
I really wanted the EDP for the past 2 years when it was suspended then canceled altogether. I purchased a new ’09 9-3 Combi 6-speed 2.0T (2k miles current) last March via autotrader.com from a Saab dealer in the Washington DC area. I’m still planning a trip to trollhattan in the next couple of years anyway to see the museum and the factory. Maybe I can find some accessories for my mint ’89 Classic 900 base model (120K miles).
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