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Sunday Evening Geneva Snippets

February 27, 2011 in Saabology

Swade must be on his way to Geneva, and I’m doing the latest preparations for tomorrow.
But for those that can’t wait, I’ve collected some information about Saab at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Saab booth will be in Hall 2. As you can see other brands in this hall are Seat,VW, Skoda, Subaru and Opel, not to forget Spyker.

Saab's booth placement.

If we zoom in, we see that Saab is placed between Opel and Dacia and in front of Spyker. Some of you would say that this is not the best place for Saab to be, but if my memories are right, this is the same booth as last year, so it must be some long term contracts that keep Saab on that place.

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The Geneva Auto Show has a list of VIP that will be hosted by the different brands, and I must admit, it is OK that Saab is not hosting no VIP on its booth. :-)

Otoh, people like Dieter Meier or Boris Blank from Yello would fit quite good with Saab .

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The press conference from Saab is on Tuesday 1st of March at 11:45, just after the Opel press conference, so expect to be a very crowded press conference, as the Press guys will only have to move a couple of meters ;-)

For those willing to see the conference live, there is a Geneva Motor Show live Site.

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Which cars will be on the booth?

If you search for Saab on the site, you will get this list.

  • Saab 9-3 Cabriolet Independence
  • Saab 9-3 Griffin Sport Limousine
  • Saab 9-3 Griffin SportCombi
  • Saab 9-4X
  • Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2.0T BioPower
  • Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2.0TTiD

This are only the premières shown, so expect to see some other car, not to forget JC’s concept.

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On the Geneva Auto Show site, you can find 2 live cams, but only for Halls 4,5 and 6.

Cam1 : Hall 4&5
Cam2 : Hall 6

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And now something non-Geneva related

Some people here do worry that Saab could bring the low power version of the new engine (163hp) to the states, only because some news outlets did extrapolate the international press release to the national American market.

Well in the mean time the American press release is out and this is the important passage

Under the hood, a new 2.0-liter gasoline engine gives 220 hp and includes direct injection, variable valve timing and twin scroll turbocharging.

No single word about the 163 hp version.

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And talking about this engine, but in the 9-5.
On the Hirsch site the update for the Turbo4 220 and the BioPower4 are marked as Coming Soon, this time for the automatic and the manual transmission.

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I’ve received a list of the cars/engines that can get an Hirsch ECU update in the USofA.

So if you are interested in upgrading your engine, check first this list.

  • 2010/11 Saab 9-5 Aero/Turbo 6 2.8L
  • 2008 Saab 9-3 (SS/SC/Conv.) 2.8L
  • 2007-2011 Saab 9-3 SS 2.0L
  • 2009-2011 Saab 9-3 SS XWD 2.0L
  • 2007-2011 Saab 9-3 SC 2.0L
  • 2009-2011 Saab 9-3 SC XWD (may include the 9-3X) 2.0L
  • 2007-2011 Saab 9-3 Conv. 2.0L

Keep in mind that you can test the Hirsch upgrades on your own car for 10 days for free (maybe your dealership wants the working time to be paid, but I can’t tell about that).

And for the owners of a 2007 Saab, Hirsch is offering a 30% discount on the product price, excluding taxes and installation cost.

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Red J

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46 responses to Sunday Evening Geneva Snippets

  1. Carl-Henrik said on February 28, 2011

    It will be an interesting week. That’s for sure.

    OT: In regard fo the release video of the 9-5 SC. I would love if Saab did like Ferrari has done with this: Ferrari FF video. Instead of showing images of a non moving car, do something like that. Let us see the car move on roads in different environments. Or why not do something like that for the JC concept-car. ;)

    • OddJob said on February 28, 2011

      Liked the ending of the Ferrari video with the roller coaster and that amazing building. I can tell you this film have probably had a budget of 20 times the amount Saab has. I am not sure to what extent it is digitally rendered, but that could drive cost even further away, much easier to film a real car.

    • Thylmuc said on February 28, 2011

      Ah, so Ferrari now builds four seat hatchbacks.

      Bring back the hatch!

    • Toby said on February 28, 2011

      That Ferrari ad is classy…Saab with the XWD/ESP and e-AAM/Boston POwer stuff happening in the ng9-3 they would be mad to maintain their static ads, nice though they are I also want to see Saab flying over snow drifts and donutting on frozen wastelands :-)

      • Carl-Henrik said on February 28, 2011

        At least I would love to see a Laser Red 9-5 SC Aero moving around on roads in different locations (say it just urban/rural ones), instead of a silver one. Give us some color! :)

        • Toby said on February 28, 2011

          Yeah there was a fashion for silver wasn’t there-a few years ago in Europe every car seemed to be silver or black…and now its white…still non colours IMHO would be good to see the old lightening blue come back-and watch that goping through some interesting scenery-too right…give us some dynamics and colour in the next ad. to be fair the iceblock colour shceme lends itself to the whites and silvers-maybe thats a reason…still be good to see something alittle different though maybe Java?

  2. SAABSideways said on February 28, 2011

    Hirsch’d my Sportwagon as part of the offer and had two front springs replaced for free (one was cracked) despite the car being a few months outside the warranty period.

    The dealer was excellent, it was washed and the interior cleaned, with new springs and 30% more power it feels like a new car.

    Well done Saab UK.

  3. Golfhunter said on February 28, 2011

    Nice reference to Yello .
    Great creative swiss band

    • Hans H said on February 28, 2011

      Yello is one of my absolute favourite bands. But I really don’t know how to explain their music. Electro-techno-jazz-rap-pop-funk-soul, perhaps? With instrumental pieces that would fit a David Fincher movie. Or Bond. ;-)
      Anyone who likes Yello might want to listen to a “band” called 2Nu. Their dreamy sound is kind of similar in tone.

      I will check this site feverishly in the coming days. :-)

  4. Jeff said on February 28, 2011

    The only celebrity I really think has any big name power on the list was Gwyneth Paltrow at BMW, that’s sort of a big get I suppose. On the official schedule, Saab is listed as giving their press conference at 11:45 local time in Geneva, which works out to 5:45am for the East Coast US. I’ll do a video capture and stick it up on youtube as it happens so anyone who doesn’t catch it can watch it over immediately. No doubt Saab will have their own version of it up by afternoon, but it’s always fun to see the unedited version. Maybe Red J and Saab can find a good spot opposite the cameras so we can check in on how they’re doing :)

    • Avatar Image

      Red J said on February 28, 2011

      Jeff, remember that it is an international auto show, but the people going there will mostly be swiss. Therefore I think all those Swiss VIP really have a big name power for the people going to the show.

      If I remember well, the press conference video from Saab was different (different camera position) from the live video. So it will be cool if you can grab the live video. :-)

      • Jeff said on February 28, 2011

        Will do :)

        Is most of the press international or Swiss? It seems like there are a lot of celebrities most outside of Switzerland could appreciate, like all those American journalists for instance…

        Glad Saab is letting the cars (plus Victor, Jason, and Jan-Ake) do the talking.

  5. martinsaab said on February 28, 2011

    Can’t wait to see the concept car… :-)

  6. hipchecker said on February 28, 2011

    I have a 2007 9-3 SS 2.0T and it looks like I qualify for the 30% discount.

    Question is, how do I go about doing it? 30% is very intriguing!

  7. MarkoA said on February 28, 2011

    When exactly are we going to see concept? I´m losing my nerves waiting here.. This all what has been going on with SAAB is just too much. First we had a year full of bad news, now there´s so much good news that we can hardly keep up. Whoah..!

  8. Tomas TL1000R said on February 28, 2011

    Yello The race, is maybe the most matching song?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vqim5z1fzU

  9. albert said on February 28, 2011

    So people in the USA are already worried that the 163 hp version comes to the states?
    So it would be a bad idea in their eyes to have a gasoline engine with 320 Nm of torque under the hood?????
    Well, certainly it won’t be a racing car, but it ‘ll pull nicely with a caravan. And in normal driving it’s the torque that you are glad about (it’s horsepower that sells the car, but it’s torque that’s pulling it around).
    All in all: I think I will be very happy with this engine.

    • Tomas TL1000R said on February 28, 2011

      Do all Americans want a automatic gearbox? Do Americans think that they saves fuel if they driving a 163 hp car instead?

      Drive the 220 hp car BUT change to manual and save fuelcosts and the best of all, It´s more fun to a lower cost.

      These two engines consume the same amount of fuel, the differens is the gearbox (7,9 down to 6,7 L/100km)

      The only reason for Saab to introduce the 163 hp into the SCNA market should be a lower price but is that neaded?

  10. rodmylon said on February 28, 2011

    It would be interesting to know which of the cars – new 9-3 or the design concept – was drawn first by Castriota. It seems to me that the new 9-3 was done first. So is it actually the 9-3 that has inspired the design concept this time? =)

    • rodmylon said on February 28, 2011

      And on an additional note, it’ll be interesting to see how the design concept will be received by us Saab enthusiasts. It has been touted as a “Saab Saab”, “back to the roots, in a modern way” etc. for such a long time that people will have very differing expectations and interpretations of these terms. Inevitably somebody will be let down, but here’s to hoping he hits the nail on the head and blows the most of us away from the screens! =)

  11. Peter, Sweden said on February 28, 2011

    I know that Saab models have different names in different countries, but I haven’t heard “Sport Limousine” before… it really sounds luxurious :D

    And yep, rodmylon, I’m also ridicolously excited about the concept — Jason seem to have the exact same thoughts about the Saab-heritage as we do, so he just might be able to give us exactly what we wish for (even though I think the upcoming 9-3 will be even more Saab-Saab than the concept).

    Exciting times!

  12. Freddy said on February 28, 2011

    I’m sure this has been covered, but I missed it. Why isn’t there an upgrade available for my 08′ Aero XWD? Other markets can upgrade from 280hp to 300hp, but it is not offered in the States. Does anyone know if it will be offered here eventually?

    • till72 said on February 28, 2011

      From what I’ve heared the CARB evaluation done by Hirsch only included software upgrades. The 300 hp upgrade includes some hardware (intercooler). Best for you might be to contact Hirsch directly.

      • Chris Carrier said on February 28, 2011

        And yet software alone can bring the engine to about 325hp. This doesn’t make sense. Correct me if I’m wrong, but was there a 2.0XWD in ’09 in the US? I don’t remember it.

      • Chris Carrier said on February 28, 2011

        Looks like you’re right:

        http://www.hirsch-performance.ch/Content.aspx?path=/Products/Leistung/F280008600

        However, it doesn’t make sense to me that a 6% upgrade requires an intercooler. Is the stock one really that close to the edge?

        Oh, and someone explain to me how this all works with warranty… I have to get the Hirsch upgrade within two months of purchase of a new vehicle… so who the heck is going to void their warranty on anything else? What’s the point of using Hirsch AT ALL at that rate? I’m missing something, I guess.

        • Freddy said on February 28, 2011

          I never noticed the part about the intercooler before, thanks. As for the warranty, I interpreted that part about 2 months very differently. To me it meant that if you buy the upgrade within two months of the car being new then Saab/Hirsch will start the warranty over from the beginning. So instead of a 60 month warranty that comes with the vehicle, you could have up to 62 total months with the Hirsch upgrade. Otherwise it would be pointless to purchase Hirsch instead of Maptune. But until all of the details get worked out I will scratch the upgrade itch with the leather door handle covers….

          • Avatar Image

            Red J said on February 28, 2011

            Hey guys, it can’t be that difficult.
            If somebody installs an ECU upgrade other than Hirsch ones while the car is in warranty, the warranty voids.

            @Chris
            Why do you have to update your car two months after the purchase??

          • RS said on February 28, 2011

            The mentioning of 60 month warranty for US just makes me cringe every time I read it. I know it’s limited miles, but still. Why can’t they give the same for Europe?
            I know several people who drive 20k km (13k miles)/year that won’t look at Saab with 2 years unlimited, that’s a fact.
            THN are you listening?

  13. Toby said on February 28, 2011

    Somebody told me that the Concept looks very aero-x at the front-but more rounded to close to a smaller 9-5 straight on,but the profile and the back is totally different and reflects little on previous models since 2003. I just hope it does not grab the spot below the 9-5 too literally in its design language-that would be too easy and too safe.

    Off topic I thought the competion for hatchbacks may come to Saab in the form of the Audi A7, Has anyone seen this for real? I went to Audi this weekend and saw one… it is MASSIVE, so much so it looks not to scale, also it is not pretty-I am a little less worried for Saab as a result of my visit to Audi, althought the A5 sportback was very much in the new 9-3 territory but at £40k again very pricey I thought, infact they had nothing actually in the showroom at less that £40k-which means I will never go shopping there.

  14. Talladegan said on February 28, 2011

    Great if brief review from a site called http://www.girlracer.co.uk for the 9-5SC…

    “The much awaited Saab 9-5 SportWagon will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show shortly.

    Isn’t it gorgeous! Best looking SportWagon for a long time…. Well done Saab. About time you gave BMW a run for its money.

    As you can see from the pictures – the 9-5 SportWagon features a sweeping roofline, which you would think would reduce space inside – but you would be wrong. Despite that sleek look, the 9-5 features a useful 1,962mm-long load bay when all the seats are flat, and a massive loading capacity of up to 1,600 litres. Wow! Time to get out the camping gear!!

    The 9-5 will feature the same all-turbo petrol and diesel powertrain line-up as the 9-5 saloon models. Plus you can opt for Saab’s XWD all-wheel-drive system and adaptive chassis control. Other options are: xenon headlights, keyless go, and a neat head-up display.

    Saab 9-5 sportWagonPrices will start at around £1,500 more than the saloon, and it is expected to reach your local dealer around August/September 2011.

    To be honest this new 9-5 SportWagon rocks. I will be hoping to get a test in it very soon. If the new SportWagon really does go as good as it looks, it won’t take much tempting to actually put my money where my mouth is…

    PS: And they said Saab was finished……. What do they know?”

  15. Hada said on February 28, 2011

    I just would like to share amazing concept drawings of Saab 9-2s, Which to me look absolutely amazing.

    Link 1 : http://iedei.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/saab92010_2012_saab_concept.jpg?w=378&h=600

    Link 2: http://iedei.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/02saab16-2conc.jpg

  16. Tompa said on February 28, 2011

    Yesterday a friend and I seriously was thinking of hopping into my car and driving the 2050km one way trip to Geneva from Uppsala Sweden. But that kind of roadtrip would have been subjected to a lot of criticism from both wifes and work… So it will not happen :-(

    A really jealous Swede..

    Cheers/Tom

  17. Aeropilot said on February 28, 2011

    @Red J

    The warranty issue -again. Obviously it is difficult even to you, who should know better.
    Total warranty loss is simply NOT correct !
    You may loose warrant on ECU upgrade related items, but not the whole car !

    So stop that -”don’t upgrade your car until warranty has run out”- talk
    It’s not a problem, -and why wait for years for the fun ?

    eg.
    Do you really believe a malfunctioning sunroof will be rejected as warranty claim by any dealer as a consequence of a ECU firmware upgrade ?

    No matter what the car’s Limited Warranty papers may say on that issue you as a consumer are protected by law in most contries and can’t loose warranty on the whole car !

    This is the case in the inside European Cummunity. so-
    ” it can’t be that difficult ” -can it ?

    • Avatar Image

      Red J said on February 28, 2011

      Sorry,
      you are right, and this is also how I understand it.

      Sometimes I’m just too lazy writing.

      But thank you for the further explanation.

  18. Tompa said on February 28, 2011

    Monday morning. 09:36 in Geneva right now… Anybody awake?

  19. Tompa said on February 28, 2011

    Sorry Red.. You are ;-)

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