Swedish press reporting Saab sales in a fair manner

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Never say I don’t give credit where it’s due. Well, kind of due.

I slammed a fair proportion of the Swedish press earlier this week after DI.se and other agencies ran a speculative story that I felt was totally unnecessary and damaging to Saab.

It’s good to see them recording sales information today, even if it’s light on highlights. They also include an acknowledgement that Jan-Ake Jonsson refuted their story from earlier in the week.

Saab climbs in car sales
Updated 2010-12-01 12:20
Volvo tops new car sales in Sweden with 4960 cars sold, but also Saab gears up.

In November, car sales were up by 33 percent compared to the same month last year. Overall, it was sold 26 750 new cars, new figures show from Bil Sweden.

Saab sold during the month 1120 cars in Sweden. Most of the cars was the Model 9-3. Saab model is the fourth best selling car in November and the ninth best selling car model in years……

……On Monday published the German magazine Focus an article which claimed that Saab will not succeed in meeting its goals for 2010 to sell 30000-35000 cars this year. This rejected the CEO Jan Ake Jonsson as “pure speculation” and held that the forecast for 2010 is still valid.

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It’s good to see some other publications covering Saab’s sales rise as well.

From E24.se

In November, newly registered 1119 Saab Cars. There is an increase of 86.2 percent over the same month last year 2009, according to industry organization Bil Sweden.

Saab Automobile applaud course, the rising sales.

– Incredibly gratifying and encouraging for us. These numbers give us the incentive we needed, “says communications manager Hans-Jörgen Brandt said.

He expects a good sale also in December.

– We are going into next year with good momentum.

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It’s good to see Saab Sweden’s hard work paying off.

A word of caution, though. Sweden is Saab’s home market and they’ve advertised quite effectively there, even through all this adversity. There’s a natural curiosity and knowledge that Saab are alive and building cars.

Saab’s other key markets lack this level of awareness. I’m not sure what the UK’s going to bring in terms of sales, but I do fear for the US numbers.

There’s plenty of work still to be done.

24 thoughts on “Swedish press reporting Saab sales in a fair manner”

  1. Splendid!

    Thanks Victor Muller, JÅJ and staff for all the hard work!

    And thank all buyers that do not give a rats a about the gravedigger journos.

    Saab is here to stay and Grow!

    Cheers/Tom

  2. Oh deer, I think Hirsch collided with a moose!!
    They have updated their performance update availability table for 2011, and they will offer (Coming soon!! ) an Update for the 9-3 SS with the D227L engine.
    I mean, this was the Diesel engine in the 9-3 SS till 2004 !!!!!!!!

  4. Speaking of moose, there were three of them spotted at the Stallbacka bridge today, just by the side of a busy intersection and only a stone’s throw from Saab Central. When Saab refers to moose as neighbors, they’re not kidding!

  5. Can anyone explain why there is virtually no advertising in the US? At least advertise in the Northeast where there are no inventory problems.

    • I, too, am concerned about the US market. They seem to be doing things an awful lot like the GM days and did not produce great results before, did it? Not trying to be negative here but I just don’t understand why there wasn’t a clean break with leadership other than if there was some contractual requirement as part of the sale by GM to Spyker.

    • From a story in TTELA on the 19th:

      “Mike Colleran, head of Saab USA, tells TTELA that they’ve given a lot of thought to their PR strategy. The most expensive, but also important, is to be seen on TV. Such money as Saab has for TV ads will be spent on a few really big events, such as the Oscars, the Grammys or sports events. If this strategy proves successful will be seen in the coming year.”

  7. I am also concerned about the US market. I’ve yet to see a 9-5 on the street! There is plenty of inventory at several Chicago area dealers, but virtually no ads other than occasional quick sponsorhip messages on the local NPR radio station.

    I am also concerned that GM is still handling some of their marketing and even the bad US website STILL has a couple of GM links on it. I got an email from SAAB marketing team 2 days ago and even the text of the email referred to GM’s 50,000 mile engine/drive train warranty. One would think that SAAB would try to at least beef up their website and erase all links to GM on their website and in any corporate communication!

  9. I’m glad to see Saab’s sales are improving, but they could have done a better exhibit at the LA Auto Show. They had one 9-4X on a rotating display, inaccessible. With this new model being so important to them, why didn’t they have it stationary and unlocked so people can explore it more in person?

    Also, I didn’t see a 9-3 wagon on display.

  11. I just had a blow regarding my US dealer, Parkfield. They’re a wonderful dealer in a brand new stand-alone building located about 10 minutes over the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan. I called them today regarding scheduling a service appointment for my 2009 9-3Combi and found that they’ve closed. I guess they hung on as long as possible, but finally reality hit. They will be missed. And worse, this leave New York City without a decent dealer in close proximity. I still meet many otherwise knowledgeable people who think Saab is dead, sold to the Chinese, etc. We need some effective advertising. We need PR people who can get free coverage and stories in print and television media. Why do I have to read a long story about how Mercury has produced their last car in the NYTimes, and they haven’t yet run a review of the 9-5 or 9-3X in the car column of the Sunday paper? Why isn’t there a print ad in a magazine like the New Yorker? Why hasn’t Car and Driver, or one of the other relatively mass market car magazines run a story about Saab’s survival and some reports on their new products, both available now and soon to come. If good dealers die, Saab will die, and certainly no dealer can exist without product and the advertising and publicity to move it.

    • I have yet to see a new 9-5 in the wild in New York City or environs. I don’t know if it’s possible, but there are a variety of spots in New York City such as inside Grand Central Station, Time Warner Center, Rockefeller Center, and the plaza outside of the 5th Avenue Apple store, that combine super high pedestrian traffic with a very upscale demographic. Having just one beautiful 9-5 on site for a day or two at a few such locations would give exposure to the 9-5 (and Saab) to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, potential buyers.

  14. Every Airport in the Country has a spot where a car can be placed with high walk-by traffic too. It’s a perfect place to show your Stuff. The kind of folk who’d be potential buyers. I suspect those spaces are at a premium though (because the other marques aren’t idiots).

    I walked through Toronto’s Airport last week. Infiniti M-something plunked on the way to the Gates.

    • Very true. I was at Munich airport this spring, and there was a Merc in the main hall. I’ve seen a million Mercs, but to see it just sitting pristinely there with great lighting and not a spec of dirt or dust made me stop in my tracks. Imagine how a 9-5 that most have never seen would go over in a display like that.

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