by Rune
May 8, 2011 in Uncategorized
Romac sends word that Auto Express in Britain are conducting a poll featuring a dashing young Saab.
The Auto Express Design Award is a special prize given to the most head-turning car of recent months.
Now, far be it from me to skew the poll in any way by letting you know who my favorite is, all I will hint at is that its name starts with “Saa…” and ends with “…iX”.
Happy voting everyone!
by Rune
April 11, 2011 in Uncategorized
Update 2: It’s the last day of voting, and they could really use your help. They’re only a few votes away from making it into the next round, so take a minute of your time to cast your ballot! / Jeff
Updated: Come on and support Saab Klub Polska by vote and register your e-mail! It only takes a few minutes of your time! / Carl-Henrik
m!ko, a Saab brother from Poland, has sent the team an e-mail requesting all of our help in Auto Swiat’s current “fan club of the year” poll.
The Saab club’s description (thanks google translate!):
The club focuses on promoting safe driving, road rescue, and raising the qualifications of drivers on Polish roads. Page www.saabklub.pl brings together more than 15 000 members and a profile on a social networking site Facebook www.facebook.com / SaabKlubPolska has over 1 300 fans.
Note: Participating in the poll requires confirming a link sent by e-mail.
Read the rest of this entry →
by Swade
March 7, 2011 in Saabology
I guess it’s time to weigh opinion on the Saab PhoeniX concept.
There has been plenty of coverage and no shortage of explanation about what PhoeniX is (a pure design concept), what is isn’t (a real production car), what parts of it might see production (IQon and the elements of front fascia) and what the heck those flying buttresses are there for.
If you need more information, try these links:
Plenty of comments have been made already. Now it’s time for your vote.
Ther are three votes available. Essentially they represent those voting for the concept, those sitting on the fence for whatever reason, and those voting against.
Giddyup!
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by Swade
January 31, 2011 in Saabology
UPDATE:
The 9-5 is currently in the third round, and up against the formidable Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
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UPDATE:
Having won round 1, the 9-5 is now up against the Peugeot RCZ.
Please click here if you feel like having your say.
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Everyone’s running a car of the year poll these days, including Moto.pl
Theirs is a little different in that cars are pitted against one another in a bracket arrangement. The Saab 9-5 has to defeat the BMW X3 before it can move on to the second round, where it will take on either the Peugeot RCX or the Ford C-Max.
Yes, the pairings are a little obtuse, but in the end, there can still be only one.
If you feel like having a vote, click here and scroll down until the bracket arrangement appears (it may take a few moments).
If the 9-5 gets past the X3, you may called to perform this service once again (and again, and again)
by Swade
January 27, 2011 in Saabology
Broom has been described to me as being like Norway’s version of Top Gear.
I wrote about their Car Of The Year poll here at SU some time ago and it seems the interest of Saab fans in the poll has led to a positive result for Saab.
Now that the vote is over, many thousands of votes are recorded and we have a clear winner: Namely, the Saab 9-5!
There are two good outcomes from this poll.
First, they’ve written some genuinely complimentary words about the Saab 9-5 in their text about the poll.
Second, they’ve accepted the fact that fans of the prominent brands in the poll have spoken. The Saab 9-5 won with 42% of the vote and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta came in second with 26% of the vote. Both cars seem to have attracted their fans to the poll, a fact that Broom see as solid support for the vehicles.
- We have seen that Saab fans have mobilized powerful, but it is not the only explanation. The 9-5 gathered votes steadily and it is clear that many think this is a very exciting new car – just as we do at Broom,” says our own bilekspert Benny Christensen.
It’s a great result for Saab in Norway and I hope it leads to some more interest for the brand there.
Thanks to Per for the tip.
by Swade
January 21, 2011 in Saabology
When I wrote yesterday about there being one engine option for the Saab 9-5 SportCombi in the US (and this was before we found out what that engine option would be), I included a poll on the subject.
Eight variations were offered in the poll, covering different combinations with V6 and 2.0T, auto and manual transmissions, and XWD/FWD.
More than 900 votes later, the results of the poll are pretty clear. Click.
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Bear in mind, this is not a scientific poll of intending Saab 9-5 SportCombi buyers. It’s a poll of Saab fans, a rather small percentage of whom might end up being Saab 9-5 SportCombi purchasers.
But still, there’s some compelling stuff there.
That last one was a real surprise for me. Given that one of the arguments for the 2.0T could be better fuel economy in times of rising gas prices, I’d have thought the 2.0T FWD options might have fared better. The FWD model will retain all of Saab’s excellent winter weather driving characteristics, but without the weight and mileage penalties that accompany XWD.
Possible conclusions – Fuel economy isn’t quite as significant as people say (alt, we have a vocal minority) – or – people just want the latest stuff.
Interesting times. Thanks for casting your vote.
by Swade
January 14, 2011 in Saabology
I’ve had quite a few people emailing me about the floods, some asking if we’re OK.
We are absolutely OK. Australia’s a big place and whilst there has been a lot of rain here in Tasmania and some flooding in the north of the state, there’s nothing at all that effects us here in the south. Thanks to all for your concern.
Of course, the big floods are in Queensland, the northernmost state on the east coast of Australia. We’ve all been glued to our TV’s here and there has been plenty to see, around 95% of it quite tragic.
Image from Grantham, the town probably worst hit by the floods, which claimed houses, vehicles and lives in just minutes.
Everyone in southern Australia knows someone who’s moved to Queensland in the last 10 years or so, quite a few of them to Brisbane. We all feel like we’ve got someone involved in this in some way.
If you’ve never seen how a flash flood progresses, watch this video from Toowoomba, which was hit without warning by a flash flood earlier this week (much of this is the water that’s effecting Brisbane now). Amazing.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY
Personally speaking, one of my good friends will have to find somewhere else to live. Her house (a rental, so it’s not hers to rebuild) was overcome very early in the Brisbane flood. Thankfully, she got most of her stuff out and of course, the best news is that she’s safe.
I have a few semi-regular Saab contacts up there, as well, one of whom (Simon L) owns a Saab 99 Turbo that I used to own. Simon lives on high ground and was never in any trouble from the water.
Some of you might be familiar with a bloke named AussieLars, who comments here occasionally. Lars got his Viggen on to high ground before the water came, but there was some concern about the Saab 96 V4 that’s he had stripped and part-way through restoration. Obviously, it wasn’t as portable as the Viggen and time was very short.
As it happens, the water level wasn’t quite as high as people feared and for Lars, that means that the 96 will just need some mild cleanup. Nothing too major. He and Mrs AussieLars will be just fine, which is great to hear.
There are plenty of harrowing stories, however, the most striking and heartbreaking of which is probably that of Jordan Rice and his mother, Donna. Click here.
If you feel moved to support flood victims, many of whom will not be covered by insurance because of their proximity to the river (and because insurers can be bastards sometimes), then I invite you to donate to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal, the primary fundraising effort run by the Queensland government.
Again, thanks for your concern, not just personally, but for all the people in Queensland who have done it so tough in the last few weeks.
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On to some more Saab-specific things……
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Beijing Automotive, who were looking to buy Saab back in 2009 but settled for $200m worth of older-generation tooling, are trialling 30 electric cars with the local government in Beijing.
A number of them are based on the Saab 9-3.
Beijing Auto has started production of electric ‘Saab’ 9-3’s. The car is called Q60FB and is part of a trial project for electric cars with the Beijing city government. They will make 30 cars in total, including a number of electric BC301Z’s, called the C30DB and a number of electric minivans called MR30DB.
The full story is over at thetycho.com.
BAIC were always pretty serious about doing electric vehicles and using the Saab tooling they bought as part of the project. It’s good to see them progressing on this and I don’t think it’s a bad thing that they’ve used Saab’s bodies instead of their own for such a project.
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I wrote about a new Saab dealership popping up in Seattle a few months ago, but they weren’t online at the time.
It’s good to see Saab of Bellevue are now up and running.
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The Saab 9-5 won a Car of the Year vote in Finland, and I’m pretty sure SU had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Not sounding surprised there, just happy. The Finns love their Saabs, as they should 
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by Swade
January 12, 2011 in Saabology
I asked the question as to what people were planning in 2011 last night, but with nearly 150 comments on the article, it’s difficult to get a quick feel for what’s happening.
I figured a poll might be a good way to get a snapshot of what SU readers will be doing this year to satisfy their automotive itch.
In recognition of the fact that some of you might be doing a few things, you can select up to three separate answers in this poll. As such, this will be a measure of ‘events’ rather than just what’s the most popular option?
Thanks for your participation!
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by Swade
January 4, 2011 in Saabology
Just a reminder…….
There are two polls running at the moment, both of which feature the Saab 9-5 amongst others.
In the Norwegian poll over at Broom, the 9-5 is sweeping the field at the moment (sorry), carrying 38.5% of the vote with the Alfa Giulietta coming second.
In a Dutch poll over at Autoweek.nl, the Saab 9-5 enjoys a smaller lead, with 18% of the vote (the Alfa has 16.3%).
If you haven’t had a vote in either poll yet, please feel free to vote for your favourite (whichever car that might be )
by Swade
December 28, 2010 in Saabology
A few weeks ago, people campaigned well on behalf of the new Saab 9-5 in the Autoblog.nl poll.
Now, Autoweek.nl are hosting a similar poll, with a similar cast of characters in the 9-5′s gunsights. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is currently leading, as can be seen in the snapshot below.
If you’d like to have your say in this poll, please click here. The poll is in the right sidebar (scroll down a little).
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Thanks to Joep for the tip!
by Swade
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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by Swade
December 11, 2010 in Saabology
UPDATE III: The Mercedes and BMW fans are striking back. Here’s how the top half of the poll looks right now, after the Saab enjoyed a healthy 500 vote lead a few days ago.
If you haven’t voted yet, then please go cast your vote – the poll is in the right sidebar – and let’s show these suckers we mean business!
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Web polls are all about the people having their say in the question at hand.
The website: Autoblog.nl
The question: What is the Autoblog car of the year for 2010?
The situation: The Saab 9-5 is doing commendably, but could probably use a little help if you feel so inclined. The poll is in the right sidebar of the Autoblog.nl website.
The poll is unofficial and the result is purely superficial, but if a high-ish finish for the Saab 9-5 opens up just one person’s eyes, then it’s a good thing, eh?
by Swade
October 23, 2010 in Saabology
Last year, we managed to help the Saab 9-3x win the people’s vote in the Norwegian Car of the Year poll.
I’ve mentioned this year’s poll in snippets once already, but the voting is quite close and really, a poll like this deserves a post of it’s own, doesn’t it?
Right now, the new Saab 9-5 is around 90 votes behind the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Whilst I think the Giuli’s a brilliant car (my money’s on it to win European Car of the Year), this is a result that just cannot stand without a good fight from the Saabisti.
Please head on over to Dagbladet.no and scroll down until you find the voting form. Select the Saab 9-5 from the list and press the button that says “Send Inn”.
Onwards ho!
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by Swade
October 20, 2010 in Saabology
Tonsilitis still sucks, but the Girl Who Played with Fire was awesome.
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Wulf has picked up on a quick interview with Victor Muller, which appears in the latest magazine from the American International Auto Dealers Association.
You can view the interview itself on Saabworld, or go to the AIADA website and download a copy of the magazine.
It’s a short piece, but it’s Victor, and any interview with Victor makes for interesting reading.
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Voting for the Norwegian Car of The Year is open and the Saab 9-5 is on the ballot.
Click that link, select the 9-5 in the poll at the bottom and then click the button “send inn”.
I thought we’d done one of these Norwegian awards already. How many of them are there?
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And whilst you’re in a voting frame of mind, why not get a Saabnut into the finals of Jalopnik’s Next Top Car Blogger competition?
Phil Lacefield Jr is currently in second place and only the top two get into the final of the competition. It’d be terrible to see him drop down to third and miss out, so please click here and cast your vote for Phil Lacefield Jr.
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Beijing Automotive bought some old Saab assets at the end of last year. We’ve seen a couple of their ideas for their remodelled Saabs already, and here’s something they’re going to build on the architecture of the Saab 9-3:
It’s called the B61 concept and yes, it’s a little scary. More photos here.
It seems they’re planning a plethora of new cars based on their architecture acquisitions. From the China Car Times:
Other plans for the Saab 9-3 platform include a compact SUV that has been codenamed BC506, and was on show in Beijing as the B61 SUV, as well as the compact SUV, BAIC are already preparing a Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze fighter that has been codenamed BC501. Another mid size SUV is being developed, this will be codenamed BU506 and will also be be based on the 9-3 platform, it is rumored that the 007 and B40 SUV models are based on the 9-3 platform.
Thanks Justyn
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From a news site in Malmo, Sweden.
Nooooooooooooooooo!
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And finally, I can’t resist sharing this. Don’t try this at home.
Note the Saab wheel to the left of this rather drunken airbag test…..
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flE41vwPTds
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by Swade
September 7, 2010 in Saabology
Hey, German readers.
You have a chance to vote for the Saab 9-5 in the 2011 ADAC Yellow Angel award – for the favourite car on the German market.
This is the seventh set of ADAC awards, which they tout as being the “Automotive Oscars”.
Awards are offered in the following categories: Cars, quality, Innovation and Environment and personality. OK, that’s only four categories…..For the first time there is an award for the ADAC car of the future. The award goes to the model that is the most advanced in terms of practicality, economy, environmental friendliness and safety.
All ADAC members are eligible to vote, so please click here for the start of the poll and have your say (in favour of the 9-5, of course!)
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Thanks to Sebastian!!
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