I think Saab is right on when they defined their marketplace being BMW, Merc, Audi, and Volvo. Saabs are definately appealing to younger new car buyers from families who own BMWs and Audis.. they are looking for an a european alternative that fits the class of luxury but isnt as flashy as BMW and more interesting than Audi.. and Saab is a smart choice. I don’t mind Saab stepping up the price of their vehicles a bit, they used to be more expensive anyways. I don’t think their target market is going to care either, but their interior quality MUST improve, otherwise they’ll always be on the losing side competing with the rest of europe’s luxe brands.

Here-and-now: Saab competes very well with VW, Acura, Mazda, Atoyot, and similar American marques (Buick, Lincoln, Mercury). With good reasons too: the Asians just don’t have any passion in the design (”toasters”) and the Americans are either too “dull”, for a way older crowd, or lack mpg/performance.

Future: I think in the next 10 years, we will see Saab competing against BMW, Audi, MB and leading her sister, Caddy (atleast in Europe). I believe, though sometimes it’s a roller-coaster, that GM plans on “revitalizing” Saab, once it’s money woes are a little more controlled.

I like to think of Saab as a late 80’s/early 90’s version of BMW and Audi. Anyone remember where they were then? granted I was born in 85 and lived in the country for 10 years, but I remember them being niche themselves until mid-late 90’s here in US

2. as for performance, design, quality and prestige, saab will continue to grow, given no more rebadging follies; and

3. therefore, its maturation as a premium (european) brand seems quite natural, as are the “targets” in that group. saturation of that market, however, depends on how well it can execute value and distinctiveness.

Onstar also has better reception because the transcever (sp?) is not limited to the power output restraints like a cell phone. Cell phones have to conserver power from the battery and they have to limit the radiation or whatever it is that is being emitted from the phone that next to your head.

Regarding who SAAB’s direct competitors are, at this point, it doesn’t really matter right now. They first need to build a product that meets very basic standards. Standards that even some Korean cars are meeting lately. Sub-$15 to $20K cars are put together better, have better stereos, more technology, and better reliability than SAAB. No, they don’t drive as nicely but that’s why they are cheaper.

SAAB is a very mixed bag right now. I liken it to a box of variety pack oatmeal. It comes with a few of every flavor, but you don’t like all of them. The ones you don’t like being the rattling interior and quality issues, etc. You like all the other flavors enough that you’re willing to buy the box anyways. SAAB needs to fix the bad flavors because other manufacturers already have.

When these basic issues are fixed, then it can focus more on who the competition is.

OnStar to me is redundant. Having to pay OnStar for my navigation functionality is frankly like paying the mob for protection money when Lexus and Acura offer excellent navigation integration without the need for a paid subscription. If navigation were a must-have for me I would consider avoiding a SAAB for this very reason – it’s not a matter of money but a matter of principle.

As far as OnStar is concerned, this is a no brainer. The reason that OnStar calls are better in fringe areas than a handheld phone are two fold: 1. The OnStar antenna is positioned for good reception, while your cellular phone is inside the car, with the inherent attenuation of the steel body around it. 2. The OnStar system has the potential for better sensitivity because it’s not limited to a 2″ x 3″ x .5″ shell like your average flip phone.