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Sons, you might want to look into this one for your Dad. And Dads, maybe you want to send this one on to your kids as a subtle hint:
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* Limited edition 20th Anniversary Saab Convertible ball point pen
* Saab Travel mug designed to fit in Saab cup holders
* Black “SAAB” embroidered visor
* Saab Griffin lapel pin
* Free shipping for Father’s Day delivery within the Continental US
This present for Saab lovers is only available from State of Nine. There is a limited quantity, so order now. Place your order by noon Eastern on Tuesday June 15th to guarantee delivery for Father’s Day*.
Official pricing for the French market, as per Saab’s press release materials.
I hope you’re finding this stuff interesting, even if you can’t read the language. What I find very interesting is the different number of models available in each market. The French seem to be offering a whole smorgasbord of combinations.
I’ll get other markets up here as soon as I can. You can check out all available market pricing (once they’re up) by using the following link: Saab 9-5 pricing
Official pricing for the Dutch market, as per Saab’s press release materials.
I’ll get other markets up here as soon as I can. You can check out all available market pricing (once they’re up) by using the following link: Saab 9-5 pricing
Tickets for the sit-down dinner are 350SEK per person.
For those of you that for some reason are not able to share the dinner with the rest of us but still want to share the evening with us (there’s a panel discussion and other entertainment after dinner), there is a possibility just to buy admission tickets. Admission tickets are sold for 150 SEK/person (ca 15€) and the guests will be admitted from 8.30 pm.
You don’t have to pay anything now. When the booking has been registred, you will recieve a confirmation number that you use when picking up the tickets at the Saab Car Museum, no later than Friday 16th July at 6pm. Payment in cash (SEK) or by major credit cards is accepted. If you want to book tickets for your company and need an invoice, please contact the Car Museum Reception on +46 520 843 44.
A few weeks ago I posted a request for a Saab Convertible to be used at an upcoming wedding for ‘Tompa’ – one of our long-term visitors and friends here at SU.
I’m pleased to say that request was fulfilled (a great story I’d love to share one day) and Tom and Carola’s wedding photos now feature two beautiful Saabs as well as some pretty tidy looking people
The white SportCombi was also used in the wedding and is owned by a member of Carola’s family, who designs and builds carbon fibre parts for Saabs (and other makes) for a company called Realcar. Nice work!
Congratulations to the both of you!
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A little text from Tom to all SU readers:
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Thank you so much all, for your best wishes the other day. Both me and my wife Carola are deeply grateful.
Special thanks to Steven and the two extremely nice and generous persons that gave us the oportunity to let us use their beautiful 9-3 Cabriolet! We are moved by your kindness and will remember this favour for as long as we live. I would also like to thank Mr Manfred Lenherr at Hirsch for trying his hardest to help out in finding a car. You are a one of a kind!
I picked the car up on the 10th and will return it Monday morning. This car is really something special. It is a 2009 2.8T Aero with every option there was at the time of production. And even though the four cylinder engines are nice, there is something special about the V6.
I’m sure many of you have seen the preliminary US specs of the 2011 Saab 9-5 by now. There’s some angst in comments there about a lack of XWD on the four cylinder model, as well as an ongoing gnashing of teeth about a manual being unavailable with the six cylinder model.
Long-time readers of motoring magazines and websites will probably know that many manufacturers make very desireable cars for other markets that they don’t end up bringing to the US. Think about hot version of the Ford Focus, etc. Sometimes the versions that do come over are quite watered down compared to offerings elsewhere (early Porsche 928′s for example).
It appears that Saab may join that list, with the 4-cylinder (read: bread and butter) model not listed as having XWD, even as an option. Instead, what you’ll get on the 4-cylinder version is BioPower, which may or may not be good news for you, depending on where you live and your attitude towards green issues.
I don’t take any pleasure from it, but I’m going to have to rub some salt into the wound here; from my driving last week, the 4-cyl Saab 9-5 2.0T with XWD was – without doubt – my favourite combination on this car. It doesn’t have the flat-out power of the 6-cyl, nor the HiPerStrut front suspension, but it feels lighter and slightly zoomier (if that’s a word).
This isn’t just a XWD thing. It’s what the XWD system open up in terms of suspension setups.
XWD versions of the new 9-5 come with the linked H-arm rear suspension system, which is tighter than the standard 4-link rear suspension. It’s just one of the things that take the higher spec versions of the 9-5 to such a high level. You may not need or want XWD but if a spirited drive is a priority for you, then the improved handling that comes from the higher spec suspension systems will be very handy in such a large car.
Without XWD available, it means you’re running the standard chassis and European members of the press who drove the TiD with standard chassis weren’t exactly complimentary about the handlink of the car. You might be able to get a Sport Chassis as an option, however I’m unaware as to how much that will improve the feel of the car (experiences with the 9-3 would indicate that it definitely makes a difference).
So why has this happened? I haven’t heard this explanation explicitly from anyone at Saab, but I’ll give it a shot.
I think that like many of the hot models the US misses out on, it comes down to your fuel economy standards and the fleet-wide requirements mandated by regulators there.
If it comes down to a choice between offering BioPower and offering XWD, then it makes sense under current regulations to offer BioPower. Carmakers get a credit on their fleetwide fuel economy readings when there’s E85 involved. That’s why you see so many E85-capable SUV’s in the United States. They’re not actually running on E85, but GM and Ford get some slack when it comes to calculating their Corporate Average Fuel Economy ratings.
In this instance, Saab have got a large car that’s getting 27mpg highway when in V6 guise. Figures for the 4-cylinder aren’t available yet, but this is a big car, so it’s going to be relatively thirsty, though better than the 6. Add XWD into the mix and you reduce fuel economy straight away. Bring in BioPower and you raise your fuel economy reading thanks to government regulations that allow you to do so.
My guess is that it’s these fuel economy requirements, which will only get tougher in the future, that are the reason behind the drive for economical readings in the 4-cylinder version and restricting the performance characteristics to the higher priced 6-cylinder Aero.
Of course, perhaps a bigger question might be why can’t they offer both BioPower and XWD? Preliminary questions on this subject were met with some technical answers stating it was difficult to do both from an engineering perspective. But if it’s good enough for Belgium……
I can see Saab’s dilemma here. The 9-5 2.0T with XWD is a very desireable car. It may be that very desireability and the consequences on corporate fuel economy that high sales would bring, that is ruling it out of the US market right now.
Here’s hoping that some smaller Saabs with better economy in the future might open up more options.
The following is the preliminary equipment listing for the new Saab 9-5 in the US market. Please note that this is for the 2011 model year, which is why it’s preliminary infor at this time, not confirmed as a final listing.
As has already been announced, the 9-5 will only be available as a six cylinder first, for a few dollars short of $50,000. The four cylinder model mentioned in this listing will be available in MY2011 and will start just south of $40,000. It’s my understanding that this four cylinder model will also be a BioPower model, Saab’s first BioPower launch in the US.
I’ll get other markets up here as soon as I can. You can check out all available market pricing (once they’re up) by using the following link: Saab 9-5 pricing
The following is official pricing and equipment lists for the new Saab 9-5 in the British market.
I’ll get other markets up here as soon as I can. You can check out all available market pricing (once they’re up) by using the following link: Saab 9-5 pricing
The following is official pricing and equipment lists for the new Saab 9-5 in the Belgian market.
I’ll get other markets up here as soon as I can. You can check out all available market pricing (once they’re up) by using the following link: Saab 9-5 pricing
The global Saab website updated its new 9-5 section earlier this month. Now it seems changes are rolling out to regional sites as well.
I’ve received a heap of email today telling me that the Swedish Saab website now has a Build Your Own configurator online so you can specify your preferred model and equipment and see what it’ll look like, and what it will cost.
I’ll have more official pricing info for you shortly, from around 10 or so markets around the world.
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I spoke with people in Sweden about Saab’s websites around the world. As you might know, some are better shape than others.
The response I heard was that Saab’s sites operate largely on GM legacy software and different markets had different levels of service (as I’m sure you’re aware). Saab are currently seeking to unify their global presence, so all countries will have the same basic framework, with information customised to local markets.
It’s a work in progress, but hopefully it should get done some time soon. Mark it down as another part of the carve-out from GM.
My Loser weekend, where nothing I cheered for went like it should have:
Carlton Football Club – lost to a team they should have creamed last Friday night.
Spyker Squadron – Early setbacks, therefore didn’t challenge, but did well and stayed in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Mark Webber – Lost F1 driver’s championship lead
World Cup – Australia embarrassed by Germany.
If you’ve got some spare cash laying around, I’d be putting it on the Lakers if I were you, because I’m going for the Celtics.
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I saw Victor’s PDA last week. It’s been updated quite a bit since February but the premise is still the same: Saab 9X BioHybrid at the front and Saab 96 at the back.
The German journalists sitting at the dinner table with us seemed quite taken by it.
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Speaking of photoshopped images, Johan H sent in this interpretation of a potential Saab 92…..
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And a few more…..
Andreas sent through a couple of photoshopped 9-5s last week. A 5-door and 3-door hatch for your collective perusal.
Time to get cracking on my additional 9-5 reviews. I hope you don’t mind if I cheat a little on the video, but the combination of poor weather and no driving partner left me wanting for exterior film. I have good alternatives, though.
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I hope your sporting weekend was much better than mine. If I meet one of these guys or their compatriots then I think I’m going to shove that stupid plastic horn where the sun don’t shine.
Personally speaking, I think they’re ruining the World Cup as a spectator event. I’ll probably watch three Aussie games and as many Brazil games as I can get up for and that’ll be it.
I couldn’t stand the swarm sound for anything else.
Congratulations to Germany on showing us what a professional soccer side should look like. We looked like kids out there today.
I went to bed before the race finished so that I could get up early and watch Australia play Germany in the World Cup.
Congratulations to Spyker Squadron on completing the race – against great odds – and thereby earning a top 10 finish in their class.
18 vehicles started the GT2 class and only half of them finished. I imagine it might have been easy for Spyker to throw in the towel at some stage, too, given the early bump and consequent hour missed. They were running for pride, not places, and they carried themselves superbly.
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Now in Top 10 due to hanging in there whilst others retire!!
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Spyker are racing this weekend at the world’s most historic motor race, the 24 hours of Le Mans.
As I write this, they’re placed 12th in the GT2 class, which is to say last place out of the cars that are still running (there have been 6 retirements so far) but it must be said that they’ve had a terrible run of trouble in the first half of the race none of their own doing:
Peter was on a steady run when the car suddenly locked up at Indianapolis. He went straight into the gravel and clipped the tyre barrier. Peter told the team he was on his way back to the pit for a check, but at the Porsche Curves he was then hit from behind by the Pegasus Racing Norma.
Fortunately Peter made it back to the pit where the car was pushed back into the box and the team started to repair the damage.
They lost an hour fixing the car but did manage to rejoin the race and as you know, before you finish first, first you have to finish.
At this point, they’ll probably be relying on others having problems to even make a top ten finish now, but LeMans is an endurance event and I admire the spirit of the guys just to stay out there.
Tom Coronel: “Everything is going well, except for the moment early on when it went wrong. The car is now feeling fine again. The mechanics worked really fast to get the car back on track. The loss of time, well, what can you do. You shouldn’t try to catch up. The car feels fine, it is consistent. I can only say that we are doing better than I had expected. The lap times are superb, especially as we are putting in top five lap times at night as well as during the daytime. We were even faster than we were in qualifying. I have not found any problems yet, other than that I am getting a bit tired. The car has not suffered from the crash. It is completely up-to-specs as it should be to race it.”
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UPDATE
Team made a small change to setup and a few laps later, had a temperature light and a gearbox problem – related? Don’t know.
I hope they get back out there. That was around half an hour via Twitter.
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UPDATE
They’re about to get back out on track and are only a few laps behind a troubled Corvette.
A troubled Ferrari has slipped down into 12th but is still in the race. Spyker Squadron has moved up into 11th.
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UPDATE:
Back out on the track and a quick flat tyre means that they had to come back in again, but it’s a lightning stop and they’re back out there now.
When I first checked in on the race, some 12 hours or so ago, the GT2 class was being led 1-2 by a pair of Corvettes. They’re both out now. It just goes to show this is a marathon, not a sprint. Kudos to the Spyker team for being prepared enough to tackle all the adversity that’s come their way this year.
Spyker are now placed 9th with the Porsches proving to be the most reliable in class, with 5 of the 6 starters still running.
I got home to a note in my inbox from Saab in the US stating the following:
There are a number of articles appearing today that are discussing a potential relationship with Saab & BMW. This is purely speculation. We indeed are looking for alliance partners but no cooperation has been confirmed at this time. The articles are highly speculative.
Knowing how the web works, it doesn’t surprise me too much that they’re showing up everywhere. As I wrote a few days ago, it really isn’t anything but speculation until it’s confirmed or denied.
This wasn’t a denial, but it was a warning about the speculative nature of the story going around at the moment.
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It took 34 hours from the time I left the Launch Center in Trollhattan to the time I walked off the tarmac at Hobart airport this morning.
My brain knows it’s Saturday night, but the rest of me doesn’t believe it.
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It’s LeMans this weekend, which means Spyker Squadron is in action once again.
I could have been there if I wasn’t such an idiot. I had access to a pass and I was trying to work out dates but my stupid brain kept thinking it was in July rather than June.
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It’s not often you know exactly where you were when a photo is taken by someone else.
The final group to come through for the Saab 9-5 press launch was a group from Eastern Europe. I wasn’t involved, but I spent my final day in Trollhattan working on my 9-5 review at the Launch Center when these guys arrived.
Late in the afternoon I decided to go for a spin in the Saab Museum’s 1986 Saab 900 T16 (same as my old silver one). As I cruised past the Saab sign in front of the plant, there was a grey Saab 9-5 in front of the Saab sign………..
That’s from a great set on Flickr by a guy named Goran. I didn’t meet any of these guys personally but I saw him around the Launch Center before I left. Great pics, Goran, and I hope you enjoyed your days in Trollhattan.
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Writing of the further Saab 9-5 reports will get underway soon. There might be some more video, too.
Thanks for your kind assessments of the material provided so far. I’m pleased so many of you found it useful.
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