There is an interview of Victor Muller on Canada.com
I don’t know if this is a big site in Canada, but at least there is some news of Saab in Canadian media.
Most of the information given in this article is well known to most or all SaabsUnited readers but there are a couple of things that where new, at least to me.
John Anderson, executive director of sales in North America, hopes to grow the dealer network to about 25 stores and sell about 2,500 cars this year.
If you are missing a Dealer in your region, Saab is willing to expand from 13 (currently) to 25 dealers.
2500 cars is quite a lot, if we think that Saab has sold only 11 cars in January, but…
It’s working on establishing a leasing program — a key element for achieving sales success in the premium segment.
..such a leasing program will help a lot.
And at last a small detail about a possible Sonnett.
The other dream is to build a small two-seater sports car, a fresh iteration of the Sonnett, ….,would require the development of a new platform.
It seems like a Sonnett would be based on the same platform as a small Saab, and therefore without the 92(9-2) there will be no Sonnett.
“If you are missing a Dealer in your region, Saab is willing to expand from 13 (currently) to 25 dealers.”
YES PLEASE !!
Add at least 2 more to the Greater Vancouver region (we currently now have one, Springman’s Saab in Surrey). One more in a more central location to Vancouver/Richmond/Burnaby area, and another in either downtown Vancouver, or in the North Shore. Vancouver is a city of many bridges and bad traffic congestion, so a bigger, better-distributed network of dealers would go a LONG way in keeping existng Saabers happy as well as pulling in new ones.
Also a fourth dealer in Victoria (existing one was a Saab/Saturn/Isuzu dealer) and a fifth one in the interior city of Kelowna would be really nice.
Sorry I should have said, Kelowna too used to have a Saab/Saturn/Isuzu dealer. So at its heyday, Saab had a total of FIVE dealerships in the province of BC:
Lansdowne (Richmond)
Morrey (Burnaby)
Springman’s (Surrey)
Victoria
Kelowna
SaabKen,
The Greater Vancouver Area would be a tough one right now as there is one here now (US). Think of some of the other provinces that have it tough, like Halifax with one. I can see the need for a store in Kamloops or Kelowna maybe as well. For those of us in the Greater Vancouver area, we need to remember that it could be worse. Think we could have been in Abbotsford, atleast Surrey is pretty central to everywhere and at worst it might take you 45min to an hour to get here.
I wasn’t sure if I should leave a comment to this SU posting, or the Saab Small Market” posting I was reminded that Saab was mentioned in an article in The Toronto Star on January 21,
Luxury car dealers celebrate banner year
“Rounding out the luxury brands were India’s Land Rover (2,547 vehicles sold, up 27 per cent) and Jaguar (755 sold, down 6.1 per cent) brands — and Saab.
The last-place Dutch automaker sold only two units in 2010, down 99.7 per cent compared to when the brand was marketed as a General Motors’ brand.”
Hi keith,
Saab sold only 2 units in December 2010, but the dealers got their first units also in December.
They managed to increase that number to 11 in January.
HI Red J. I’m in no way disputing facts, I’m illustrating how a major newspaper creates a perception with their reporting. That is, the report in no way brings to light what you summarized in one sentence. It’s a shame, is all. I read the Toronto Star, and find that I am regularly surprised by how Saab is reported on in it’s articles. It can appear to a reader that Saab simply fails to sell cars, or barely exists, without a sentence or two to flesh the story out. Ah well. It is an unfortunate necessity that VM bang the drums as loudly as possible.
Woohoo! On a completely separate note, in today’s mail came a letter from Saab Canada, announcing their re-establishment in the Canadian marketplace. There is loyalty offering..
Come on 9-5SC!
Nice of Victor to wander onto these fair shores to give us an interview. The biggest issue we face in Canada is the lack of leasing at the moment and I am glad that this is being addressed. Its a tough sell trying to coax someone into a Saab when you cannot lease.
I am heading down to see Rob at Springmans in Surrey to sign myself up for a 2013 9-3 when they are released. Well that is my plan but I have to convince my significant other which could be a tough sell. All of this could be totally irrelevant should my numbers come up in the lottery tomorrow as Id have a 9-5 2.0T with a stickshift, Hirsched up to 260bhp loaded with every single option plus those Edge rims. Colour? Thats the tough part. Arctic White, Glacier Silver or Carbon Gray! 🙂
Zippy – what if you offered your SO your current Saab ? Would that pave the way for the 2013 9-3 ? [grin]
Me too! Well not in Canada, but in the UK as soon as its out I am going to the shop. other factors are irrelevant its going to happen-tell her its a genetic condition you have then point at her shoes and dresses.
Zippy,
We’re down here waiting for your call, let us know if your numbers come up tomorrow.
And it is Sonett, with just one “n” 🙂
Peter,
I think I will learn how to write Sonett right the day I own one. 😉
Stockholm Greetings!
I’m all for Shooting High… but Surely Mr. Anderson has been misquoted and 2012 (or 2013) would be a more reasonable timeline for those numbers (when NG 9-3 hits streets) .
We’re already into February.
The last thing we need right now is to be Wolf Crying…a little cautious, conservative optimism might go along way.
The platform statement is really surprising. Ok, the Sonett should be a smaller car, but still somewhat ambitious in regards driving fun etc. And I am pretty sure that Phoenix will be suitable for such a car. Look at the competition.
Why a smaller platform anyway? There are two reasons:
-Cheaper components i.e. Technically less thrilling, to be able to compete price wise.
-Smaller engine bay, so that there is enough interior space even though the car is shorter.
Both reasons would not really apply to a Sonett, I presume?
Given the IQ I would assume VM to have, there must be a reason behind that statement. But which one?
Smaller cars can be fun driving and I hope a small Sonett also means a basic -> lightweight -> peppy Sonett, as in no airco, windows that are operated manually etc.
Now that would be cool, IMHO.
Thylmuc,
I think you are putting two concepts in a pot.
Big doesn’t mean fun to drive and vice versa.
i think VM, when he thinks of a Sonett, thinks of a Elisse sized two seater, small light, fun to drive even with a small engine.
Phoenix, and this has alredy been said many times, can’t be downsized below the NG9-3, thus they need something else for anything smaller than the NG9-3.
Now I see the light 🙂 tge Elise is in fact very small; just looked it up in Wikipedia. So, the new platform should also be able to accomodate complex suspensions.
Did anyone hear or does anyone know if VM talked about the price difference between US and Canadian markets? I don’t make a lot of money, and the only car I’ve ever owned (and still own) is a Saab 9-3 2001 which I bought used in 2006 and which I will never get rid off since I love it so much. Right now my family is growing, and I’m looking to purchase/lease the 9-3X and it’s kills me to see the US dealer prices. Heck they even get more loyalty cash than us Canadians (3.5k vs 1.5k). Why are we treated like 2nd class citizens in the global car market? Can our brand Saab and fearless leader VM do something about this? Look at the new Jetta, the germans dropped the price and the VW dealers don’t have enough in stock to keep up with their sales. The Jetta is cheaper inside than before, less attractive outside and keeps most of the old technology yet they’re selling like hot cakes: only reason is price. (By the way, I’m in no way comparing the Jetta to a Saab). Imagine if Saab kept similar prices as US in Canada (ei kept pace with reality in terms of the US-CAN dollar exchange rate), I’m sure people who didn’t look at Saab before would certainly do so when comparing Euro sport premium brands; plus those of us thinking of getting 1 might even remortgage the house to get 2! 🙂
[I’ll step off my soapbox now……]
K2_Montreal,
The credits in Canada are just applied differently. In Canada we have a $1500 loyalty credit and a $2000 cash credit, I thought in the US the credits for 2011 are $2000 loyalty and $1500 cash credit, thats what I’ve seen on dealers sites in the US…. Maybe it’s changed again, I don’t know. The pricing is frusterating, but kind of understandable when you consider the volume of cars the US dealers buy and sell. Our freight and pricing is more because it has to make financial sense to a manufacturer to have a dealer body in Canada and it wouldn’t if we were price match with the US and if the US didn’t do the volume that they do, I’m sure their pricing wouldn’t be where it is. When looking at US prices, one has to remember some of the things missing in that price. Because the car is built outside of North America, you have to add 6.5% duty to that price as well as broker fees and inspection fees to register the car. Pre owned cars in the US are actually starting to be close to our prices when you do the math on Saabs, of coarse there are some eceptions but Saabs are becoming harder to find on US auctions. I know you weren’t comparing the Jetta to a Saab, but the only way to do something like that would be to de-content the car and I think most people on here would agree that if you de-content, then it’s no longer a Saab.