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by Swade

Saab 9-5 – the people’s road test (part 1)

June 22, 2010 in Saabology

OK, it’s high time I got to answering your questions about the Saab 9-5, from my first hand experience with the car a few weeks ago….. or as many of the questions as were sensible, at least :-)

Simply, does it feel premium enough?

I’ve written plenty about the dashboard and the first run cars do suffer from that a little, but the design is absolutely fantastic and it’ll look tip-top once that’s sorted. In driving terms, I thought it felt fantastic. I don’t drive ‘premium’ cars for a living, so I can’t compare, but I was mighty impressed.

How much does the 9-5 Vector with the 2.0TiD 160hk weigh?

The car weighs between just over 1,500kgs for the lightest model and just over 2,000kgs for the heaviest. Specific weights for specific trim levels and engines weren’t given.

How does the balance and traction feel when accelerating hard out of a second/third gear corner? Primarily with the fwd 220 hp version. Does it roll much? Does it have understeer?

I’m not sure what you’re looking for in this question in terms of this car. It’s a big 5-meter long executive cruiser, so to expect it to turn a corner like a sports car would be unfair. But with the 4-cyl petrol engine, it does feel smaller than it is and personally speaking, I had a huge smile on my face driving this car on the winding roads to Hallerad.

My car had XWD, however. I didn’t drive the car with the standard chassis, which the Irish journos were complaining about in terms of body roll when I was there (in a TiD). I can’t comment.

How good is the throttle response when accelerating hard through gears?

In the V6 – awesome. In the 4-cyl – slightly less awesome, but still quite good.
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Where are you seeing Saab advertising?

June 22, 2010 in Saabology

Saab are starting their second-half 2010 advertising blitz to support the launch of the new Saab 9-5.

E24 state that they’re going to spend around 1.2 billion SEK on the blitz. We’ve already seen some newspaper ads in the US, Sweden and other places around the world.

I’m just wondering in this post whether you might be seeing ads in places where you might not have expected to see them.

Erik M spotted this one (pardon the pun) on Spotify, an online music service that’s getting bigger in Europe by the day.

Erik thought it was curious as the user demographic for Spotify is most likely quite a bit younger than the general Saab demographic – he’s 20 and has an older Saab 9-3 – and he was wondering if the regular Spotify user would be in a position to buy.

Are you seeing Saab ads in unexpected places?

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E24: Interest/Sales promising during Swedish dealer launch

June 22, 2010 in News

E24 have been surveying a few Saab dealers in Sweden following their dealership launch of the Saab 9-5 over the weekend.

As with the dealers we heard from directly, it seems interest, enthusiasm and even sales were quite positive during the activities, despite the Royal nuptials.

The original report at E24. And the Googletrans:

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Great interest for the new 9-5 in opening weekend

This weekend the new 9-5 rolled up at retailers around the country, to the delight of all Saab fans. And although the premiere coincided with prinsessbröllopet, there was still great interest if one should believe the dealers who talked to E24.

- We had competition from another big stunt here in Stockholm, they took the opportunity to marry while 9-5 had an introduction. Despite this, we have had good (numbers of) people in our halls in both Stockholm and Gothenburg,” says Lars-Gunnar Jönsson, CEO of Sweden’s largest dealer of Saab, the Swedish car.

It is important that the 9-5 is a sales success for Saab so they can achieve the goal of reaching profitability and triple its total sales to 120 000 cars in 2012.

Saab has been associated with the launch, starting with a large investment in advertising and planning in the second half to add nearly 1.2 billion on marketing.

Swedish Auto gathered over the weekend comments from the approximately 500 people who test drove the new 9-5 at the Company’s various facilities, and it has been generally positive reviews, according to Lars-Gunnar Jönsson.

The driving characteristics, scope, and that it is very quiet to hear the things that potential customers love.

- Of those who test drove, more than half say that they would be willing to buy the car rather quickly,” says Lars-Gunnar Jönsson.

Swedish Auto has already sold a number of new 9-5, but then it often deals with company cars are so few customers take the decision on the spot, says Lars-Gunnar Jönsson.

- We expect to receive feedback in the coming weeks, but there have been quotes sent to customers today,” he says.

Bilpartner, who with his ten holdings largest in the Saab dealer, shows a lot of attention surrounding this weekend’s launch of the new 9-5.

- There has been a much greater interest than expected. Many test runs could not get done because there are a limited number of cars, says CEO Zoran Hagert.

Have you sold any cars?

- Yes, we have done so. There is a backlog already.

Vasteras-based Birch’s Car, which is one of the major dealers of Saab in the country, has sold around 30 new 9-5.

After this weekend’s premiere, it is full speed in writing an offer and new orders.

- Interest has been huge. 99.9 percent were, and I am not exaggerating, really positive. It has been BMW, Audi and Volvo drivers who might not have previously imagined buying a Saab, but that really would consider it, says Thomas Nilsson, brand manager for Saab in Birch’s car.

What have people said about the car?

- Those who drove the car like that it feels a lot less to run than it actually is, that it is incredibly good handling and that it is quiet. Most also think about the design of the car, it exudes “Saab Feeling”.

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Video: Saab GT barn find

June 22, 2010 in Uncategorized

Spotted by Eggs and shared via Twitter.

There’s a little work still to be done, but that’s one nice stored GT….

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iekoKOHDA7g

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Saab 9-4x spotted, production and show details incorrect

June 22, 2010 in News

Autoblog have published a story based on some Auto Express photos of the 9-4x out testing in the nude.

While it’s great to see they’ve removed all the flappy black plastic from the 9-4x, the stories that are written to compliment the photos are – I believe – wrong in couple of significant ways.

To the photos first, which you can see in their entirety here at Auto Express.

This vehicle is now limited to just the chequer-board disguise that characterised the later Saab 9-5 mules. What we can see here is not too surprising – the car looks pretty much the same as the Saab 9-4x display vehicle first shown at the Detroit Auto Show in 2008.

Saab have said all along that the show car was pretty much it as far as the basic shape of the car was concerned. What will change is the trim and some details, like the fancy ski rack, switchgear, etc.

So if you want to see 90% of what the 9-4x will look like without the camo, and in white, then click here.

Now to the articles…..

Auto Express state the following:

It’s been a long time coming, but the SAAB 9-4X has finally been signed off and production of the Volvo XC90-sized SUV has begun at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.

I’d be very surprised if there are any vehicles rolling off the production line already, unless these are early pre-production models for testing or quality control purposes. The reason for that will be apparent shortly.

Under the bonnet, there’ll be a choice of two petrol units, a turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a turbo 2.8-litre V6, and a 2.9-litre diesel co-developed by VW Motori in Italy.

Incorrect. The Saab 9-4x specs that we’ve already seen state that it will have a 3.0litre non-turbo engine as the base engine, and the 2.8T V6 as the Aero engine. Basically the same offerings that are available in the Cadillac SRX.

Bear in mind that those specs were preliminary and were for the US market. They may have changed by now. There may be a TiD or TTiD engine for Europe (actually, they’d be mad if there wasn’t) but solid Euro specs haven’t been seen yet.

GM abandoned the VM Motori 2.9 diesel some time ago.

The Auto Express headline has the following trailer underneath it:

SAAB SUV enters production ahead of late 2010 on sale date.

VM and JAJ have been quoted extensively in the last few months saying that the Saab 9-4x will come out in April 2011. That’s the other reason why production is unlikely to have started already – we’re still 10 months out from release.

Autoblog state the following:

….and considering the time frame, it’s safe to assume that the production 9-4X will debut at the Paris Motor Show this September.

That’s a reasonable guess, but a better guess would be the LA Auto Show in November 2010.

First reason – The 9-4x is primarily a vehicle for the US market so it makes sense to make the biggest splash in the US.

Second reason – The LA Auto show is five/six months out from the vehicle’s scheduled sales date, which is just about perfect. Paris adds another 2 months to that and Detroit would take 2 months off it.

Third reason – If you’re going to make a splash in the US, why not do so at a show that’s growing and in a nice climate (i.e the LA show) rather than a show that’s shrinking, at a crappy venue and in the middle of winter (i.e. Detroit, where the Cobo renovations can’t come soon enough).

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SVT: Some Saab suppliers struggling

June 21, 2010 in News

Two issues here….

Just-in-time manufacturing means most parts aren’t stockpiled at the factory. Instead, suppliers make them and send them in according to the production schedule.

But some of those suppliers downsized their operations when it looked like Saab may not survive, hence their ability to supply Saab has been restricted.

From SVT (Google):

Saab cars are not being produced at the pace that was planned. The reason is that many suppliers of Saab have taken more time than expected to recover from the impending closure of Saab, according to the newspaper TTELA.

A production rate increase was planned take place in June, but has been postponed until July. First it was said that the delay was due to “technical adjustments”.

But it’s specifically for suppliers who stopped developing tools for components for the 9-5, when Saab entered into the liquidation process.

Just another one of those recovery problems, I guess. Things will get better.

Thanks to Jan for the tip!

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A published dude

June 21, 2010 in News

No Australian journalists were sent to Trollhattan for the 9-5 launch, so I offered Go Auto the Aussie scoop.

They asked for 800 words.

I gave them around 1700.

Go figure.

Yes, I’m a happy camper.

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Details of next Saab 9-3 ‘Phoenix’ at Autocar

June 21, 2010 in News

Autocar had a Saab feature in their latest print edition and it seems some of that is now filtering onto their website.

TedY has spotted a good article online that spells out what Autocar believe could be some of the secrets surrounding the new 9-3. It all gels pretty well with some stuff that I’ve heard previously, albeit in bits and pieces, including the ‘Phoenix’ internal nickname for the car.

The Phoenix Architecture that will underpin the 93 is aptly named; indeed, it is so crucial to Saab’s recovery that the firm’s engineering guru, Kjell ac Bergström, has put his retirement on hold for two years to oversee the project into production.

Bergström, who has also worked at Volvo and Fiat-GM, rejoined General Motors-owned Saab in 2003.

He had already outlined his vision for how an independent version of the Swedish brand could work before it severed its ties with the American giant.

The Phoenix Architecture seems to fit in with Bergström’s plan, in which many future components — everything from base engines to door locks — will be bought ‘off the shelf’ from manufacturers who supply parts to other premium car makers.

The article goes on to outline what Autocar believe will be key points of the architecture, which is basically a listing of all the 9-5′s various suspension and driveline components (HiPerStrut, H-arm, MacPherson, etc).

Hilton Holloway, the man responsible for the print feature (and well connected, too, I might add) states that the saloon version will come first, with a 3-door hatch and convertible following shortly thereafter.

Other things to bear in mind with regard to the next 9-3:

  • This Phoenix platform that they refer to is believed to be a development/enhancement of the original Epsilon platform that the current 9-3 is built on.
  • VM wants it out in 2012, though whether that means as a 2012 model (late 2011) or a 2013 model (Aug 2012) is unclear.
  • Reported discussions with BMW about engines
  • Exterior design is not yet set, whatever recent reports about Castriota might tell you, but hatchbacks are definitely in Saab’s thinking for this car
  • Possible electrification of the car, most likely through a hybrid powertrain setup

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Monday morning snippets – Swedish 9-5 launch edition

June 21, 2010 in Saabology

Good morning all.

I had a better weekend here, following on from a crap week last week. Carlton lost again and the Aussies were ROBBED at World Cup. All of that felt much better, however, after a return to Baskerville for a track day in the Alfa (incident-free this time, lots of fun) and a brilliantly entertaining game (at 4:30) this morning between Brazil and Ivory Coast.

And here’s advance notice – if New Zealand get to the second round, we will invoke an informal Trans-Tasman (dis)agreement and claim the All-Whites as our own, just like we did with Russell Crowe, Crowded House, etc.

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It’s been great to read the comments written by Swedes who visited their dealerships for the 9-5 launch over the weekend and scored a drive of the new Saab 9-5.

I’m yet to write up the full People’s Road Test findings, but those comments were a great start to that.

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One of my mates from England, Dave R, is visiting Trollhattan at the moment and the guys at ANA in Trollhattan were kind enough to give him drive, even though he’s not a likely prospective customer for their dealership.

Dave came away suitably impressed with the V6 he drove and was highly complimentary of the ANA crew for their hospitality as well as their product knowledge.

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Here are some photos from the launch at Roy Andersson Bilbolaget AB, Arvika, Sweden. As you can see, they rolled out a little history to welcome the new kid on the block, which is something I always like to see.

Click to enlarge.

From Örjan at Roybil:

We had a 9-5 Aero 2,8T XWD for test drives and a 9-5 Vector 2,0 Tid Aut as a showcar. People really loved the car.

….also, we had a Saab 96 V4 Super 1980, one of the last in production, and Per Eklund’s Pikes Peak 9-3 with 800 hp. We also had Stig Blomqvist’ss Rallysaab from 1976, a classic 1997 9000 Aero and a 1987 convertible.

Congratulations on the event and thanks for the photos!

——

Stories in comments indicate that there were quite a few orders placed during the launch event, so that’s particularly encouraging.

It’s just great to see some activity and buzz around Saab dealerships once again.

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Saab 9-5 Swedish dealer launch today

June 19, 2010 in Saabology

My understanding is that dealerships around Sweden will today have a house full of prospective clients as they participate in a co-ordinated dealership launch of the new Saab 9-5.

They have the champagne and cakes ready, too, in order to celebrate the royal wedding that will be happening later in the day.

I received some photos from one dealer, David E in Visby. They were cutting things a little fine as their 9-5 only just came off the production line.

This was the first time I have seen and driven the car. I had high expectations, but I can honestly say: This car blew me away!

Everything was better than I imagined. The HUD was brilliant, the instrumentation was really cool and the look and feel of the knobs and switches is way better then OG 9-5.

We open @ 10.00 in the morning, @ 11.00 we will unveil the car. We’ve had a lot of customers asking us for two weeks – Has it arrived yet?

It feels really good that we could pull it off and have the car ready for the launch with less then 8hrs margin.

They had to pick it up from a ferry just after midnight, get it back to the dealership, check out that everything was working OK, then detail it ready for display at 10am this morning! I received these photos at around 4am Swedish time.

Click to enlarge the images.

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My 2cents on the Jason Castriota appointment as head of Saab Design

June 19, 2010 in Editorial

Oh boy. I feel like I’m biting the hand that feeds here, but Saab like this website to be independent, so independent and opinionated it will be.

Saab appointed a new Design chief yesterday. Jason Castriota comes with a fine pedigree and a range of striking and beautiful designs in his personal portfolio. Under normal circumstances I’d throw my arms wide open and say welcome to the family.

But these don’t feel like normal circumstances to me. So whilst I’m excited that Saab has someone like Castriota on board, I also feel uneasy.

Victor Muller has often commented on the fact that Saab has the most loyal customers of any car brand, bar none. I happen to agree. However, in the more focused enthusiast world, I think that loyalty extends a little beyond just the cars. Many of us also have some amount of attachment to the company and the people therein that we get to know over time.

It’s hard to hear this announcement about Jason Castriota and not wonder about what might have happened to Simon Padian. Simon has been described as being the head of Saab Design for the last few years. He’s been the face of many Saab films and design-related releases and his work has been valued to no small degree by the fans of the company. He did all this through some very difficult times for the company. I guess you could say he’s been as loyal to Saab as what many of the fans have been over the difficult years.

In writing all of this, I have to say that I’m completely unaware as to Simon’s fate in light of this decision. He may be staying on at Saab and continuing his work there. he may be moving on. I don’t know, but I do know that he was a notable absentee from the 9-5 launch event I attended in Sweden just over a week ago.

Simon Padian is a Brit, but he’s worked for Saab for 20 years, lives in Sweden, speaks Swedish and has led a team of dedicated Saab designers. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he ‘gets it’ when it comes to Saab.

It should be noted that the Castriota appointment appears to be the outsourcing of some Saab Design. Castriota’s entire design company will work on Saab and his offices are in New York and Turin. Saab’s origins in Sweden and the functional design implied therein are crucial values in the fabric of the company. There’s no word on how much time Castriota or his people will spend in Sweden, but the other question that must be asked in light of this corporate appointment is what will it mean for other members of Saab’s Design team? Will it still remain the size that it is?

The answers to questions about Simon Padian and the size of the design team may not involve negative answers, but in the eyes of someone who values loyalty to the Saab brand, they’re questions that are worth asking. Maybe design needs some new blood, as some have suggested, but the question is still worth asking.

There is no doubt that Castriota is a young star of the design world. Like the appointment of Adrian Hallmark, this is a move that’s a great coup for Saab, but at what cost?

Simon Padian and the Saab Design team understand the brand. They live it. I’m very keen to see what Castriota will bring to the table but I hope the Saab Design appointment means more to him than another feather in his cap. I’m pretty sure it meant more than that to his predecessors.

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Press Release: New Design Director at Saab Automobile

June 18, 2010 in News

The following press release has just come through from Saab, confirming the Bloomberg story from earlier.

Thanks to Ted Y, here’s an interview with Castriota at Jalopnik.

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New Design Director at Saab Automobile

- Former Pininfarina and Bertone designer joins Saab leadership team
- Will lead design for Saab’s product expansion program

Trollhättan, Sweden: Saab Automobile today announced the appointment of former Bertone and Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota as its new Design Director.

Castriota, 36, now takes the lead role in design at Saab, reporting directly to Saab Automobile CEO Jan Åke Jonsson. He and his design company will be responsible for exterior and interior design and will lead the design activities at Saab as the brand renews and broadens its product range.

Announcing the appointment, Jan Åke Jonsson said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jason to our leadership team. He has an outstanding track record in automotive design and will help us take the brand forward. He will play a key role in expressing all that’s best in the innovative tradition of Saab design as we carry our brand’s roots into the future.”

“I’m greatly looking forward to joining such an iconic brand,” said Castriota. “Saab has a very strong and distinctive heritage which gives it great potential to develop. This is an exciting opportunity for me to help shape its future products.”

Victor Muller, Saab Automobile’s Chairman, added: “Bringing a young, highly-talented designer to Saab underlines the company’s determination to produce cars which stand out because of their unique aircraft inspired, Swedish identity. With Jason heading up Saab design, we will be making landmark cars for the foreseeable future.”

Castriota hails from New York and graduated from Emerson College in Boston before attending the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. In 2001, he left the college to join Pininfarina’s design studio in Turin, Italy. He took up the position of Director of Design at Stile Bertone in 2008 and then opened a design consultancy with offices in New York and Turin.

His recruitment is an important strategic step by Saab in its renaissance as a newly-independent carmaker.

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Jason Castriota appointed head of Saab Design

June 18, 2010 in News

I’ve just received the following:

June 18 (Bloomberg) — Jason Castriota, the U.S. designer known for creating the Ferrari P4/5 and Maserati GranTurismo, will head Saab Automobile’s design team to help the Swedish carmaker take on Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Audi AG.

The report has once again come in from Ola Kinnander at Bloomberg and I’ve received some confirmation externally as well.

This is a big appointment and whilst Castriota’s career includes some noteworthy achievements with Pininfarina and Bertone, long-term Saab fans will feel a little for Simon Padian and other long term members of the Saab Design team.

From the Bloomberg report:

The first assignment for Castriota’s design firm is to create an upscale version of Saab’s current 9-3 model, scheduled for release in 2012, the 36-year-old said in an interview. Aerodynamics will be a focus of the new design, he said.

“It’s absolutely vital we get this car right,” Castriota said from New York late yesterday. “This is Saab returning to its roots, not having to worry about being part of a much larger machine that they were before in the GM organization.”….

…..Castriota will play a major role in fashioning the new 9-3 and other models, said Eric Geers, a spokesman for the Trollhaettan, Sweden-based Saab.

“The 9-3 design as made by him is basically done, and I can tell you it is spectacular,” Muller said by telephone, adding that the design will be completed within weeks. “It is truly aircraft-inspired and Swedish-clean.”

The design of this new 9-3 is going to be critical for Saab. The three cars that they will release in the next 12 months or so will be the launch pad but the new 9-3 will have to be the bread and butter car that inspires a new generation of Saab fans.

This is big, big news.

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Hirsch Performance Open Day – August 13th

June 18, 2010 in Saabology

There’s a new Hirsch ad in the left sidebar and it’s advertising their open day on August 13th, 2010.

The open day is timed to coincide with the IntSaab meeting in Interlaken, also in Switzerland the same weekend.

For one day, Hirsch Performance AG opens the door to the development centre in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Saab enthusiasts will have the chance to look behind the scenes of the official performance partner of Saab. Take the opportunity to visit on your way to the International Saab Club meeting in Interlaken, and learn more about the company and experience the products from Hirsch Performance.

Guided tours are available on August 13th 2010 from 9:00 till 13:00.

Registration under info@hirsch-performance.ch is required, with information on the number of participating vehicles and persons.

Hirsch are still working with Saab to develop performance packages and I’m sure anyone who stops by will enjoy their tour of the facility.

It’d be worth stopping in just to see Hirsch’s collection of restored Saabs alone, including Saab Sonett #4.

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Saab dealer goes vintage – 1968 Saab 95

June 18, 2010 in Saabology

How many times has a station wagon finished on the podium of a world class rally? Not often, I’d wager. Maybe not at all.

Erik Carlsson drove a Saab 95 wagon to fourth place in the 1961 Monte Carlo rally, and that might be as close as a wagon ever got in a big one. It’s just one of the reasons I love the Saab 95. Another is the fact that it’s the only wagon I’m aware of that had seven seats but only two doors!

John Carter, a Saab dealer at General Sales in West Chester, PA, has just purchased this very tidy 1968 Saab 95 as a weekender for he and his fiancée. It’s a little of a work in progress, but the basics are all there with probably just some paint repair needed to get it looking tip-top.

As you know, I love it when Saab dealers are so into the brand that they purchase an oldtimer. It shows an understanding of the heritage and a commitment to relating it customers and carrying it on.

Click to enlarge

Congratulations to John on the acquisition and I hope that on the days you bring it in to the office that it’s a great conversation starter.

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