Monthly Archives: October 2007

Saab should go global with BioPower?

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Back in January, when Richo and I attended the launch for BioPower and diesel cars here in Australia, I asked Saab Oz’s chief, Parveen Batish, why they didn’t just make all Saab 9-3s sold in Australia BioPower-capable.

The answer that he gave at that time was that it was an issue of offering the customers choice, which I can understand.

The problem then, as it is now, is that there’s no E85 available in Australia. So the choice is for the customer to make a statement about their green intentions at a cost of $1,500 over the price of a regular Saab 9-5. A choice that they can exercise in the showroom, but not at the pump.

I thought back then, as I do now, that it would be better for Saab to make the choice, and choose to offer all Saab 9-5s as BioPower vehicles. As it is, Saab can say that they’re offering the customers a choice to take away the chicken-and-egg argument – what comes first, the fuel or the cars to run it on? If they offered an all-BioPower lineup in the 9-5 range they could say that they’re the ones making the statement.

This situation has been highlighted in an article in Go Auto Magazine here in Australia in the last 24 hours. Here’s the Batman in quotes:

“If you have a car that runs on E85 that can also run on normal petrol, and you can’t tell the difference, then why wouldn’t you do it? To all intents and purposes it’s exactly the same car, it just has a BioPower badge on the back. So there’s no difference to buying the BioPower car to any other car…”

Except, of course, the customer is paying an extra $1500 for a benefit that does not yet exist, and may not for some time.

Despite that, Mr Batish believes Saab buyers will be prepared to buy this new technology “almost like a statement of intent, if you like”, in order to put ethanol on the agenda.

“Yes, we are (expecting a fair leap of faith for buyers),” he said. “I’ll be honest with you – yes, we are. But it’s there if they want to buy it. If we don’t offer it, and nobody offers it, then the debate will never get going.”

It’s good that Saab have started the discussion on the issue here in Oz, but I can’t help but feel they’ve only gone half way to where they could have.

As a result, there’s a lot of questions with half answers:

But is Saab getting support from any other car manufacturer or importer in Australia?

“Currently, no,” he admits before pausing. “I don’t know who they are, though I could have a guess, but I’m almost certain that other manufacturers will be able to offer E85 cars in this country in the near future…..

…..So when will we see the first E85 pump at a local servo?

“I don’t know, to be honest with you. I’d love to be able to say in the next three or four months, but it’s not my call obviously. It’s the petrol companies that have to decide that.”

…..Is Saab talking to other oil companies?

“There’s only one we’re talking to, to be honest with you. I think others are interested, but there’s only one we’ve been talking to.

…..Having released the first BioPower model and on the eve of launching the second, what sort of take-up does Saab Australia expect?

“I don’t know, to be honest. I couldn’t tell you.”

…..So how many cars have Saab ordered from Sweden?

“On 9-5, we ordered 50, but on 9-3 I don’t know. I don’t know what the take-up would be.”

Even if Saab made the whole 9-5 range, or the entire Saab range, BioPower compatible, those questions about fuel sources would still exist. But at least Saab would be able to say “Here’s the cars. Every car that Saab sells in Australia is capable of reducing fossil fuel emissions by up to 80% on the right fuel.” And just as they are now, they’d have to get the discussion going about fuel availability. But offering the whole range as BioPower compatible strengthens the argument so much more and shows some commitment to the technology. Given that the cars can run on unleaded just as well as E85, it’s a no-lose situation.

Except for the $1,500 per vehicle cost to the customer, I hear you say.

Well, that $1,500 per vehicle, from what I’ve heard in the past, is most likely at least $1,000 in profit for the company. The 9-5 is such a high-margin automobile now that every one they sell represents a huge profit per unit. They need that to offset the smaller margins on the 9-3, but surely for the sake of building the brand image that you want to build, it’d be worth it.

Click through to the Go Auto article. It’s a good read. As good as the Saab offering of BioPower here is, it just feels a little half-baked.

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The same questions that I’m asking about Saab here in Oz could be asked anywhere else. Given that additional marginal cost for outfitting a car as a BioPower variant is most likely a fraction of the premium they charge, would it be better to build the brand image around the green ideal and make it a no-cost (or very low-cost) option for gasoline variants in all markets?

Or would that tie Saab too closely to what is possibly a transitory alternative fuel?

My final verdict?

I think that least the 9-5 should go all-BioPower, with a low-cost option on the 9-3. E85 is going to be around long enough that it would be of at least medium-term benefit to the brand, as well as being a beneficial thing for the environment.

Saab rates well in German quality study

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Time to bring this one out from the comments section to the main page.

It’s been posted in comments by MarkoA and I’ll also include Eggs’ comment is it makes a great point about the Ultimate Driving Machine.

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First of all, here’s MarkoA’s comment. I don’t have a link for this, but it’s a great result for Saab.

The Auto Zeitung -sonderheft, Gebrauchtwagen 2008, a car inspection organization from Germany released their latest report. It shows a value which represents number of faults/100 cars. And the cars inspected are 1-3 years old.

Here´s the result of middle size class:

1. Saab 9-3 – 2.4 problems per 100
2. Honda Accord – 6.0
3. Jaguar X-Type – 7.5
4. Volvo S40/V40 – 8.3
4. Mercedes-Benz C – 8.3
6. Peugeot 406/407 – 8.5
7. Opel Vectra – 9.1
8. Audi A4 – 9.2
9. Mazda6 – 9.7
10. BMW 3-series – 10.6

Much has been made of Saab’s poor ratings in the Consumer Reports data. I don’t know how much the sample size or reporting methodology differs, but this is certainly a great showing for the Saab range in Germany.

The initial year for the Saab 9-3, the 2003 model year, was a year that caused Saab to be rated poorly in many surveys. Now that we’re in 2007 a lot of these surveys have dropped 2003 from their sample and Saab are showing much better results.

And as mentioned, I can’t help but reproduce Eggs’ comment on BMW, which will still sell like hotcakes in its own market, regardless of what this survey might say:

Everyone loves the ‘quality’ that you get with a Bimmer. I’ve said it before — their ’service package’ that includes free oil changes and the like for three years or so is pure marketing genius. Take a look at this listing. One-tenth of all new 3-series BMW automobiles must be repaired. Most of the ‘faults’ will be taken care of while the car is at the dealership for a whole day for a freakin’ oil change! The customer feels little or no pain, so they conveniently ignore the fact that their car is broken half the time! Pure Genius!!!

Indeed.

November at Trollhattan Saab

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There’s going to be a couple of big things happening at TS in November.

1. It’s competition time again!

I’ll put up an official page for it soon, but I thought I’d give you all a preliminary word about it now.

The prize pool is yet to be finalised, but this one’s hopefully going to be worth winning and will therefore require a little bit of effort.

Saabs are pretty unique cars, and everyone’s got a reason why they love theirs. One of the great things about the internet is that we all come from somewhere pretty different. Different places, unique cars.

So what I’d like to do is combine the two. Take a high quality, well composed image of your Saab in front of a landmark in the region where you live. Some place that kind of defines your area. Shoot the image through to me via email and then include a writeup about both the car and a quick word about the region you live in. Why your photo subject is unique to your area.

We can all appreciate the cars and the places, and the winning shot will score some Saab goodies. I’ll outline the prize pool as soon as it’s finalised.

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2. It’s month of Saab hatch loving!

Do you have a Saab hatch? Or had one in the past?

The hatch is one of the things that came to define Saabs in the 70s through to the 90s. They’ve been loaded up with all sorts of things from go karts to household furniture. They look sportier than a sedan and wagon but combine the best facets of both.

If you’ve got some hatch-love to share, then this is the month to share it. Have it out on show, or fully loaded – however you please. Pride of ownership is one of the reasons this site exists, so email your shots to me here.

The previous months of Saab lovin have always turned out to be a fun adventure, with some great ownership experiences and tales to tell. Here’s hoping November is the same.

Tuesday Snippets

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Still sick, but starting to feel a bit better. Today’s DVDs: Seinfeld series 7

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I’ve never looked into it – I find Facebook to be stressful enough – but I wonder if Saab have a presence on Second Life?

I was just thinking about it today as Scott Adams, the guy behind Dilbert – is participating in an event on Second Life where you can, in a virtual sense, kick him in the nuts.

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Ryan’s certainly kicking goals at Saab History this week.

A writeup from Bjorn Berglorf, Saab’s head of Motorsport in Sweden, and recent news that Saab Sonett #4 has been purchased by none other than Rene Hirsch himself.

Rene runs a Saab tuning house that you might have heard of.

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My spam killer has so far fended off 63,500 spam attempts to leave comments at this site. Since July.

There’s only been round 21,000 genuine comments left here in just over 2.5 years!

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There’s been some interesting stuff in the future 9-5 comments thread.

That BMW didn’t sell a 4-cylinder in the US was news to me, as was the fact that so many of their non-US sales are four cylinders (but then again, I guess I don’t tend to think of diesels as 4-cylinders, so on reflection it seems to make perfect sense).

There’s a piece in the New York Times today (reg reqd) about car manufacturers needing to offer more efficient models. It’s not their first editorial on this subject but this one seemed fairly well reasoned. Saab actually got a mention as a pioneer in turbocharging, too.

Given the proliferation of comments about needing efficient models as well as bigger models, it seems there may be a market for something below the 2.0T there, and Saab’s perfectly placed to do just that if they’re given the right technology (i.e. direct injection). Of course, the American public’s got to want to buy them, too.

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Another issue that’s been well covered in recent comments is the whole Born From Jets and Move Your Mind argument.

And again, there’s a piece in the press that mentions Saab and vehicle branding.

Talondariel linked to a good Youtube clip that shows the beginnings of BFJ and I agree, it’s a good clip. But it’s two minutes long and Saab can’t be showing two-minute ads on TV. Cut it down to 30 seconds and I’m afraid to say it, but I’m finding it a little cheezy.

My thoughts on the Saab 9-3 – a prelude

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A few weeks ago, you might remember that I posted a request for comment by a guy who was looking at either a Saab 9-3 or a VW Passat. I haven’t heard anything more from Sudip about this request, other than to say thanks and ask me what my own thoughts were on the Saab 9-3. I don’t know if he’s purchased one or the other, and I haven’t replied to his request yet.

The reason I haven’t replied yet is twofold. On Friday I’ll be heading to Melbourne for the Australian launch of the 2008 Saab 9-3, so I figure that’ll give me a good chance to reacquaint myself with it and write something from a fresher point of view. I don’t get to drive new Saabs that often, so I figured a fresh perspective would be better.

Sudip, I can tell you that from times past, my experiences with the Saab 9-3 have all been very positive indeed. But one of the reasons I posted your question here on the site is that the opinions of owners, people who actually live with the vehicle, are much more valuable than mine.

Having said that, have had a couple of recorded experiences with the 9-3 (and a bunch unrecorded) and you can read about those at the following links:

The V6 Saab 9-3 Aero – My Drive (w/ cameo from the Viggen and Matt the Fudgepacker)

The 2008 Saab 9-3 (report from Sweden, mostly on the TTiD)

So, coming from a background of always driving older cars and based on these and other experiences in the Saab 9-3, I’d have to say the following.

The Saab 9-3 is one heck of a good car. Like every other Saab I’ve driven, the seats are absolutely superb, and unlike most other Saabs I’ve driven, I found the car to corner and take shifts in weight really, really well. If these guys at Car and Driver are really pushing the daylights out of it, then yeah, it might suffer a little. But for the average Joe driving everyday and having some fun on the weekends, this car has got you covered, and then some.

Outside:

I’m pleased that the 2008 model has come along and updated the exterior. I loved the 03-07 design the first time I saw it and I’ve loved it over the years, but theres times when I find certain angles on the car to be a bit tiresome. Particularly the front headlamps. I’ve found that the bigger the eyes a car has, the better it looks long term. It’s probably why the first-gen 9-5 still looks great now and the why the 2nd gen is starting to look better to my eyes. Bigger peepers.

I’m pretty sure that’s it. All I know for sure is that whilst the 03-07 model still looks great to me, I’d rather look at it from the back than the front.

Inside:

I know that owners of the MY07 car seem to like the simpler dash layout. I’m still a button dash guy, myself. One of our local Saab owners recently got what is perhaps the modern Saab of my dreams. A black 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero with the V6 engine and the button dash interior.

Owning a car’s an emotional thing and one of things I really love about the button dash was that it looked so unbelievably good at night. I never found locating the right buttons to be a problem, and on the odd occasion that I might have been frustrated I found it a small price to pay for something that made me feel so good. My Viggen interior, whilst of a different layout to the later 9-3, is similar in concept (but with better materials).

I really think that getting the interior just right is a crucial element in design and I’d urge Saab’s designers and beancounters to do everything they can to make it special. All the interiors in past models were special. The new ones should be as well.

The >2007 interior is by no means a bad place to hang out. It’s comfortable and it’s functional and a lot of people will tell you that’s what a Saab interior should be. Saab do have a concept called ‘emotional functionality’ though, and the new knobby interior lost a little of that for me.

Fortunately, it drives better than any Saab 9-3 before it.

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And that’s where I have to leave things for the next few days.

The only petrol-driven 2008 model that I’ve driven was the XWD version in Sweden back in June. Whilst that was absolutely brilliant, we were driving it on a test track and not on the open road. The TTiD model that I drove on the open road for a few hours was absolutely superb, so I’m really looking forward to driving the petrol driven models.

So this Friday I’ll drive the new 9-3 again, and I’ll report on it right here and all those owners can tell me if I’m right or where I’m wrong.

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And as far as the VW Passat is concerned – there’s a review in the Montreal Gazette that probably sums it up pretty well – Pep without personality.

Another XWD video

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A guy called NobleP on Youtube has put together some great XWD videos in the last few months.

Here’s another.

NobleP is basically making his own XWD advertisements here for the online community. A great little bit of ambassadorial work if you ask me. Not only that, but he’s got a 10-minute clip on Saab’s history there as well.

Check out all of his videos here.

And enjoy this one. Makes you want to get in and DRIVE!

Eklund’s cars at Croft this weekend

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Could it be that Per Eklund is actually making a slow exit from rallying whilst allowing his cars to keep on running in the hands of others?

Being a long way from the rallycross circuit, I don’t know if this is a normal thing, but two of Per Eklund’s cars will be making an appearance in the UK this weekend and neither of them will have Per at the wheel:

The biggest Rallycross meeting of the year in the country gets underway at Croft Circuit near Darlington this forthcoming weekend (November 3rd & 4th) when a host of international stars descend on the North Yorkshire track for the 2007 Jersey Farm Hotel Rallycross Superprix.

Featuring the very best drivers from Europe taking on their British and Irish counterparts, it will be the only time that British fans will see the cream of Europe’s drivers in action in their various cars and with a number of added attractions, it certainly is not one to be missed…..

…..Recently crowned British Champion Ollie O’Donovan will be at the wheel of Per Eklund’s Saab 9_3 and he’ll resume battle with the likes of Pat Doran (Ford Fiesta), Andrew Jordan (Ford Focus), Steve Hill (Mitsubishi) and Derrick Jobb (Ford Escort), whilst 2006 British Champion Christopher Evans makes a welcome return in his Opel Astra, but it could well be closer to home where the strongest challenge comes from.

Northallerton’s Dave Bellerby makes his Division 1 debut in another one of Eklund’s Saabs and team mate Kevin Procter from Leeming Bar was the only driver to beat Hansen at last year’s event so will be looking for a repeat in his Ford Puma.

I don’t know if Per’s handing in the keys, but it certainly is an interesting development. It’s a development that’s been gathering momentum, too, as Per’s also had Irish driver Andrew Nesbitt in the car in recent months.

I’ve already expressed my opinion that Per should retire and spend his time as a race team manager rather than a driver, and I still think it’d be a good thing. He’s got so much experience to hand on to the next generation – can he do that adequately whilst he’s concentrating on driving?

All that aside, anyone in the area of this event should pop up and have a look. Sounds like it’d be an exciting event!

The making of the latest Saab 9-3 ad

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Robin M (unofficially Saab GB’s best salesman) has shot through a link from Saab Global on the making of the latest ad for the 2008 Saab 9-3. It’s the one featuring the sofa chairlifts and the egg chair and all that stuff – oh, the car too.

Saab 9-3 ad

It was a little surprising to find that the ad was shot in Italy. This clip runs for about three minutes and shows you some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into making a TV commercial.

You can view it by clicking here.

And if you haven’t seen the ad itself yet, here’s the SportCombi version: