by Rune
April 20, 2011 in Uncategorized
Our good friend Petteri, sent word that he recently received an offer from Saab in Finland.
They offer a small spring inspection for only 30 euro. It includes a check of tires,
wipers, lights, etc.
But that is not all!
AND they also replace any worn out Griffin hood/trunk emblems!
by TimR
April 20, 2011 in Uncategorized
For all you people who understand swedish, I do suggest that you tune into Tv4′s morning program.
There is supposed to be be a discussion about how the media have treated Saab.
Should be very intereseting to watch.
Unfortunately I will not be able to see it, because at that time I’ll be half way to the Turkish city of Antalya, so if anyone finds a link to the discussion online, please post it in the comments 
by Jeff
by TimR
April 19, 2011 in Uncategorized
The NDO is expecting to finish the investigation regarding Vladimir Antonov’s entry into SAAB as a shareholder later this week. This was reported by the respected newspaper Veckans Affärer (weekly business) this morning. The investigation has nothing to do with Vladimir Antonovs purchase of SAAB’s facilities. If SAAB could get both the facilities sold and a new shareholder this week I think we can mark this week as a very good one in SAAB’s history =)
by Red J
April 18, 2011 in Saabology
UPDATE at the end
In this world there are lucky people, and less lucky people, but if somebody starts his report with the sentence:
“It can’t be more fun than this in a car – at least with your pants on. Trust us!”
then he belongs to the lucky ones.
Pär Brandt from the Swedish car-magazine auto motor & sport was one of those few lucky people that have been able to test e-AAM’s new electric 4WD system.
by TimR
by TimR
April 18, 2011 in Uncategorized
by TimR
April 18, 2011 in Uncategorized
According to many different newspapers it seems as if the independant bank issue has been solved for Mr Vladimir Antonov
__________________
UPDATE: The NDO has confirmed that Mr Vladimir Antonov and SAAB has complied with the Swedish governments requirements and that the matter has now been transferred to the EIB. We are now only awaiting their decision.
by RikardH
April 18, 2011 in Sotw
Another Monday and you know what that means: the SOTW
This post requires that you increase you computers volume! 
(see the youtube at the end)
Here is a copy-paste from Davids e-mail..
Hey guys!
Great work on the site! I’m sure Swade is proud of his successors
Are you still keen on presenting cars from the community? Cause I recently bought myself a beautiful 1991 900 Turbo that I’d like to show off!
Just to cover the background, I’m David Blumberg (yes the one with the song
) and as Swade already knows, I’ve been going back and forth between my home in Stockholm and Perth, Western Australia. After 1½ years in Sweden I’m now back in Perth (more specifically Mandurah).
New country means new car, and that’s why I found myself a really nice 1991 900 Turbo. It’s the 3-door version (my favourite!) and has just over 175,000 kms on the clock, which is pretty much nothing for this car. Since it’s a 91 model it has the upgraded seats from the 9000 (I’m assuming that’s where they come from?) and it drives just like a Saab should. I bought it of a local enthusiast who has his entire backyard/frontyard and garage full of Saabs, and probably harbours 1/4 of all WA Saabs in there
I’ve owned a number of 900s through the years, but never the FPT* and I just can’t get over the rush! Just squeeze the throttle, feel the turbo wind up and off you go! Contrary to most Aussies, I’m not a big fan of either Holden or Ford, especially the ridiculously over-styled, late 90s street racers most teens drive around in. This car is so inconspicuous that only the enthusiast knows what sort of power this beast can unleash. So you can just imagine my joy every time I catch the hoons (Aussie reckless driver) off guard at a red light.
I have a habit of giving my cars ridiculous names and this one is no exception. Considering the relentless raw power of this beast and the fact that I get electrostatic shocks every time I exit the vehicle I’ve named him “Zeus”. So if you ever come across this car in a dark alley, be sure to address him appropriately, otherwise the outcome of your encounter might be ugly
If there are more Saabisti around the Perth area, feel free to get in touch. I’m always up for getting to know local enthusiasts
I’ve attached a picture for you guys, and thank you for doing such a wonderful job
Regards
David
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-jUir7ypPU
David Blumberg – Griffin Up!
—
On SaabsUnited’s facebook page you will see Davids car as this weeks profile picture.
If you want to submit your own photos and a short story about your car, please feel free to send a e-mail to saabsunitedcrew@gmail.com with subject SOTW
/RikardH
* Full Pressure Turbo
by Carl-Henrik
April 18, 2011 in News
Saab 9-3 TriFuel. Photo: Patrik Lindgren
At “Teknikens Värld LIVE”, a car show hosted by the Swedish car magazine Teknikens Värld in Stockholm, Saab showed their latest addition to their fleet – a Saab 9-3 TriFuel. According to Teknikens Värld this is the world premiere towards the public - but we have been aware of this model since before.
The 9-3 TriFuel can run on three types of fuel: petrol, E85, and CNG. The model has been available for a while in a small series, but now Saab has made 400 cars that can be ordered through your local Saab dealer (we have no information yet regarding which markets it will be available at). If the model is well recieved TriFuel will be here to stay and hopefully Saab might be able to transfer the technology to the 9-5.
The cargo room. Photo: Patrik Lindgren
Under the hood we get the well known 1,8t BioPower engine, which gives 150 BHP with petrol, while it gives 175 BHP with more eco-friendly fuel. The advantage towards competitors is that if you should run out of CNG, you still can continue to drive on a more eco-friendly fuel with E85.
As you can see to the left the floor in the cargo bay has been raised 13 cm to host the gas tanks.
A question I get when I see the photos is if it will be made available with the Griffin-exterior.
(Thanks to BGMI and Romac for clarifying the CNG-term for me! / Carl-Henrik)
by RobinM
April 18, 2011 in News
Seen in Trollhattan yesterday with Saabs markings?
by TimR
April 17, 2011 in Events
This week Amsterdam hosted the AutoRAI auto-show, and one of our dear readers was there and we are very happy to present a lot of photos taken by Mr Jorrit living in Holland… =) He, his father and brother visited the car exhibition which is held every 2 years. A big thanx to Jorrit and Enjoy!
by Red J
April 17, 2011 in Saabology
I’m not quite awake, so be kind to me if what I write doesn’t make sense.
–
The Dalai Lama has visited Sweden lately, it seems that not only his car but also the escort were driving Saab.
I think this is good for Saab in Sweden, as the good guy can’t drive a gangsters car.
Otoh, the impact in China could be negative with their paranoia about that poor old man. Hope that intelligent people buying Saab in China do dare to think differently.
by Rune
April 16, 2011 in News
TV4 Nyhetsmorgon this morning commented yesterday’s developments in Saab. The clip has now been made available on their website.
They start the segment by interviewing Håkan Skött who represents one of the labor unions at Saab, followed up with commentary by Jens B Nordström and Robert Collin.
Robert Collin mentions that when the financial crisis hit Europe, other governments worked very hard to find ways to keep the automobile industry alive, but not so in Sweden. A bit further out in this segment he mentions that “Saab have never made the best cars(…)they are no better now than ten-twenty years ago”. He then turns a bit Saab-friendly again and points out the paradox that the Swedes are very sceptical when someone shows up with a bag of money willing to save their automobile industry.
Jens B Nordström sums the whole thing up with “not even the richest man in the world can sustain the kind of losses Saab is making now. Vladimir is rich, but not the richest.”.
I must say, the whole thing looks like the most confused analysis of the current situation that you can possibly get. On one hand they talk down the value of the cars (without touching on specifics of course — I guess even Robert got tired of his old complaint that the 9-5 is “too long”), and on the other they point out that Saab have too few customers (could it be because car reviews are generally vague and unhelpful to people who require a safe winter car?).
It is worth asking why they chose to not invite Håkan Skött properly. Why are nobody from Saab allowed to answer the allegations made by these two “impartial” observers? Is this TV4′s idea of good journalism?
by Rune
April 16, 2011 in Uncategorized
Saturday morning, what better way to start than a little Saab quiz?
Niklas G noted in comments that dn.se features a 10 question test about Saab lore. It is a multiple choice thing, so it is not too difficult.
The quiz is in Swedish, so a rough translation follows here:
I managed ten out of ten, but I had to guess at #2, #4 and #5. Two of those questions were basically 50/50. Since Viktor never tells me anything, I had no clue about #4, but a little logical deduction did the trick. (Best of luck in the rally VM!)
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