Comments on: What’s Chevy doing to Saab design?

By: saab9x

saab9x — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:53:41 +0000

everyone wants a piece saab’s “aero,” either by design, as in the “volt” or by name, as in microsoft’s windows (vista) “aero.” (*rim shot*)

seriously, the “volt” mimicks the aero-x’s “theme,” unabashedly.

…”name brand” vs. “generic”:

some call the chrysler “300″ the “baby bentley” since it “borrows” quite heavily from a rolls royce (even though bentley and rolls royce separated years ago). both are successful, in different price markets, of course.

so, do i find the “volt” acceptable?–well, by liking the aero-x, i’m pretty much locked in to liking its cousin (the “volt”). it’s just that the family tree is beginning to look, well…, “funny” (…imbreeding comes to mind). and the price markets may be too close for comfort.

By: Frank A

Frank A — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:22:43 +0000

Sorry eggsngrits I don’t see those similarities. The front ends do not look the same to me. The X has no “A” pillar. Flared wheel arches are on virtually every car these days, even the S-class Benz. Any car with a fast back will have a similar roof line. The side mirrors are totally different, the Volts are squared off while the X has slippery aerodynamic mirrors. I think the X is a much better design. more European in flavor. The Volt has a more American look to it. If I did not know who designed it I would think it is an American car. Compared to say the Prius, the Volt is stunning.

By: PT

PT — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:45:53 +0000

As good as either car might be, this feels like another confused intiative from a confused company. I don’t think BMW or Porsche would let this happen, look how they managed the Toureg/Cayenne thing for instance. Hell, I don’t think Ford would even do it to Volvo. Its like there is no strategy that can last longer than a few months.

By: eggsngrits

eggsngrits — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:55:25 +0000

dmr: Cadillac and Saab do not compete. Not here in the US, nor in Europe. The BLS isn’t schizo — it’s just a good car handicapped by very poor marketing.

Frank A: Similarities include the black rear panel, wrap-around tail lights, blacked-out A-pillar, ‘notched’ sill, low front fascia, turbine-inspired wheels (the Chevy is more fan-like), ultra-long wheelbase relative to car length, flared wheel wells, very similar mirrors, single rectanglar exhaust port, roof glass extends from winshield to tail, very similar rear roof line.

By: Frank A

Frank A — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:10:02 +0000

Honestly, other than the rear light treatment, I don’t see much resemblance to the Aero-X. Both cars have similar proportions, but the differences are much greater. The volt is angular while the X is flowing. Where are the similarities?

By: dmr

dmr — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:38:31 +0000

It is more likely that Saab will compete with Cadillac. Note the Saab 9-3 Cadillac BLS schizophrenia. Chevy is the mass market badge. If Saab themes echo in Chevy, it is more likely that Chevy owners might trade up to a Saab instead of to a Cadillac as they do now. GM will most likely keep both Saab and Cadillac. The quality of both is very similar with the main difference being the audience they cater to.

By: JB

JB — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 21:17:38 +0000

“It is a compliment to Saab that they are coming up with ideas that are being shared across the GM range.”

That is true but my fear is they will kill the AeroX and replace it with the Chevy version.

By: dmr

dmr — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 20:16:43 +0000

The Audi A4 looks awfully like the VW Passat. I wonder why?

By: dmr

dmr — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 20:11:36 +0000

ho hum! What a bunch of whiny europhiles. I drive a ’99 Saab 9-3 and by the looks of the concepts they are putting out, I’ll definitely be buying a Saab the next time around. Chevy is part of the same stable as Saab. It is a compliment to Saab that they are coming up with ideas that are being shared across the GM range.

By: eggsngrits

eggsngrits — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:55:48 +0000

Good points all, especially Gunnar — GM’s been doing this for quite a long time and it shows.

On the other hand, per my comment on the previous entry, in my view Swade is correct. I think that Saab has shown that their ideas are the stuff that car companies are made of, and GM is taking notice of the wisdom in the Saab way. I hope that if the next AeroX comes as a joint Saab/Chevy or if the next 9-5 is a Saab/Caddy that we aren’t such car snobs that we reject it! May I remind you that the 9000 was a joint Saab/Lancia/Fiat, and the B20x engine was a modified Triumph design!

The point? Saab will find a way to make the technology theirs. If the technology happens to start very closely to their vision, so much the better. They may then concentrate on the next generation that much more.