Away snippets
December 18, 2010 in Saabology
The Mrs and I are having a getaway this weekend. No computers are being taken. Can I survive?
Obviously, no emails will be answered.
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State of Nine, an SU sponsor, has a good page full of Saaby Christmas gift ideas, many of which can be shipped prior to Christmas (and some that are shipped for free!) for your last-minute gift needs.
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Just this morning I received the final judges votes for the Saab ad competition. I’ll tally the votes when I get back and will have a poll up for your vote as soon as possible.
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How to run your travel logistics if you run a car company….
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Haldex have sold their traction systems business to BorgWarner. Looks like we’ll have BW XWD systems from the near future onwards.
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The Autoblog.nl Car of the Year 2010 poll (otherwise known as Which Car Company has the Bigger and More Mobilised Fanbase for 2010) has been run and won…
by the Saab 9-5!!
Yes, we did vote in numbers, but so did fans of the other top contenders. We just voted in bigger numbers 
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Old vs New.
Next time someone says that older cars have more steel in them and are safer, just show them this.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk
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Seeya in a few days. But don’t miss the next two “December 18″ entries that’ll be coming on site while I’m away.
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Dippen said on December 18, 2010
Take care Swade and have a nice holiday!:)
ok watched the crash video…my tought is: Why crash such a classic like the Bel Air like that?
Greg Abbott said on December 18, 2010
IIRC it was a six cylinder Bel Air – I suppose any 50 year old car that survives in that condition ought to be preserved, but the one that crashed was the most common version of the Bel Air.
It is certainly interesting to watch from a safety standpoint – although I wonder if 50 years of hidden rust undermined the Bel Air’s structural integrity a bit.
Dippen said on December 18, 2010
Reuters: Spyker close to BRIC distribution deals
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BG49T20101217
Me said on December 18, 2010
Seems like Reuters have a certain affinity to the word “loss-making”
Smithy said on December 18, 2010
They did the same thing on British Fifth Gear where they crashed a fairly old Volvo estate with a tiny Renault.
- The Volvo got its face smacked real hard.
Steve C. said on December 18, 2010
Here’s a GoogleTrans of the Autoblog.nl site announcing the 9-5 as 2010 Car of the Year
There is really no better choice imaginable. Is 2010 the year of the Saab!
The real “Car of the Year ” should not select in advance, but afterwards. The moment everyone has seen the car and / or driving. Also on the winner chosen by the people, and not by a bunch of arrogant journalists (whether or not sponsored). Therefore, we presented over 10 days a poll on our frontpage. There was a shortlist where everyone could choose from. And there is very great response to data, an untidy 20,000 people have cast their vote. The Saab 9-5 has 30 percent of the vote largely won, and reflects the fact that the Saab community is very keen and passion for the brand. More passion than the other brands in any case, what we saw back in the determination of all our Victor Muller. Congratulations! In the second place we find the Mercedes supercar SLS (25 percent), third place for the new BMW 5 Series (12 percent).
It is striking that the Audi A1 at the bottom is, together with the Fiat Doblo, with only 1 percent of the vote. There is there is some further work on the marketing managers … Anyway, thank you all for making a choice until next year!
Henrik said on December 18, 2010
googletrans the comments at the page too, some are a bit upset because Saab has a big fanclub, but I would say that that´s exactly the point! Merc sells more cars, but they can´t get togheter and win a contest against Saab, because most of them wouldn´t care!
zippy said on December 18, 2010
+1000
FACT – Saab owners love their cars.
Curvin O'Rielly said on December 18, 2010
Nice place for a getaway!
Tedjs said on December 18, 2010
LOVE that video. Nice find.
zippy said on December 18, 2010
I remember my Mum having a 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury when I was a kid with just lap belts and a steering wheel literally covered in metal. Its not worth thinking about what would have happened in a front end collision. I find it quite something that Saab and Ovlov were at the forefront of automotive safety back when Americans were building cars as unsafe as this.
Chris Carrier said on December 20, 2010
Are you willing to crash your ’59 Saab into that Malibu to find out the difference?
100%Saab said on December 18, 2010
“FACT – Saab owners love their cars.”
Works for me.
Freddy said on December 18, 2010
The new car in that video is a Chevy Malibu, and it shares a platform with the current 9-3. If the Chevy version of the Epsilon holds up that well, imagine how well the Saab version will protect you!
Rob. said on December 18, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY
Check this out =) Big Volvo against small Renault Modus
Carlos said on December 18, 2010
From my point of view, a car is safer when:
- It´s more modern.
- It´s bigger.
- It´s from a brand which is commited with safety, that is, Saab, Volvo or Mercedes-Benz.
Therefore, the new 9-5 can be one of the safer cars in the world.
TuuSaR said on December 19, 2010
Seems that weather in many parts of Europe is such that XWD would be really handy, lucky for those having it.
gunteman said on December 20, 2010
Sad to see another pride, Haldex, being sold off. Shareholder driven thinking often sucks…