Saabs United

15% off Saab tuning software from Maptun - and free shipping!

2010-05-27T03:40:48Z

RE-POSTED:

Remember, this offer ends at the end of this month.

And this was noted in comments:

Just got Maptuner from the nice UPS man, ran the program and took it for a rip (15kms). Significant improvement all over. Car just runs better, power delivery is smoother and as many people have said the car just feels better. I look forward to putting some more miles on it.....
....I should also mention I ordered this Sunday night in Canada and got it at 2pm on Wednesday from Sweden.

Booyeah!!

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Today we have another outstanding offer from our site sponsors (and rally team sponsors) - Maptun.

A few months ago we had a great discount offer on Maptun's new plug-in Maptuner software. That offer was very popular and I'm pleased to say that we're doing it again, though with a small difference this time.

Until the end of May, Maptun are offering 15% off all tuning software, along with FREE SHIPPING on your entire order.

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The discount, combined with free shipping, means you'll have more spare cash to consider a bigger upgrade than just software.

All tuning companies offer staged tuning kits for your Saab. These staged kits build on each other so as to offer a tuning solution that matches your budget. Initial stages typically involve software, exhaust systems and air filters. That's just the beginning, though. With some companies you can go even further with bigger injectors, a bigger turbo, an uprated intercooler and various other parts making up further steps on the ladder to tuning Nirvana.

What sort of difference can a complete tuning kit make?

Example: Let's say you have a Saab 9-5 (2001-2009) with a 2.3t engine producing 185hp in standard form. Here's what the various stages include and the output you can expect:

Stage 1 - software only - 235hp and 380Nm
Stage 2 - software, air filter, cat-back exhaust - 240hp and 385Nm
Stage 3 - software, air filter, full exhaust - 255hp and 390Nm
.....and the options continue up to Stage 5 with 310hp and 450Nm

Most people will get either Stage 1, 2 or 3 and with this offer from Maptun, you get the tuning software for 15% less and the entire order shipped - worldwide - for free.

For those of you who are a good distance away from Sweden, that free shipping offer - especially if you're getting something as big as an exhaust system - could represent several hundred dollars saved.

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How to claim your 15% discount and free shipping.

It couldn't be easier.

Go to Maptun.com and make the normal selections for language, currency, etc.
Click the Tuning Guide link.
Select the model you own and the website will bring up the appropriate kits for your car. Make sure you select the right engine option in order to get the right kits.
If you want to go for software only, that will typically be Stage 1. Further stages will involve the addition of other parts such as air filter and exhaust.

When you place an order, include the promotion code SU2010 in the order form. Your discount will be applied to the tuning software component of your order and your order will be placed.

Smile in the knowledge that you'll be barrelling along even quicker some time soon.

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If you want to see how easy it is to tune your car using the plug-in Maptuner software, then watch this video where we tune a Saab 9-3 SS in around three minutes. You'll be amazed.

A couple of cautionary notes:

1. Your car should be running well in standard condition before you ever consider modifying it. Adding power will not cover up a vulnerability. Probably the opposite.

2. Whilst going up to a Stage 3 upgrade should be fine, if you're thinking of really cranking up the power, make sure you can still stop your car. You might have to consider upgrading your brakes as well.

3. Upgrading your car can produce great results, but can also be a costly exercise if you don't do it right. You're a big person now. Do your homework and know what you're getting.

Automotive News interview US Saab boss Mike Colleran

2010-05-27T03:33:59Z

Automotive News have conducted a pretty good interview with Mike Colleran, head of Saab Cars North America.

Some of his answers raise good questions.

What else is Saab doing to rebuild the business? ......you have to do some other things. You've got to instill confidence in the consumers that they can buy these cars and not be concerned about buying the cars.

That raises the question as to what the warranty period is going to be for the new Saab 9-5, and the rest of the range, too.

We've previously heard Victor Muller say that their warranty costs so far are less than anticipated. I'm not suggesting they invite tragedy upon their own heads, but if those costs are down for good reason, then an attractive warranty on new Saabs will go a long way. If you've been watching the broader automotive market then you've seen what a good warranty (along with good product) has done for Hyundai in recent years.

In terms of image, what else has to be fixed? Awareness that we are here. I think there are a number of consumers who have the perception that Saab is gone.

That makes me wonder what we can do, as an enthusiast community, to help. Maybe some sort of viral video contest? All in good taste, of course. Maybe a make-your-own-print-ad campaign?

I've got my hands full writing all this stuff, but my ears are open to ideas I can co-ordinate.

Are all Saab dealers using GMAC? No. GMAC is our preferred partner. I would say roughly three quarters of the dealers use GMAC for wholesale. And then on the retail side, dealers are free to choose whomever they want.

For that retail transaction, go find the absolute best lease deal you can.

It's very good reading. There's some good stuff there about sales targets and currency movements. In short, things are looking positive.

Thanks to Vince for the link.

BAIC are NOT believed to be distributing Saabs in China

2010-05-27T02:55:17Z

As is the way of the internet, there's a lot of secondary stories coming out now, stating that Beijing Automotive are going to take over the distribution of Saabs in China from Shanghai Automotive (GM joint venture).

I posted the story myself, then added an update when I heard from Sweden that this is something that's been written in China only, and hasn't come from Saab or been confirmed by them.

With the proliferation of more stories on the web, I thought it prudent to get a headline out there stating that the base story is, for all intents and purposes, not true.

From what I've heard, the relationship between Beijing Automotive and Saab does not extend beyond the outgoing technologies they've bought from Saab and whatever contracts are in place to assist with engineering those vehicles for production.

Whilst I can say that the story hasn't originated from Sweden and is not confirmed by Saab, I can't say categorically that BAIC won't distribute Saab in the future. However, the fact that Swedish sources wrote to me to jump on this so quickly suggests that the story is basically untrue.

Thursday Snippets

2010-05-27T00:30:10Z

Hi all,

The website's upgrade preparation is pretty much complete now. Am just waiting for Andrew the IT guy to get a moment so he can flick the switch. The site might be offline for a little bit when it happens and it won't look like a million dollars when it comes back online as there'll be a few things I have to do.

But, given a few hours to work on things after the switch, all should be OK. You won't see huge changes but there will be some tweaks and hopefully more enhancements should roll out over time.

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Please feel free to go and vote on the Saab 900 featured in today's installment of Nice Price or Crack Pipe, over at Jalopnik.

With nearly 3,000 votes lodged, it's a clear lead to the 'Nice Price' option. It's quite possibly a little overpriced, actually, but it's a nice car and doesn't deserve the Crack Pipe moniker.

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CNET has a nice re-hash of a story that came up on Automotive News late last week.

Good reading.

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This Viggen on auction at Ebay Australia has some damage to the gearbox and a blown headgasket, hence the current price of just $2,000.

I think the gearbox and headgasket problems are just a diversion, though. What they don't tell you in the description is that you'll also need new corneas after looking at that interior!!!!!

How the hell did that happen???

And it looks so sweet and innocent from the outside.

Thanks to AussieLars for the link.

Shortest Saab 9-3 owner review ever

2010-05-26T05:04:51Z

I first heard from Lars S a few weeks ago. He was about to buy a black Saab 9-3 from his local dealer and was quite excited about it.

He's got it now and has sent through one of my favourite ever owners reviews:

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Now I've had the car for a couple of weeks so I think it might be time for a little review or report. Let's start with a list of things I don't like with the car:

I have discovered that every time I drive it, sooner or later I reach my destination and have to stop and step out.
Well, I guess that's it.

To get a bit serious, this car is absolutely stunning, and being a Saab fan I can't find any disturbing weaknesses at this point. Just like the 99, this is absolutely a car for people enjoying to drive.

One funny thing about the 9-3 is that some people seem to think that it might be a civilian police-car. The Swedish police often use black Saabs for that purpose, as you might know, so it isn't totally unlogical that some drivers seem to be watching out a bit when I end up behind them. Even some bikers with Japanese sport bikes held a speed slightly below the limit, and that rarely happens.

Speaking of the 99, I make sure to drive it at least once every week. That car still knows how to put a smile on my face despite the arrival of its younger relative.

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Congratulations to Lars on the purchase and I'm pleased to hear it's going so well!

BAIC to distribute Saab in China

2010-05-26T01:13:58Z

UPDATE: I've received some email about this story, from Sweden, indicating that this story is one that hasn't been confirmed at all by Saab and is therefore, only to be considered as rumour on the part of China Car Times.

As noted in my original post, they didn't cite a source for their information, so this email from Sweden is therefore understandable. I'd now take the story as being false pending further announcements.

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This one's a few days old, but needs to be passed on for those who haven't seen it yet as the ramifications are significant. File it in the "I thought that might happen" file.

From the China Car Times (they don't cite a source):

As well as buying old Saab platforms, Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) has gained the rights to distribute Saab vehicles in China. It is still unclear how exactly BAIC plans to distribute Saab vehicles in China, if they plan to set up a new Saab dealership network totally devoted to Saab, or use its existing dealership network that already deals in Mitsubishi, Jeep and Chrysler products under one roof nationwide.

Whilst we saw a great turnout at Saab Support Convoys in China, the market for Saab is comparatively small, with just 800 vehicles sold in 2008.

Given the release of a new, larger Saab 9-5 (the Chinese like their cars big) and the fact that China is now the world's largest automotive marketplace, this is an appointment with real potential for Saab.

The report goes on to say that they hope to sell 5,000 vehicles in China in the first full year of business there, which would zoom China up into around fourth place in terms of Saab's sales ladder.

This is significant additional volume and with the addition of a 9-4x, 9-5 wagon and a new 9-3 coming in 2012, the sky's the limit.

Here's hoping that BAIC can get their network in place quickly. This is turning out to be a very nice partnership.

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Thanks to Justyn and Johan!

Muller: Vladimir Antonov financed Saab acquisition 100% (with correction)

2010-05-25T23:07:03Z

UPDATE: I have received email from Victor Muller directly, stating that he has been misquoted by NRC Handelsblad.

He has provided the following clarification:

.....I said that Antonov lent me - read Tenaci capital BV - the 74M euro (so not dollars) required to pay for half of the first instalment (so 50% of 50M dollar was approx 18M Euro) and to refinance the 56M in loans Spyker had obtained from Antonov's banks, which had to be refinanced as part of the restructuring which saw Antonov withdraw from Spyker. The second half of the first instalment, 25M dollars, was funded by Epcote, a investment company of Pieter Heerema. So of the purchase price of 74M dollar, 50M was paid on closing (23feb) and 24M dollar will be paid on July 15th.

My thanks to Victor Muller for providing this information and clearing the story up.

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In an extraordinarily frank interview with NRC-Handelsblad, Victor Muller has virtually disclosed that the GM/US government hand wringing over the sale of Saab was more or less an exercise for public display rather than any genuine concern.

You might recall that when GM and Spyker were in initial discussions about the sale of Saab, any potential deal was halted quite abruptly on December 18. The apparent reason was discomfort on the American side with Spyker's part-owner and board chief, Vladimir Antonov.

In what must have been a rather humiliating exercise, Antonov gave up his shares in Spyker and his aspirations to be an official part of the Saab deal. And whilst that was happening, his character was being assassinated by anyone with a byline.

From this interview, it seems this was all an exercise in rearranging the deck chairs so that the initial appearance would be palatable to those involved in facilitating the sale:

A condition for General Motors in selling Saab to Spyker was that Antonov should sell his shares in Spyker. Is it true that he privately helped finance the acquisition?
"That's correct. Antonov financed me 100 percent. He lent me the 74 million dollars cash we had to pay for the take-over. The Americans knew that. That's why it made no sense. It was a pointless discussion, I found. He was unjustly associated with criminal money and laundering.

$50 million of that amount has been paid already. $25 million was paid on signing and another $25 million paid on closing the deal back in February.

The final instalment is due on July 15.

Previous disclosures about financing indicated that Antonov's shares had been acquired by Muller's own private company, Tenaci Capital BV. Spyker also secured $25million in finance from Heerema Holding Co (VM previously worked for Pieter Heerema). Tenaci was financed by debt providers who wished to stay anonymous and with whom Tenaci entered into non-disclosure agreements.

All this is fine and dandy. I'm not concerned by who's providing the money. The deal got done and that's all that matters to me. Saab survived.

What I find strange, however, is the positioning that was required in order to make someone comfortable with the deal for what's turned out to be a pretty short period of time.

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It's also nice to think that we've got the key financier behind the Saab deal driving for the Saabs United Historic Rally Team at the Midnight Sun rally in July :-)

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The Handelsblad article also features some other good stuff, but it's this financial angle that fascinated me the most.

Saab order 9-5 wagon tooling for summer 2011 production

2010-05-25T12:15:49Z

An article has come online from Ny Teknik talking about an order Saab has placed for 9-5 wagon body tooling.

Jakob has been kind enough to provide a translation:

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Saab 9-5 Combi comes next year

Saab Automobile has ordered new body tooling by Novacast in Tyringe, with delivery in spring 2011.

According to the company, the tools will be used for the manufacturing of body components for the new Saab 9-5 in Trollhättan. The sedan model with four doors are already in production here. But next year, it will be followed by a combi model. The order indicates that the serial production of the combi is planned to start during summer next year. For Novacast and the daughter company Camito, this order is worth five million SEK.

In Sweden and the rest of Northern Europe, combi models are big sellers. But on the other markets it's, in this size segment, cars with four doors that's the primary target.

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The timeline for the 9-5 wagon has always been known to be 2011, but I guess it's good to hear that things are underway, as well as a more definite idea of the timeline involved.

It pays to remember that the Saab 9-4x has been talked about quite directly as coming in April 2011, before this 9-5 wagon.

So, no news in the real sense, but some good reassurance.

Erik Carlsson visits Saab show in Poland

2010-05-25T08:41:35Z

It sounds like that II Antique Saab Convention in Poland over the weekend was a big success. There were around 160 Saabs in attendance with 60 or so of those being of the vintage kind.

The show was held in Mosina, a town of just 12,000 people, so it's no surprise that the near-200 cars in attendance (whilst a Saab event, there were several other brands there, too) filled the town square to overflowing.

The guest of honour, of course, was none other than Mr Saab, Erik Carlsson, who made himself available to all comers. I'm told that whilst Erik was ferried around in a new Saab 9-3x courtesy of the local Saab dealer, his first instinct upon leaving the airport was to head for a red Saab 96 in the carpark!

And it looks like there were some very nice Red Saabs there for him to choose from:

The Polish Saab Community can be justifiably proud for hosting such an event, especially on the back of them having one of the highest attendances of all the Saab Support Convoys. The primary organisers were Krzysztof R and his daughter, Paulina, both Saab nuts and members of the rather informal Vintage Saab Club in Poland.

Bravada tells me that there a number of other countries represented there, too, most notably the Finns. Congratulations to all who attended and made this event a success.

There are some great photos here at Justyn's blog, here at Picasa, as well a collection of seven videos here.

Attendees voted for the most elegant Saab present, with this Sonett and Saab 95 taking home the chocolates.

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Thanks very much to Justyn, Bravada for the details and Robert W for pics.

Question: Bluetooth and the Saab 9-3

2010-05-24T21:46:40Z

UPDATE below

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Hi all,

Work on the update is progressing well.

I thought I'd bring this question from comments on to the front page so that any of you can provide your experience to help out:

.....could someone who owns a current generation 9-3 tell me is a Bluetooth phone option worth its money? I'd like to order a 9-3 this year, and [am] thinking about adding Bluetooth to the configuration, but it costs almost 650 Euros. Several people I asked say it doesn't work well - is that true?

A few have already chimed in via comments with their opinion on how it works (seems to go quite well, according to them).

If you've got any experience, please let us know.

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As noted in comments, a large part of any operational problems appears to be concerned with phones rather than the Bluetooth system in the Saab 9-3.

Thanks to Saab99 in comments, you can access a PDF showing the various phones tested by Saab and their compatibility with the system.

Working....

2010-05-24T01:08:36Z

Hi all,

Updates to this site might be a little rare over the next few days. I'm working hard on the changeover of the site and there's a lot of issues to cover. Those of you who were around in 2007 - when I last did a change of this magnitude - will understand why I need to work hard on this now and get it right. I got it wrong back then and nearly had to close down the site.

The new version of SU will be a bit cleaner and hopefully it'll offer you a bit more to look at - maybe not straight away, but in the longer term. It's part of my effort to do what I can to present Saab in a better light to everyone who lands here when they're searching for Saab information.

I'll try to post news as it comes in, but the wider interest pieces might be delayed a little.

I'm hoping that the new updated version of SU will go live later this week.

Cheers,

Saturday Snippets - World news edition

2010-05-21T23:19:24Z

We've got a little bit of news from everywhere today.....

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Australia - work is underway on the next evolution of SU. There will be some big changes under the hood but for you, the reader, it should be mostly business as usual. Hopefully a few extra functions along the way.

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Sweden (but for everyone) - If you're after a bit more poke from your Saab, then get ready for another excellent Maptun offer. Coming later today.

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Netherlands - new Saab 9-5 spotted on the A12 on the way back from Schipol (Youtube). Remco says it looks fantastic on the road.

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Switzerland - Saab meets tram. Not a good ending for this Turbo X, but the driver was reportedly OK. Just a little shaken.

I don't know what Kroum's on about in comments, talking about France ;-)

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Italy - There's another car rally happening at the moment, a mini-Mille-Miglia, if you will. It's called the Coppa dei tre Laghi (Cup of the Three Lakes) and it's going on in northern Italy.

Whilst you can't see them in this pic, there are two Saab 96s in the event, one being driven by the head of the Italian Saab Club, Mr Franco Stupia. www.saabnews.it has the full run down (in Italian).

That's some nice company they're keeping.

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France - Etienne has some links to a nice Saab/Spyker display in France. Looks like a very good crowd there.

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Sweden - spotted recently by a young bloke named Jonas on his way to school in Karlstad.......

I hope it didn't run out of electricity.

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China - Beijing Automotive are preparing to do an IPO for their passenger vehicle division, a division that's now been bolstered with the addition of Saab vehicles to its range.

With the integration of Saab's technology proceeding as planned, BAIC now expects its sales to climb 21 percent to 1.5 million vehicles this year. To solve its production constraint, BAIC is currently building six plants with annual capacity of 1.3 million vehicles that will be made with Saab's technology, Wang said.

They are numbers that Saab could only dream about. They have to get the new 9-5 there soon.

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Everywhere - For those of you who have a soft spot for the other Swedish brand (the big one, not Koenigsegg), Jalopnik have a nice poster featuring the evolution of the Volvo wagon.

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And a final link for the Dragon Tattoo fans..... could this be the real world Lisbeth Salander? Much more serious, though, and without the girly parts, of course.

State of Nine gear up for Fathers Day (sponsors)

2010-05-21T22:51:45Z

If you need some ideas for your Saab driving Dad, State of Nine have got you covered:

Saab Enthusiast Gift Ideas
Saab Books & Repair Manuals
License Plates, Frames, Key Rings and Umbrellas
Our favorite Custom-fit Floor Mats
$30 off convertible windscreens this month
Need accessories for your other car? Check out our Non-Saab Catalog

State of Nine do Free Shipping on a large number of their products, too, so check 'em out.

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A message from Dan at State of Nine......

Saab Enthusiasts Giving Back

I've always wanted to find a way to enable our catalog to give back to a charity or cause, but as you can imagine it is difficult to implement and manage. Saab enthusiasts experienced a miracle this winter and our favorite brand was saved from a destiny that so many forecasted and several other automotive brands recently met. We have a lot to be thankful for, so let us try to give back a little.

Last December, my 25 year old niece decided to resign from her promising career at Accenture to help run "BackOnMyFeet.org", a non-profit start-up in Philadelphia. Pretty courageous in this crazy economy (though maybe not as crazy as quitting a job to start a Saab Accessories company...) and obviously something that caught my family's attention.

Recently, I caught up with Sandi (some of you may have met Sandi at the Detroit SOC) while she was in town to help set up the new Boston Chapter. I learned a lot about the charity and the incredible success this program has had in helping turn lives around. Their 55% success rate is unmatched in these types of programs. The stories are inspiring and I encourage you to read more on www.BackOnMyFeet.org. Simply put, it all starts by getting up and running with their team at 5:30 AM, three days a week.

With the launch of the Boston Chapter on May 24th we have a great excuse to jump in and give back! For every sale of our Classic "SAAB" Lapel Pins, State of Nine will donate $10.00 to BackOnMyFeet.org. We will ship you this classic pin, free within the USA, and we will contribute $10.00 to this cause. I hope we can contribute $1,000 or more and I will keep you updated on the total in upcoming newsletters.

Saab signs up JATO for 9-5 launch - and I have no idea what that means

2010-05-21T22:12:27Z

Seriously.

Saab has signed a new contract with JATO Dynamics, ahead of the Swedish firm's launch of its important new model, the all-new 9-5.

After reading an entire report in the news about it, I still have no idea what signing up JATO means. Maybe that's why I'm stuck here writing about these cars instead of helping them sell them. I just don't get it enough.

"Other than getting the fundamental engineering of a new car right, the most important factor to a model's success is to have a thorough understanding of the market and for us to have a detailed and complete comparison with competitor products, including specifications and pricing in each of the core markets", says Svante Kinell, manager, Global Business Management at Saab.
"Only then can we establish the perfect specification and pricing strategy of our own. Without the right intelligence, our marketing objectives for the launch cannot be met."

I don't know if this is an after-the-fact report, but it seems they might be cutting it fine with that, given that pricing and spec have been released in a number of places and the launch is just over a week away.

Here's the low-down from JATO's website:

JATO has set the industry standard in the delivery of effective intelligence to the automotive arena. Information is delivered in consistent formats, across multiple user-friendly platforms: internet, desktop and portable media.

Our customers can be confident in the JATO promise - delivery of the world's most accurate and up-to-the minute market intelligence.

Detailed vehicle specification - standard and optional equipment, published in real-time

Vehicle prices, option prices and build rules

Vehicle sales and registration information enhanced by market research detail, integrated with our price and specification information

Real-time news on market and product events - 30,000 + news topics annually

Manufacturer sales incentives

Total cost of ownership information

Option take rate and fitment

Edmunds show more US Saab 9-5 pricing - with options

2010-05-21T12:13:58Z

Posted today at Edmunds.

Click to enlarge.

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I'll have more 9-5 pricing information for a few other markets tomorrow (getting late here).

With thanks to John B.