Rune Moberg, Author at SAABSUNITED

Easter Snippets

July 8, 2016April 3, 2015 by Rune Moberg

Anna and I often get a kick out of spotting Saabs in contemporary TV shows. The Big Bang Theory is one of the shows we never miss, and one of the main characters (Leonard – the most normal one of the bunch) drives a sleek-looking 9-5. Usually they only show a glimpse of his 9-5, I guess to make it less obvious that most of the time they use a green screen to provide the background.

However, this week’s episode was filmed on location, and several great shots of Leonard’s 9-5 was shown. The 9-5’s Saab logo on the hood nearly burned a hole in my screen.

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People not driving Saabs every day are more likely to punch you in the face. However, they can also provide a great source of entertainment. Three guys who used to run a popular car show have formed their own facebook group.

(And in case any of you missed it, make sure you check out Top Gear’s Saab Tribute)

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A good friend and allround decent chap, Johan Bohlin (yes, the Saab ice cream guy) wanted to show his support for the factory and started a new facebook event: We Support Saab. It is a virtual event (and at the moment very low key), so no need to go anywhere physically, but maybe it will be a good idea to find a nice place to visit (in your Saab of course) and just enjoy the day? It can also serve as a mental preparation for this year’s Saab festival. We will be attending the festival and look forward to seeing you all in Trollhättan.

Happy New Year!

July 8, 2016December 31, 2014 by Rune Moberg

From all of us Saabsunited crew members, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Till would normally write this, but the doctor put a splint in his arm and the task has fallen on me to write a few words.

2014 has been another odd year for us Saab fans. NEVS are struggling on after making only a handful 9-3s. It was not the revival we had hoped, but I choose to remain positive and supportive of their future endeavors. Our 9-5 and 9-3 are still young cars and I will make sure they last ten or fifteen years if that is what it takes. But in short, another annus horribilis for sure.

For me personally, 2014 was somewhat of a roller-coaster figuratively speaking. I had to attend three funerals: My sister’s dad, a dear friend from school and a neighbor (and father of my best friend). At one point I told my friend to order his dad to keep going, cancer be damned. “I am not attending another funeral!” were my explicit instructions. If only life was that simple. Just like a Swedish car manufacturer that produces impeccably designed safe and fast vehicles with soul, the end was inevitably nigh. No, I am not a bitter man; at least not in public.

Then, on November 3rd, my son Nils was born. He screamed like a banshee leaving the hospital, but calmed down upon spotting the Saab. We took Anna’s 9-3 going to the hospital, and I fetched them a few days later in my 9-5. Being somewhat of a nutter, I kind of hoped that Anna would deliver Nils in the Saab, but all things considered the hospital was probably the best place for the activity at hand. Nils weighed in at 3.8 kg and had about as much hair as me. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know I will accept whatever life-style choices Nils will be making, as long as he drives a Saab.

2015 can only get better. It has to.

Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee – in a 2-stroke

July 8, 2016December 14, 2014 by Rune Moberg

One of my favorite comedians, Jerry Seinfeld, has for the past few years been heading up his own little web-tv show where he is inviting various colleagues for a ride in an interesting car and a cup of coffee.

And, in season five, they finally feature a proper car: A two stroke Monte Carlo 850.

I wonder if we will see Jerry return with a black 900 one of these days? Black Saab rules!

Inspector Rebus and more (review snippets)

July 8, 2016November 16, 2014 by Rune Moberg

Good whisky. Proper music. An interesting car. And solving crimes. We all know what ingredients are required for a proper detective novel of this century.

Inspector Rebus taking a nap in the 9-3's comfy seats. Rude colleague interrupting (I had a colleague like that once, she kept poking my sides during meetings. I lost countless hours of sleep because of her). — Inspector Rebus taking a nap in the 9-3’s comfy seats. Rude colleague interrupting (I had a colleague like that once, she kept poking my sides during meetings. I lost countless hours of sleep because of her).

Enter Ian Rankin’s character Inspector John Rebus. Rebus enjoys a good Scotch, he listens to The Rolling Stones and he drives …a Saab.

No wonder then that a dear colleague (who shares my love of Saabs, but not the Stones) of mine suggested I should acquaint myself with the Inspector.

The first few books start off lightly. He notices a 900 parked on a street, or a fancy 9000 parked in some politician’s driveway (“Strip Jack”), but eventually his old car packs it in and Rebus finds himself driving a Saab.

The novels have been adapted to TV and two actors have so far portrayed Rebus. The first series overplayed the melancholy part a bit and the second series delayed the introduction of the Saab too long (episode 7), but the exit given to his previous car underlined the significance of switching to a proper car. Unlike Commander Bond, the transition from books to film kept the Saab (although, in “Strip Jack” the politician no longer drives a Saab).

Rebus drives a OG900 in the book as well as the first TV show, and a OG9-3 in the second.

All in all, the series provides lots of pleasant reading (or watching if you prefer the TV show) for Saab fans of all ages. I give it 4 griffins out of 5.

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The Goodmans and their 9-5. Stereo blasting at full tilt.

Next, in a completely different genre, is the TV show Friday Night Dinner. The action mostly takes place in the family home of the Goodmans. Their two adult sons turn up for a family dinner every Friday, and inevitably something always goes sideways. Lots of good comedy ensues, but the head of the family drives a OG9-5. In the second episode the family tries to figure out the 9-5’s stereo (I swear I could hear Tim shouting “read the manual!” in the background) and later they performed an impromptu crash test backing into a friend’s Mercedes.

It is a funny and well executed TV show, but the 9-5 clearly deserves more exposure (with regards, signed Captain Obvious). So only 3 griffins on this.

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If that fails to quench your thirst for Saab-related fictional literature, I would also like to point out my earlier review of “A Man Called Ove”. The book has since been translated to several languages and does a remarkable job of exploring the psyche of an average Saab driver. A 5 griffin rated book. Not bad, considering the book’s author drives a ~~Toyota~~Hyundai.

Supplier files for NEVS bankruptcy hearing (updated)

July 8, 2016August 12, 2014 by Rune Moberg

P4 Väst reports that NEVS owes one of the suppliers 150000 SEK (~ $21800 USD). A bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for September 8th.

Monday 11th was the first day after the vacation for many of NEVS’ employees. There were rumors that an announcement of a deal would be made known yesterday, but nothing has materialized so far. It would surprise me greatly if this situation has not been resolved, one way or another, long before September 8th.

Fingers crossed.

(h/t to Daniel B in comments)

Update (18:00): Swedish television reports that the CEO of Labo test was unaware of the legal motion. It was the company handling their invoices that filed on their behalf. “We will now consider our options and one alternative might be that we withdraw our request”.

(h/t to mk for the link to the followup story)

Lafrentz’ Saab meet in Kiel June 13th/14th

July 8, 2016June 24, 2014 by Rune Moberg

For the past two weeks Anna and I have been trekking around Germany in my 9-5. Stops along the way: Berlin, Kiel, Wolfsburg and Düsseldorf.

Berlin & Düsseldorf because I happen to be a 178 cm tall Stones fan (i.e. a medium to large fan) and they just happened to be playing those towns (if any of you have two spare tickets for Stockholm, let me know).

Wolfsburg because RedJ and his wife lives nearby and we enjoy hanging out with them. Apparently they have an automobile factory down there too.

Kiel… Well, as Trued reported there was a Saab meet taking place there last weekend. Knowing that Autohaus Lafrentz have specialized themselves on the NG 9-5 I decided it was an opportune moment to check them out.

Ethan in the background getting the coffee going. Meanwhile a hungry Norwegian dude (behind the camera) is about to pounce on the breakfast buffet long before everyone has arrived.

The event was one of the most pleasant Saab weekends I have ever participated in. Lafrentz had gone all out and provided free food and beverages for the 34 NG 9-5 owners who signed up for the event in addition to a hefty bag of swag (flashlight, Hirsch cap and a usb memory stick among other things). Friday evening we enjoyed a nice barbeque, followed by a hearty breakfast the next day, and finally the big dinner on Saturday. In between the scheduled activities we got to talk to old and new friends and see lots of great 9-5s, including eight of the pre-production combis.

After seeing some of the neat stuff Lafrentz have in stock, it dawned on me just how significant they have become in the NG 9-5 community: Replacement dashboard fascia (as previously reported by RedJ), rare 9-5 SC parts secured after the bankruptcy and some upgrades intended for future 9-5s.

Case in point: A fellow Norwegian had his 9-5 retrofitted with a back-up camera. The job was completed in about eight hours, and a new discovery was made along the way: MY11 sported a different wiring harness between the transmission and the steering wheel. MY10 seems to be better prepared for this particular upgrade than its slightly newer sibling. Wires have to be

More pictures from MapTun Meet 2014

July 8, 2016May 29, 2014 by Rune Moberg

Ninety-nine pictures and a nasty sunburn later…

First cars delivered to customers

July 8, 2016April 29, 2014 by Rune Moberg

Customers Marie Kristoffersson-Persson and Yvonne Danielsson with Mattias Bergman

Today, two very happy customers took delivery of their new Saabs at the factory in splendid weather. This marks the end of a very dark period in the factory’s history: Almost three years without delivering cars.

Vehicle program manager Frank Smit first told us about what changes has been made to the car. He emphasized the refined chassis and the new seats. “The new seats offer improved whiplash protection. Especially for women.” Göran Fredrikson later added “the chassis is a blend of the old sport chassis and the normal chassis. It gives you a sporty feeling while adding more comfort and reducing the road noise”.

Mattias Bergman rounded off the first part of the event with a presentation of the 9-3 and Nevs emphasizing “körglädje” (the pleasure/fun of driving or “Pure Joy”) as one of the most important aspect of a Saab. After talking with many existing customers, that was the word that popped up most frequently.

Several bullet points followed: