I am not against performance but look at the heavily promoted Caparo T1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caparo_T1

Look at how the car concentrates on power to weight. This is not the whole answer but I think Saab need to really look at their avaition heritage and look at how to build smarter cars.

I dont see you as in a minority Gripen and my views are probably quite close to yours but as far as environment performance and marketing are concerned weight is the elephant in the room that no-one can see.

Then the very next comment down from jc_atl can’t wait to see what the Black Turbo can do now that they have XWD and no power constraints.

Two differing views, but I believe SAAB is finally giving-in after years of doing it their own way. SAAB is a corporation whose sole purpose is to make money (I’m not stating this as a “knock”, I’m stating it as fact). The product they’ve offered for years has not been profitable. They were stubborn and decided to “make their own road” for years, insisting that FWD is all anyone should really ever need, refusing until now to offer AWD.

I think what we’ve seen with SAAB in recent years is a decision to do things differently than they have in the past. They learned from market research in the U.S. (their biggest market) that coupes (two-doors) don’t sell. They learned that “hatchback” is seen as a bad thing (cheap) in the U.S. So they decided to offer only sedans and wagons (in their car lineup). After years of holding-out in making an SUV they were finally forced to make one and guess what? It’s extremely profitable.

After years of refusing to play the horsepower game they finally adopted a V6 engine and AWD so that their performance model will likely output around 310 bhp.

Why am I pointing out all the things we’ve already discussed? I want to show that SAAB has finally given-in and are now building the cars they think will sell, not the cars they think SHOULD sell.

I love the “old” SAAB, but I don’t see that the company can go on forever drowning in red ink. They need to start making the cars people want to buy, not just the cars I want to buy. I’m the first to admit I’m in the minority as to what I expect from a SAAB.

SAAB has to make money or it’s doomed. I think they’re on the right path to becoming very profitable in the near future (within the next five years or so). Long live SAAB!

The problem of course is that the competition is pushing BMW to put their mainstream sedan right in the neighborhood of the performance version (thus the bigger engine) and unless the M3 offers super car performance (and pricing) it’s too costly to justify the extra expenditure over a 335i, particularly again when you consider fuel pricing. Eventually the 135i may end up being what the M3 used to be – a stripped down small sports car with large power/weight ratio. I also can’t wait to see what SAAB does with the “black turbo” and new 9-5 now that XWD removes some of their very own power constraints.

With the M3, BMW are struggling with Saabs biggest problem – weight of expectation. They also made an error in deciding they had to make a car with a V8, because Audi had a V8. Once you let the competiton set the goal posts you have lost the game. The 335i should have been the basis new M3.

First lesson for Saab, dont make an M3. BMW have been doing it for years and still they made a mess of it. Stick to making Saabs. We appreciate them even if no-one else does.

My guess is that 335i prices will go up so they’re getting the same margin as the M3.

And the next revision of the 335i will not be turbocharged (but the M3 might be).