Netherlands – SAABSUNITED

Dutch warranty solution

February 14, 2012February 14, 2012 by till72

The Dutch Saab importer Beherman has set up a warranty plan in cooperation with the Dutch dealers:

CLARITY OF WARRANTY AND ORIGINAL PARTS IN THE NETHERLANDS
Saab importer and dealer network to launch an alternative to factory warranty scheme.
Utrecht – The bankruptcy of Saab Automobile on 19 December, ended the official, 24 months applicable manufacturer’s warranty. Although the liquidators now lead Saab Automobile, and not yet have decided on the possible continuation of that guarantee, the Dutch importer Beherman Saab Group, in collaboration with the Dutch dealers has created an alternative. Importantly it also incorporates the wide availability of original parts. For Saab drivers nothing will change, despite the bankruptcy of Saab in Sweden, in terms of security and low maintenance.
The Beherman Group, the official Saab importer for the Benelux, together with the official Dutch Saab network, consisting of 38 service points, has designed an alternative concept to the loss of the factory guarantee. This alternative plan warranty is only valid for cars sold over the last 24 months through the official Dutch Saab sales channel in the Netherlands. The initiative comes to end a period of uncertainty for all Dutch Saab drivers with a recently purchased new Saab.
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Saab smaller market sales data – December 2010

January 6, 2011January 7, 2011 by Swade

UPDATED!!

It’s sales data time again. Thanks to BoeBoe for many of them in comments and others via email.

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Taiwan

December: 66 (+0,81% vs 61 from 2009)

Full year 2010: 390 (-1,51% vs 396 from 2009)

Thanks Alan!

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Germany

December: 131 (+70,13%)

Full year 2010: 2010: 788 (-37,71%)

There were 68,551 Saabs registered in Germany on January 1st 2010 (-3.34%, market share 0,16%, total amount of registered cars in Germany: 41,737,627) in comparison to January 1st 2009 (70,920, market share 0,17%).

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Luxembourg

Dec 2010 – 5

Year 2010 – 56 (70 in 2009)

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Slovenia

November – 2 (3 in 2009)
December – TBA
Jan-Nov 2010 – 12 (22 in 2009)

Thanks Marko!

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Norway

December: 76 (26) +192%
Year: 390 (420) -7%

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Canada

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 2 vs 53 (-96,23%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 2 vs 777 (-99,74%)

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Russia

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 0 vs 33 (-100%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 197 vs 368 (-46,47%)

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Switzerland

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 107 vs 51 (+109,80%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 628 vs 714 (-12,04%)

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France

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 110 vs 101 (+8,91%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 574 vs 1.585 (-63,79%)

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Spain

From Cardoso, via email….

Hi, Swade,
I send you the Spanish sales of Saab of December. This month Saab sold 119 cars in Spain (there were 115 in December 2009).
The final sales for 2010 were 755 cars (1.577 in 2009).
Nevertheless, the figures are growing pretty good in the last few months here in my country. If my memory doesn’t fail, 36 cars were sold in August, 63 in September, 69 in October, 81 in November and, finally, 119 in December.

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Italy

From Carlo, via email….

Sales in Dec 2010 were 99 (Dec 09: 127; -22%)
Total Sales in 2010 were 633 (total 2009: 1891; -52%)

My guess is that 99 would definitely be the highest monthly total for 2010 in Italy. Even if the total number for the year is down, the trend is on the way back up.

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Netherlands

From BoeBoe, via comments:

December (’10 vs ’09)
9-3 6 vs 2 (+200%)
9-5 2 vs 3 (-33,33%)
Total 8 vs 5 (+60%)
2010 vs 2009
9-3 339 vs 422 (-19,67%)
9-5 191 vs 96 (+98,96%)
9-7X 0 vs 3 (-100%)
Total 530 vs 521 (+1,72%)

That’s still alarmingly low for the Dutch market.

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Belgium

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 69 vs 50 (+38%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 1.090 vs 1.259 (-13,42%)

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Portugal

December (’10 vs ’09)
Total 8 vs 7 (+14,29%)

2010 vs 2009
Total 31 vs 121 (-74,38%)

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Finland:

Dec 2010: 42

Full year 2010: 199 (371 in 2009)

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I’ll add more countries as they come in.

Dutch Saabers – win a trip to the Ice Hotel

January 3, 2011January 3, 2011 by Swade

OK, so it’s not as easy as the US competition, where anyone can post a video to Youtube and win a trip to the Ice Hotel, but it’s still a potential added bonus for any prospective Saab 9-3 buyers out there.

Details are at the Saab.NL homepage, but here’s a pretty video that I can’t understand 🙂 …..

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik35rfHRPh0

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Autoblog.NL poll

December 11, 2010December 11, 2010 by Swade

UPDATE III: The Mercedes and BMW fans are striking back. Here’s how the top half of the poll looks right now, after the Saab enjoyed a healthy 500 vote lead a few days ago.

If you haven’t voted yet, then please go cast your vote – the poll is in the right sidebar – and let’s show these suckers we mean business!

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Web polls are all about the people having their say in the question at hand.

The website: Autoblog.nl

The question: What is the Autoblog car of the year for 2010?

The situation: The Saab 9-5 is doing commendably, but could probably use a little help if you feel so inclined. The poll is in the right sidebar of the Autoblog.nl website.

The poll is unofficial and the result is purely superficial, but if a high-ish finish for the Saab 9-5 opens up just one person’s eyes, then it’s a good thing, eh?

Tuesday Night Snippets

November 9, 2010 by Swade

Just been to see The Social Network. Very good film.

And on another personal note, can I just say I hope Mark Webber drives the wheels off his Red Bull next weekend and brings home Australia’s first F1 World Championship in 30 years. Go, Aussie Grit!

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Saab Netherlands are pushing their cars towards the medical crowd, having just signed a deal offering special discounts to medical professionals there.

There are some 13,000 members in the professional organisation, all of whom will have access to special pricing.

Whilst I couldn’t find the press release they refer to, Autoweek.nl have the details.

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This Saab 9-5 review at EVO isn’t a new one. I think it passed across my inbox last month but I didn’t cover it here.

It’s just passed by again, thanks to Pete Y, and I figured now’s as good a time as any.

It’s a little odd in that EVO are a UK-based publication and the Saab 9-5 copped a fair caning from the press there. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the writer at EVO loving the new 9-5 and giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

I’d have one over a 5-series or an A6, no question. Objectively it’s as good, in some ways better. Subjectively, it’s about 200 per cent more interesting.

Good stuff, that.

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Speaking of the 9-5, if you’d like to know a little more about the origins of the DriveSense system, click here.

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I see a yellow Saab every time I walk out my front door. It’s a bit of a clown car, but I’m quite used to it now.

I don’t think I’d get so accustomed to seeing this yellow Saab every day, though.

Thanks to Mark C!

Dutch Saab sales data – October 2010

November 4, 2010November 4, 2010 by Swade

Albert V has emailed me with Saab sales numbers for the Dutch market in October.

These are still small numbers, but considering how incredibly small Dutch numbers have been this year, these are actually a genuine move in the right direction. Dutch sales numbers haven’t been this close to three figures in a month for as long as I can remember.

There’s a long way to do, but the only way is up.

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Saab delivered 84 cars in the last month. That is a market share of 0,19%

Compared to October 2009 it is an improvement (39 cars 0,11%).

From January till October 2010 Saab delivered 470 cars (0,11%), compared to 483 cars (0,14%) last year. From 483 to 470 is -2,7%. The total market however grew with 23,5%!

Compared to September 2010 Saab grew enormously. In September Saab delivered 35 cars at a market share of 0,08%.

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More from Albert, specifically about prices:

The figures seem to give some hope. There is an improvement in market share. However, current sales are only 20% to 25% of their normal status here.

At least Saab is acting on the price front. They lowered prices and made the engines better in fuel economy and that lowers taxes, so there is hope for improvement.

My Saab is a 9-3 Estate with 5-sp auto. i bought it in 2006 for around €41.000. Don’t get scared about that price though, an equivalent Audi A4 or BMW 320 sets you back at least €6.500 more. And you get arrogant dealers with them for free.

The engine is what is called the 1.8t over here. That is the 2-liter with 150 hp. I have given it the Hirsch treatment this summer (at 100.000 km!), should have done that earlier, but we never got around to it. For the MY2011 this engine is only available in the basic equipment level. Standard now is the same engine with 175hp.

I just configured the same car as I own now at the saab website. With the 175 hp engine (the Hirsch still costs 1.300 extra) and with satnav, carbon interior and some other stuff that is not in my current car it now sells for €38.125.

So it is now about € 3.000 cheaper than in 2006! How about that?

Saab sponsoring Dutch womens speedskate team (Team Liga)

November 3, 2010November 3, 2010 by Swade

Saab Netherlands has taken on sponsorship of Team Liga, a Dutch womens speedskating team.

The Dutch speedskating season is about to begin and Team Liga is a new team in the Dutch competition. The main sponsor is Liga, a biscuit company (yum!)

The star of the team is Annette Gerritsen, who has held a number of junior speedskating records, and who won the Olympic silver in the 1000m, missing gold by only 2/100ths of a second.

The other team members are Marianne Timmer, Margot Boer and Floor van den Brandt.

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If my entry about this new sponsorship seems a little bit mechanical, it’s because I know absolutely nothing about competitive ice skating in general, or speedskating in particular. Hey, I live in Australia, where speedskating is seen only slightly more frequently than Halley’s Comet.

But my understanding is that it’s big up there in Europe, so it’s great to see SaabNL getting involved.

Go Team Liga!!

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Saab Apeldoorn deliver first Saab 9-5

October 17, 2010 by Swade

Saab Apeldoorn is a Dutch Saab dealership that has a special place at the heart of Saabs United.

It was opened on April 1, 2009. If you’re very new to the world of Saab, that date might not mean much. If you’ve been following Saab for at least a little while now, then you’d know that April 2009 was right when things were looking quite dire for Saab. GM had only just announced that Saab were to be sold but there were no named buyers and the market had pretty much written Saab off for closure.

Most would suggest that April 2009 would not have been the ideal time to open a Saab dealership, but open they did (and they’ve opened two more since, in Utrecht and Duiven).

And I’m pleased to say that whilst it’s been a tough road, they’re still here, and Martin from Saab Apeldoorn sent me an email today showing me their first Saab 9-5 delivery – and it’s in Java Metallic!

The car belongs to a very happy customer named Bertil K (he sent me copies of the photos too 🙂 ) and as you can see, it’s got the cocoa interior with wood accents as well – fantastic stuff.

My congratulations to Bertil on his new 9-5, which looks absolutely delicious, as well as to the crew at Saab Apeldoorn. May it be the first of many!

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