I was at my local Saab garage today, Astley Saab of Yeovil, and For Sale out the front was this beautiful 9-3 Griffin Convertible.
I could not help but make it my Pic and Pick of the day. As you know it is one of the last ones that ANA finished off by hand.
larger version can be found here
I see a Mahindra product to the right in the SsangYong Korando, we don’t have those in North America
Quite a few of the Saab Dealers here in the UK now sell SsangYong.
hmm, I won’t read anything into that….. Would be nice if I could, I would kill to have something new to sell right now.
I wish Mahindra and SsangYong were selling cars in the U.S. It’s interesting—-Mahindra is spending a lot on advertising their tractors in the U.S. They have some effective television spots and I even see outdoor advertising (billboards) on my way to my weekend place a couple hours from where I live year-round. Mahindra might just be setting the pace to bring their trucks here—by getting people familiar with the name.
Before our dealership unfortunately succumbed to the difficult SAAB situation we were also talking to SsangYong as a second string to our bow.
That’s a beautiful Saab. I’d imagine it will look very cool driving around in the winter.
We all know how long the 9-3 has been around. We’ve all talked about how “old” the design is. Here’s the thing: I don’t get tired of looking at it. I see 9-3s often in the Washington, DC area. I usually look inside them when I’m at my dealer getting my 9-5 serviced, waiting for my car. I’ll look on the lot—-and see 9-3s up close. I don’t care what anyone says—-they still look fresh. It’s why I thought Mahindra could make a go of it if they could have gained the authority to make and sell 9-3 sedans, wagons and convertibles while feverishly working on replacements for the 9-4 and 9-5 that stingy and bitter GM would not allow in the sale. And it’s also why I find some comfort in hearing that NEVS will begin with the 9-3 for their first EV. I think it’s perfect—-not the fact that it’ll be an EV and not the fact that I probably won’t be able to buy one anyway in the U.S.—-but the fact that they are starting WITH A SAAB!!! GM era maybe—–but this is a Saab through and through. The car in the photo is gorgeous.
I agree! A very well-designed and beautiful car! 🙂
Indeed; would love to find a Griffin convertable.
Still a very nive car; in fact the Saab convertable is still the nicest convertable there is on the streets; at least I see it that way.
Sorry; convertible
5 of them for sale in Sweden right now, two are brand new!
Curious to know if NEVS has the rights to make all 9-3 models? Why wouldn’t NEVS make regular 9-3’s until they have EV’s ready?
Looking at this car, is sad, no more for a very long time I would guess. On top of that, the so-called dock cars are starting to show up on American eBay. After they are sold , when will we see the next? Keep your fingers crossed, stay calm, and carry on.
Chris
Chris: If NEVS does the right thing, we’ll see them in a few years perhaps—-maybe four years, in the U.S.? They will be electric. If there’s some sort of miracle, maybe we’ll see petrol powered Saabs for sale in the U.S./Canada again too.
I want to believe!
I wonder how much it would cost to license a few Japanese ICE powertrains and give them the famous Saab treatment?
I have a 2008 Aero convertible which I still think is a great car. It was cool this morning in Florida and I pulled it out of the garage for first time in a few weeks. From an exterior standpoint I don’t think they need(ed) to do much to freshen the vert or the 9-3SS, maybe make it a little more aggressive looking but I’d put it up against anything BMW or Audi has to offer as far as aesthetics go. It will be a stylish car for years to come. The interior and infotainment features need(ed) to be brought up to date though. I think some of the NG 9-5 tech could have bled some life into the current 9-3 and bought some time. Pity it all came crashing down in the end. NEVS building any 9-3, I doubt it..
Had a nice phone call saturday afternoon, long story short, a write up will follow soon but here are a few extra pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trollpowersaab/sets/72157631553111753/