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Saturday Snippets – Saab 9-5 pricing for Switzerland

March 13, 2010 in News

Swiss Saab 9-5 pricing is available here.

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Again, not all these models are available immediately. It seems many variations will be held over until MY2011.

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As mentioned yesterday, it’s my understanding that full production of new vehicles at the Saab plant in Trollhattan is scheduled to begin on March 22. That’s from speaking with people at Saab.

There’s a lot to do to prepare the factory for that, however, and it seems work is well underway.

From Swedish Radio

The work in the body shop at Saab in Trollhättan is in full swing and later in the spring it may be necessary to recruit more people, says the prospective club chairman Håkan Skött on IF Metall’s homepage.

- It is good that we are finally running again, says Håkan Skött on the website. The break has been long and there will be a special restart, with everything starting from scratch. We need to get started and fill all the feeds again.

There is a slight concern that all the material will not arrive in time, but the company does everything it can solve all such problems.

According to Håkan Skött, Saab is going to produce about 100 cars per day. But it is still going to be 28-speed which means 28 cars produced per hour, so the production stops during the day for not producing too many cars.

- In week 16 we will start with 28-speed, which is what we are manned to cope with. [translator's note: probably this means full 28-speed since it was 28-speed before too.]

The company’s plans is based on that it will increase the production speed at more than one occasion during the year. Today Håkan Skött does not want to say when it might happen, only that it will be “later on”.

- But I can say that at first we probably will have the greatest recruitment needs in the body shop, so it is likely that the first recruitments will be there, when the time comes.

Thanks to Johan for the translation!

——

There’s a good story about Subaru and customer loyalty at USA Today.

Comparisons between Saab and Subaru are not new and it seems Suuby definitely have a similar clientele, with similar loyalty levels.

Of course, Subaru also have actual sales, which is what Saab are going to have to regain.

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Volvos are not the safest cars in the world.

That’s the conclusion of a Swedish court in a case bought against Volvo by …… wait for it…..

…….Toyota!

Volvo ran some ads in 2009 claiming that their XC60 was the safest car in the world but in Sweden, you’ve got to be able to verify any claims you make in advertising and the judge concluded that Volvo couldn’t adequately back that up.

Toyota couldn’t back it up, either, but they could drive it forward relentlessly……..

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Saab Safety in Luxembourg

March 13, 2010 in Saabology

One of our regular readers here, Marc S, had an unfortunate encounter on Wednesday this week.
I’ll let him tell the story:

I wanted to let you know that I had Wednesday afternoon at around 13h45 a quite massive car accident here in Luxembourg with my 2003 Saab 93 Aero 2.0T.
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A Mercedes hit me nearly frontal because the German driver thought that he was on a double-lane road which he definitely was not as I was driving on the other one.
As you can see from the pictures the impact was quite heavy, and the cars are apparently scrap as they both have a bend on the roof. But the most important thing is that we both are perfectly OK and not badly injured. I have only some minor burnings on my right hand from the airbag explosion and that was it.
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The police stated that we were really really lucky running with such secure cars. By the way, my engine was still running and the radio still played J
PS: the only misery is that I wanted to keep my Saab until the new 95 SW is out and now I have to look for a car to bridge that time…
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I’m sure you’ll all agree that it’s great news Marc is OK. The other driver as well. Such big accidents don’t always end so well, even in cars as safe as Saab and Mercedes Benz.
I hope a new vehicle comes your way soon, Marc.

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New Saab 9-5 pricing – Germany

March 12, 2010 in News

This will throw the cat amongst the pigeons. Not because of the prices, necessarily, but because of the model range that’s mentioned in the brochure.
From Djup Strupe. Click to enlarge.
Saab9-5Germany.jpg
Wow.
TTiD, BioPower and the 1.6 litre.
Methinks the German market is being pursued quite aggressively. A good thing, but I’d be fascinated to know why some of these configurations haven’t been mentioned in literature we’ve seen for the Swedish market.
——
UPDATE – The fine print. Indeed, the models above with asterisks are for the 2011 model year so it’s probably fair to assume they’ll be made available for other European markets as well at that time.
Click to enlarge:
Saab9-5Germany2.jpg
——
The colors list looks the same, with ‘Oak’ noted as a 2011 color.

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March a big month for Saab

March 12, 2010 in Saabology

There’s a lot happening this month for Saab.
Of course, there’s already been the Geneva Motor Show and Erik Carlsson’s birthday this month, but that’s just the start of things.
Earlier this week, Victor Muller had his first days on the ground in Trollhattan, actually working at the Saab Factory as the new head of the company.
I’ve heard from one guy this week saying that today, March 12, will be the last day for Saab USA being housed at GM’s headquarters, the Renaissance Center in Detroit. I’ve not heard anything different, so I assume they’re still moving to Royal Oak, MI, as planned.
Production will re-commence at Saab’s Trollhattan plant on March 22nd. That’s going to be a big day!
The very next day there will be a Dealer meeting in the UK and it’s my understanding that pricing and ordering for the new Saab 9-5 will be available either that day or the next.
On March 29th and 30th there will be a US National Dealer meeting. No word if pricing for that US will be made available then, but it might be reasonable to think so.
——
And on an unofficial level, there will be a Saab 900 owners gathering in Paris, France.
Get the details over at Etienne’s Saab blog.

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Saab release full 2010 Saab 9-5 pricing and info for Sweden

March 12, 2010 in News

Saab Sweden have now placed the new Saab 9-5 product brochure online.
As mentioned earlier, the information posted both here and at Auto Motor and Sport was preliminary information and incomplete. This new brochure has more model pricing, as well as the full list of options available with the car.
As Rune’s pointed out in comments, there’s no BioPower model listing, which is a surprise as I drove a BioPower model when I was in Sweden in September last year. I’ll fire off a question.
The price list is reproduced below (click to enlarge). You can download the full PDF here (right click, save as)
Sweden9-5FullPriceList.jpg
Thanks to Patrik for the tip, via comments.

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Can you help this Boston University student group?

March 12, 2010 in Saabology

Received via email today…..
——
Hello,
My name is Ben Timmins and I am a student at the Boston University College of Communication. I’m writing about the recent purchase of Saab by Spyker and wanted to talk to you (and the commenters) about this.
I noticed that you helped a student from the US last year at the old Trollhattan Saab website, so I thought this is worth a shot. I’ve posted a couple of questions for you and the commenters. Here’s hoping that Saab enthusiasts are opinionated people (I’ve been reading this site for a little while…I know you are)

  1. I’ve talked to a couple of dealers that weren’t exactly happy with the time spent with Saab and GM, but no one really said why. What was the issue with GM?
  2. I’m focusing in on the relationship between New England and Saab, which many people have alluded to in my research. What is it, then, with Saab and New England? Is it because Saab was located in Connecticut for so many years or is there a demographic match?
  3. Who, then, is the Saab owner? What makes him/her unique?
  4. Jamie Kitman of Automobile Magazine recently said that Saab’s uphill battle post-Spyker is gaining back customers who had fled the brand during the GM years. What does Saab have to do to get these people back? What does it have to do to help the enthusiasts?

My deadline is pretty soon so anything you can do is great. As always, thanks so much.

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AMS publish complete Saab 9-5 prices, options

March 12, 2010 in News

The Saab 9-5 prices that I published a few days ago were taken from a PDF brochure that I received from Djup Strupe, via email.
I lifted only certain parts of that brochure for publication here as I figured a) they were the ones that would be of most interest, and b) the info was preliminary, so the less the better.
It seems my mates over at AMS have similar contacts as they’ve published some more of this info in a story over there, as well as providing a link to the complete PDF brochure (in Swedish).
The brochure lists pricing, as per my post the other day, as well options and packages available. As you can see at the AMS post, it also shows prospective additions to the color palette for 2011.
Please note that it’s preliminary information intended for the Swedish market. It may change and it may not be complete.

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Saab Design Essay

March 12, 2010 in Saabology

Given that there’s been quite a bit of Saab design conversation here in the last few weeks, there’s a timely new article over at Car Design news.
It’s a two-page affair covering Saab’s design evolution right through from UrSaab to the Aero-X and the influence that concept car will have on Saab’s design future.
It’s not a huge ground-breaker of an essay and many regulars here will be quite familiar with all the territory it covers. For those who are more recent arrivals to either this site, or the Saab brand as a whole, it will give a useful insight into Saab’s evolution over the years.
Click here to check it out.
And a tip….. the link to access the second page isn’t at the bottom where the arrow is. You actually have to scroll back to the top of the page and you’ll see it there in the top right corner.

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DI.se prove that asshattery endures even after the Saab sale

March 12, 2010 in News

Dagens Industri were one of several news services in Sweden that wrote about Saab right throughout 2009 and the early part of 2010 as if the company had some sort of corporate plague.
Everything was bad, bad, bad, dead, dead, dead. It must have really killed these people when the transaction with Spyker actually went through.
Today they’ve managed to make right Clarksonian cocks of themselves (pardon my Francais) with an article on their site that plain-and-simple infers that the Saab 9-5 costs too much because the top-line model is more expensive than a similar Volvo S80 or ‘equivalent’ Audi (and what’s even more annoying is that they’ve referenced SU in their article).
They ask “Are customers willing to pay 55,900 kronor for the Saab 9-5 than for equivalent Volvo?” (Googletrans) and then point out a 42,800 SEK difference between the same 9-5 and an Audi (presumably an A6).
Of course, they don’t mention that the 9-5 is a brand new car, with brand new technology and handling. They don’t mention that the Volvo they’re comparing it to is several years old now. And the Audi options list – want wheels to go with your car, sir? – no mention of that, either.
Thankfully, a large number of Swedes have chimed in and given them a good serve in comments to their article. Over 200 of them as I write this.
——
So who’s going to buy one of these new Saab 9-5′s?
Well, this 24-year Mercedes veteran has just gone and bought two of them!!!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr Daaaaagens Industri.

……Even though Thomas Karlstr

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Saab O The Week – stripes!

March 11, 2010 in Saabology

It’s time for another Saab O The Week entry.
This week’s car is owned by Barry L, the organiser of the Memphis Saab Support Convoy. I’ll let Barry tell the story…..
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This 2009 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible marks my fourth Saab, which began with a 1997 900 SE convertible. I have owned nothing but Saab automobiles since then. I must admit that yellow was not my first choice, but a great sales effort and a great “deal” on the car by the General Manager of Saab of Memphis convinced me to ‘do the deal’. My only stipulation was that the car had to have a racing stripe, something I had never seen on a Saab, but wanted to give a try.
2010-02-07_12.13.33.jpg
When it arrived from the shop with striping, even non-Saabist’s took note of this car. And while I realize it is sacrilege to most Saab owners to even put a pinstripe on a Saab, I am happy with the look and the very professional job done in very fine detail (badges properly outlined, grille integration without compromising the ‘flow’ of the striping, etc.). It actually makes the vehicle look completely different, and accentuates, by virtue of the striping going all the way down both front and rear bumpers, the black lower fascia at each end.
2010-02-07_12.13.59.jpg
I had and still have a passion for Saab that I have never shared with any other brand that I have owned, which includes BMW, Lexus, Mazda and others. In 2005, I joined Saab of Memphis as a salesman and am proud to say that I have continued in that capacity to this day.
After following events around the world, mainly through the very trustworthy Saabs United website, I decided that Memphis and Mid-South area Saab owners and enthusiasts should have an opportunity to demonstrate OUR passion for the brand and desire to see it live on, therefore I organized the Memphis Save Saab Convoy (which subsequently became the Memphis/Mid-South Area Saab Independence Day Rally).
This car was the ‘lead’ car of that Rally, and these photos were taken just prior to arrival of the other participants of the Memphis/Mid-South Rally on February 7, 2010.
2010-02-07_12.16.33.jpg
Thank you for the opportunity to share my ‘story’ with you, and thanks to all Saab owners and enthusiasts around the world for doing your part to secure the future of the brand!

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Rescue-Saab at the Geneva Motor Show

March 11, 2010 in Saabology

Did you know that it was one of our SU site sponsors – the guys at MobilForum, Dresden – who were behind the Rescue-Saab.com effort?
That effort was one of the first major pooling of supporters and resources to get behind the company and galvanise support for Saab. It was quite the example for others to follow and a big help in getting word out about the campaigns that followed.
It was only fitting, then, that some of the guys from MobilForum got down to the Geneva Motor Show to meet up with Victor Muller and Jan-Ake Jonsson to present them with one of their special Rescued-Saab mosaic posters – printed large!
Click to enbiggen it.
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And here’s a few more of their happy snaps from the Geneva Show…..
Congratulations to the guys on their efforts and I hope they got to spend some good quality time with the top brass down there in Geneva.
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Make your own paper model Saab 900

March 11, 2010 in Saabology

I don’t know how I missed this before as I’m pretty sure that it’s come across my feeds, probably from Etienne’s blog back when sale stories were going crazy……
Still, I thought it was worth a mention here after I stumbled upon it again last night.
Saab Belgium, as part of their “I Love Saab” campaign, hosted a paper cutout design for a classic Saab 900. To make the model, you simply print the design, cut, fold and paste.
papercraft_900.gif
Click here to go to the download page. I’m sure the kiddies (even the grown up ones) will love it!

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Award for Jan-Ake Jonsson

March 11, 2010 in News

JanAke.jpgSwedish news service, TTELA, are reporting today that Jan-Ake Jonsson will the recipient of a business award in May.

Johan H has been kind enough to send in a translation:

Jan Åke Jonsson gets award from the Chamber of Commerce

Saab’s CEO Jan Åke Jonsson has been assigned an award of the first magnitude from the West Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Industry for decisive action for the western Swedish industry.

The motivation is as follows:

“During the past year, the discussions about Saab Automobile’s future has been hot and public. During the whole process, Jan Åke Jonsson stood up for the company in a vigorous, sustained and professional manner. Jan Åke’s hard work and ability to handle the many different stakeholders – existing owners, potential buyers and representatives from both the media and the politics – has reinforced the image of him as a highly respected leader inside the factory gates in Stallbacka and as a role model for others in the western Swedish business community.”

Jan Åke Jonsson will be assigned the award during the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s day the 3rd of May at the Swedish Exhibition Center in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. In connection to the dividend, Jan Åke Jonsson and Spyker Cars’ CEO Victor Muller participates in a conversation about the change of the company, the future and the leadership.

As you know, I was fortunate enough to be there when Saab were sold to Spyker and one of the events that happened on that day was Saab’s exit from liquidation, meaning that Jan-Ake Jonsson was back at the helm of the company he’d led so admirably through the sale process.

Jan-Ake’s a man with a fairly serious disposition, but at that moment in time you couldn’t find a bigger smile in the room.

This is a well deserved honour and hopefully the first of a few from the Swedish business community.

——

From Anders (tack!), the past winners of this award:

2009 – Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the inventor of the titanium screw
2008 – Olle Blomqvist, founder Ellos
2007 – Håkan Lans, innovator
2006 – Ivan Östholm, one of the people behind Losec
2005 – Dan Sten Olsson, Stena owner-sphere
2004 – Pelle Petterson, the designer
2003 – Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Prize in Medicine
2002 – Pehr G Gyllenhammar, former CEO of Volvo
2001 – Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA
2000 – Percy Barnevik, former CEO Asea, ABB, etc.

–

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Talking about automotive paint and colour trends

March 10, 2010 in Saabology

There’s been quite a bit of talk in an earlier post today about the colour palette being offered by Saab on the new Saab 9-5.
I featured a screenshot of the palette being offered (in Sweden, at least) based upon some literature I had sent to me yesterday. That palette is as follows:
2010Saab9-5colors.JPG
It does lack a little variety, but bear in mind a few things.

  • It’s my understanding that the color palette that GM intended to offer was larger when the car was to be built in Russelsheim. The move to Trollhattan changed that.
  • These decisions are based on what customers order as well as perceived trends in the future (see below)
  • The literature I received indicated three more colors (Solid Black, Laser Red and Java) for 2011.

So more color will come, but these should do just fin for the rest of this model year.
I thought I’d reproduce a press release from PPG, one of the world’s biggest automotive paint companies. It’s from late 2009, so is still quite current.
From this release, you’ll hopefully get a better understanding of the trends, the timing of decisions, and the complexity of modern paint and by extension, the methods needed to apply it. Like everything else in automotive manufacturing, changing it is not a finger-snap decision.
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Silver still entrenched as world’s favorite vehicle color, according to PPG data
Company introduces 70 new shades at annual Automotive Color Trend Show
TROY, Mich., Oct. 1, 2009 – For the ninth consecutive year, the silver category, which includes charcoal and gray shades, has ranked as the most popular vehicle color in the world according to data from PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG), the world’s leading manufacturer of transportation coatings.
In North America, silver and charcoal saw a strong increase in popularity from 20 percent in 2008 to 25 percent this year. White was second (18 percent), black was third (16 percent) and red was fourth (12 percent). These four color categories comprise well over two-thirds of all vehicles sold in North America. Just 15 years ago, the most popular color on vehicles in North America was green with 21 percent, while silver had only 8 percent in 1994.
“What helps drive silver’s popularity are all of the innovative effects that really make silver shine … much more than just a simple gray,” said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive coatings. “Silver tones work well with today’s tinted metallic textural looks. The diversity of silver, from subtle hue shifts to dimensional metallic flake appearances, works with a variety of vehicle styles.”

Read the rest of this entry →

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Quote of the day

March 10, 2010 in Saabology

From Rune, in response to the 9-5 colors discussion on an earlier post:

Hehe, two months ago we were all grieving about the closure, and here we are now, squabbling about colours! :D

Too true. :-)

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