How much does SU believe in NEVS?
January 28, 2013 in News, SaabsUnited Related
Well I think most of you could answer that question but regardless I’ll share some news about what we’re planning within the SU Crew.
Step 1: Peter is right now examining hardware requirements for a brand new, really powerful server. We’re looking at ordering the hardware and building the computer in february.
Step 2: For the past year we’ve been looking at what we want to include in SU Version 3. We’ve got the specifications pretty much in place and we’re also looking at a serious graphical upgrades with support for iOS and Android apps. The big difference will be for members of SU who will get a real share of new features to play with! The first thing we’re going to introduce is something called WPMU (WordPress MultiUser) which is the full implementation of user-generated blogs on SU. We still dont know if we’ll take it the whole way but the full version basically means that you could start your own blog on SU called username.saabsunited.com or saabsuntied.com/username. We’re still in the development phase but the aim is to have these articles presented in full on a sub-page of SU. The blog would be fully compatible and integrated into SU with the same user-interface / graphical options and access to all the members at SU. So no need for dual memberships on different websites, you can use the same login to comment on a number of blogs, photos etc posted by other users and viewed directly on SU.
Step 3: Synchronized servers. Our current server was built in 2011 and its a really good server performing above our expectations, the new server will be far better in terms of performance but we’ve still got great use for the old one. It’ll act as backup server which will be fully synchronized with the new main server. That way if one goes down we can easily switch over to the backup which will continue to run operations just as if more or less nothing had happened.
Step 4: SU is moving. Since we moved SU from Australia to Trollhättan the main server has been located in Trollhättan, this new server will be set up and tested in Trollhättan but after the Saab Festival the server will be taken off-line for a while and moved to München, Germany and over there stay with Till72.
If we were to translate this whole new server project into money we’re talking about an investment in the terms of 3500-4500 Euro. If we didn’t believe that this new server was needed due to the increase in demand on the servers that we’re anticipating with the production start at SAAB, we wouldn’t even think about an investment like this! =)
Mike Baughan said on January 28, 2013
Hey Tim,
This is exciting stuff. You mentioned support for iOS and Android in terms of an app. I am hoping there is a possibility for either Windows Phone app or a m.saabsunited.com mobile site.
Might we be lucky to see one (or both) of those two additional options, perhaps?
Romac said on January 29, 2013
+1 on the m.saabsunited.com
Had to the chuckle at the idea of having a blog at: “saabsuntied.com/username”!
(see step 2) — We’re all here desperately hoping it doesn’t all unravel again!
Henrik B. said on January 30, 2013
+1
I think it’s quite narrowminded to only focus on iOS and Android!
Cheers!
Tim said on January 30, 2013
Well those are the two major platforms in use. Last figures I saw they had more than 80% of the market so I don’t agree that its “narrow” but rather wide…
Henrik B. said on January 30, 2013
I’m not talking about narrow, but “narrowminded”.
Last quarter Windows Phone sold 4 times more than same quarter last year.
And I’ll bet you, that Saab drivers being very intelligent, there’ll be a higher percentage of WP owners amongst them, than in the public in general!
None the less, if developers don’t come out with apps for WP, it won’t grow as quickly. I believe this will be a very wrong decision as Microsoft still is the worlds largest OS supplier! And with the integration between Xbox, Windows 8 and WP, it’ll surpass iOS with a very forseeable future…
Cheers!
Tim said on January 30, 2013
The windows phone thing is very interesting and even though it grows, it grows from very small numbers so the percentage doesn’t mean as much… yet…
I’m not too sure that there is room for windows phone on the market, not in a large scale at least, look at the zune media player, it didn’t go well for that one =( sadly because it was actually a pretty cool product.
I’ve tried the new windows phone on a developer version of the new nokia, it was nice but not as easy to use as an android or an iphone. The interphase was strange, even after about an hour of use I didn’t feel at home with it, even though I’m an iOS user I feel very at home in Android, almost instantly…
Henrik B. said on January 30, 2013
I completely disagree on the “easyness” of WP contra Android/iOS. WP is so much simplier/easier/more intuitive, than the other two…
Cheers!
AutoMarknad said on January 28, 2013
Are you sure you set the right subject for this post?
Jeff said on January 29, 2013
I think he was essentially saying, “How much does SU believe in [the idea that] NEVS [will bring Saab back]?
aus715 said on January 29, 2013
I thought the same thing too.
Not the same topic as the header suggested.
Maybe it ‘lost something in translation?’
Great to hear the upgrades are coming though.
Joel said on January 29, 2013
Yeah, it confused me to!!!
Tim said on January 29, 2013
How much as in how much time and money are we willing to spend…
Angelo V. said on January 28, 2013
May I request an on-site translation program so that I can communicate in Mandarin with NEVS customers? Seriously Tim, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being “no way” and 10 being “definitely”), how confident are you that I will be able to buy a new Saab, manufactured by NEVS, in the USA, within the next 4 years?
xelav said on January 28, 2013
Hahaha. Angelo, I like your sense of humor. Keep the fait.
SaabLife said on January 28, 2013
Oh Angelo, I get a good laugh out of your comments sometimes. Especially the part about getting a NEVS Saab here in the USA in the next 4 years (which subsequently made me depressed).
scand said on January 28, 2013
Angelo, you may as well throw a dart at a board. That result will be about as accurate as anything Tim , or anyone else can come up with at this stage.
Tim said on January 28, 2013
3
In Europe: 10
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
If I make the timetable 5 years instead of 4, does that increase the number to a 5?
Tim said on January 29, 2013
well the problem is that right now with the dollar being so low its more or less impossible for European built cars to be sold with profit in the US, most Saabs were sold either without profit or even at a loss in the US… The big thing that worries me a bit is that the profit margin for cars sold in china is even lower which is why its crucial to build the cars that are sold in China, in China.
Until the SEK / USD ratio decreases I dont see it profitable to sell cars in the US, which is very sad indeed. The fact is that you guys in the US get your cars 30-40% cheaper and with 4-5 more years of warranty than us and on top of that free maintenance made the cost per sold US car for Saab really high.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
Is Volvo selling at a loss here? And what about Volkswagens made in Germany? I know VW has production in Mexico now, which is probably where a lot of the U.S. cars come from.
SaabLife said on January 29, 2013
Plus BMW, Mercedes, and Fiat have a good number of production facilities here in NA. So that might help them a bit. Realistically though, I have huge concerns with how NEVS plans on producing and even selling that many cars in China alone, especially in competition with the other European brands. If North America and Europe were included in on that, I would understand, but something really doesn’t add up. At least Alfa Romeo is trying it again by the end of this year.
SaabLife said on January 29, 2013
Not that I think about it, the price is going to have to be pretty competitive to sell the kind of numbers that they want to.
In reality, I have a sinking feeling that the start out prices with maybe go as low as $39,000 USD but probably somewhere between the 40,000 to 50,000 Plus USD price point. Hope I’m wrong though.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
Well, if you’re right about the price point—and if they actually must sell between 40-50K to profit—-they’ll fail in short order. This will last a couple years, like the Muller Saab, and implode again. I don’t know what they’re thinking—-they won’t say—-but one thing is for sure: If they sell at that price, they won’t attract enough customers to stay in business any longer than Muller did. People in China will be cursing them about warranty/parts/service failures in a few years. No—–my hope is that they use some sort of economies of scale to offer a decently equipped smaller car for around 25K USD—-along with a premium car mid 30s to mid 40s, maybe a bit higher fully loaded—-and a 9-3 somewhere in between. They can’t get that entry level car to market fast enough. If GM would have pursued that—-or if Muller made it a priority—-NEVS wouldn’t even own Saab right now. Hopefully NEVS can benefit from their failures and understand what Saab is—and what it isn’t.
dcpattie said on January 29, 2013
Saab lost it chance for survival when Maud and Co. said NO to the BMW group. BMW *could* have rebuilt the brand using the same formula used with MINI. Start with one model priced between a Cooper and a 3-series – slowing building to three or so models. I bet BMW would have started seeking MINI/Saab specific dealerships in the US. Sure Munich would be in charge but at least (1) the lights would stay on in Trollhatten for years to come and (2) we might actually have future Saab for sale in the US.
In other news FIAT says Alfa sales in the US will start in late 2013: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130118/AUTO0104/301180390/1148/auto01/Alfa-Romeo-4C-heading-U-S-by-year-s-end
3cyl said on January 30, 2013
Fiat has been announcing that Alfa will be back in the US by the end of the year for years.
Aero1 said on January 29, 2013
Since the early to mid 1990s almost all Jettas, Beetles and some Golfs have been made in Puebla Mexico for the US. and South America.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
Yes, Volvo is selling their cars at a loss in the US
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
You wonder how long that can go on.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
I think it stopped going a while ago… which is why Volvo has had to make such dramatic changes at the top recently…
Red J said on January 29, 2013
Angelo, VW and BMW are either building the US cars in the US or in Mexico.
And let me say that hte last gen US VW ( Passat and Jetta ) use lower quality materials than their counterpart in Europe.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
Tim: Sadly, with the current gang in Washington, DC, I don’t see the dollar getting significantly stronger anytime soon. This group doesn’t understand basic economics, so we’re sort of doomed in that regard. The only way I’m wrong is if other economic leaders around the world are even more clueless than ours in the U.S.—-in other words, if we’re bad, but they’re worse. Maybe the dollar can gain some traction then.
Red J said on January 29, 2013
Angelo, a weak dollar is not that bad. American products are quite cheap.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
I remember when the Chairman of Peugeot vowed a return to the U.S.—-something along the lines of “You can’t be taken as a serious player in the automotive industry if you aren’t doing business in North America.” Come to think of it, Peugeot hasn’t been doing that great for a while. I guess that means if you’re right TIm—-unlikely return to NA—–NEVS isn’t a serious player.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
I thought you’d learned chinese by now so that you could start dating rachel? =P
JH said on January 28, 2013
Angelo: If new Saabs are on sale here in Sweden by then, but not in the U.S., we’ll do what we can to help you import one privately.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
Thanks, but I guess I’ll have to build a bridge to Shanghai to get it serviced. Rest assured, it’s not “if” you will have them in Sweden within 4 years. Tim says that’s a certainty (see above).
Tim said on January 29, 2013
Ah well, changing the oil isn’t that hard… you can do that yourself
JH said on January 28, 2013
Tim: Sounds good! It would be interesting to hear what the specifications of the current server and Internet connection are, what you plan for the future server and why you’re moving the server from Trollhättan to München!
Tim said on January 29, 2013
The current server is an Intel i7 3,4 GHz (2600K) with 16 Gb RAM, 2×2 TB SATA3 HD running with a 100/100 internet connection. Last year we uploaded an average of 450 Gb of data per month.
We’re still looking at what suits us best, the i7 3770K or the i7 3820. With servers we’d like as much memory as possible and then the 3820 is better but then we’ll also build a server that is not as similar as the first one and that makes setting up the software more challenging. The new server will have at least 32 Gb of RAM.
The big difference though is the harddrives as these will be running with SATA6 and we’ll have about 4 times the disk space than before.
Main reason for moving the server to Germany is accessibility. The server will be operating very close to where some SU staff is all the time and if any operation of the hardware should be needed it can be done with short notice. Right now if Peter is at work its not possible for him to get to the server physically if it was to be needed.
JH said on January 30, 2013
Thanks for the information! I would’ve hoped you’d buy AMD hardware, though. The new Piledriver eight core Opteron server CPUs perform well and are more cost-effective, I believe.
Phillip paton said on January 29, 2013
Why don’t you allow for donations to assist with the cost of this. I’m sure that many of us would be willing to donate to help with this?
xelav said on January 29, 2013
Yes , good idea!
Joel said on January 29, 2013
@ Tim, I don’t know how many members you have on the books but I’m sure that if you were able to set up a payment address – perhaps using PayPal – and each menber chipped in just a couple of £ or € to the cause you’d have the money to help fund the investment very quickly.
I know I’m a new member but I’d certainly be happy to make a small donation to the cause.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
It’s a nice thought but we have sponsors of the site and the money they are giving us to place advertisement here is used to make articles, to buy cameras, computers and fund travel. A large amount of the money we’re getting this year goes into this project.
My first rule for this site that it should be 100% free for visitors or members.
Angelo V. said on January 29, 2013
Tim: That is a wonderful and appreciated rule. But if you were able to accept Pay Pal, you could just have an option of letting people pledge a few dollars to help with site maintenance. It’s not like you’d be charging for membership or even asking for financial assistance—-it would simply be allowing people to pitch in if they want to, even in small amounts.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
Well Swade asked people for money to do things and many people were kind enough to let him stay as a guest while he was visiting various places.
Personally I dont need that kind of funding because I earn enough money from my day-job, and SU has a good relationship with its sponsors and we’re making “enough” money to do what we want to do. This year we’re actually saving up to be able to cover the production start as much as possible which is why we’re not part of organizing the Saab Festival nor are we going to host an October fest this year…
xelav said on January 29, 2013
Oke, Tim , understood. But if it is not working out the way you expect it, don’t hesitate to open an account for donations. We( I think the majority of the SU familie) are willing to help out, just as with de Saab 93 we bought together.
Tim said on January 30, 2013
Much appreciated! =)
BMW Rider said on January 29, 2013
If it would really be 4 or 5 years before new Saabs are sold in North America it better be something quite different than the current 9-3 since by then the platform would be 14-15 years old.
Tim said on January 29, 2013
Personally I dont care that the platform in my 9-5 2010 SportCombi is 15 years old, its still an amazing car to drive and it handles far better than most similar sized cars I’ve driven. The general public dont know and dont care about such things…
3cyl said on January 30, 2013
Your right about the 9-5. Despite its age it is a great car to drive. Too me, in terms of driving characteristics it represents more of a development of the classic 900 than the new 900 or the 9-3 do.
JoPlSe said on January 29, 2013
Are you really sure its right to invest in new hardware? I would recommend to evaluate a web hotell (cloud service). I think it would be much cheaper. You would have full redundancy and the solution would scale without limits. Still, you only pay for the capacity you use. You can also relax from the responsibility to have the servers up and running and you can focus on content rather than technology. I think you should look at the options before investing a lot of money.
Tim said on January 30, 2013
Belive me, we’ve talked to so many companies operating cloud services and with the amount of upload rate that we have and the amount of visitors, its VERY expensive!
Cloud services are cheap as long as you have lets say 1000 visitors per week… we’re scoring 15000 on a bad day and 3-4 times that amount on days with big news.
When I first took over SU the plan was to put the whole database into a cloud service. The average cost at some proposals I got was 4-600 Euro per month and if I wanted an admin available more or less 24/7 like we have today I’d have to add a zero to that amount.
I’ve always lived by the principle that I’d rather buy than rent that way I own the stuff and once its paid it doesn’t cost anything more… simple and effective! =)
David Lawrence said on January 30, 2013
Same here. No one sees the “platform” The average person sees the fit and finish – first inside then outside. Then they feel the door. Then they smell the interior, then they listen to and feel the door close, then they hear the engine. IMHO, most people will have formed an opinion by then. After that, most people are looking for reasons to justify their opinion, one way or the other. The age of the platform can be seen in 2 ways as 1) “Old and outdated” or 2) “Proven and Competitive”.
It comes down to a marketing war, which SAAB North America failed miserably at. They allowed themselves to be defined by the competition and by independent writers. I mentioned this a while ago. When they passed the economic stimulus provision a few years back, there were a few newspaper articles about people were doing with their old “clunkers”. Of all the photographs they could have used to illustrate, what they chose was not an old rusting V8 5 litre American SUV or pickup. It was a Saab 9000, complete with peeling hood badge.
Any competent marketing department trying to keep a name alive would have prevented that from happening.
I have at least another 5 years with the 03 9-5. Like the rest of us, I am hoping that will be long enough, but I this is not the time to enter the North American market