Saab won’t have a stand at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) this year, but they’ll still have an opportunity for the press to meet up with the SCNA executive team, as well as an announcement to make.
Unfortunately you’ll need a press credential to get in, so it’s not for the rank and file.
My educated guess would be that the press conference will be at least partially concerned with the arrival of Hirsch Performance in the US.
Nice cutted picture! 🙂
To bad about no major presence. From a media perspective this is the biggest show in North America. there are still folks who think Saab went out of business.
For what it’s worth, I would buy the 300hp upgrade for my 2008 9-3 xwd if it were available in the US.
That’s a GREAT photo I’d love as a desktop wallpaper. Have we seen the full image anywhere before?
I, again, really don’t think the lack of a presence at the NAIAS is a huge deal for many of the reasons I’ve pointed out before (dramatic drop in the show’s importance, difficulty rising above the clutter, extortion level costs, etc). My guess is if they come back to the show at all, it’ll be with the North American debut of the 2012 9-3…
There are 2 reasons I think Saab is dead on with their decision to be at press day at the auto show.
1. The media will still know exactly where Saab is, given they all received invites, all want a free lunch, and are mostly staying in the immediate vicinity of Cobo. I’m sure there will still be articles and even photos generated from their light display at their pop up show exhibit. Creating their own “SNÖ HUS” costs a ton less than paying the NAIAS for space, gets their message out just as much, and probably is a much more controlled and hospitable setting to talk one on one and be on message than competing inside Cobo where every 5 minutes there’s some huge sound explosion going on, with a celebrity unveiling at Mercedes or Hyundai. Keep the journos fed, happy, and liquored up and you’ll probably have positive press.
2. Not having a Saab stand for the metro detroit public to peruse doesn’t seem like a huge deal, given the SCNA is headquartered in Royal Oak. They’ve been sponsoring local events, and the Detroit area as a whole is pretty savvy to what’s going on in the car world. If they’re extra smart, they’ll put a few local commercial spots up to promote coming into the metro Detroit dealers for a special event for perspective customers, and open SNÖ HUS if you will :).
I’m pretty consistently impressed with how the new team is managing their press in recent months after a shaky start.