Trollhattan Saab has changed!
The site you're viewing now is the original Trollhattan Saab weblog, though it's now an archive only and no new material is posted here. As of February 2009, all new material is posted at our new site - Saabs United.
Please join us at Saabs United and get your daily Saab fix from Saab sources all around the world.

ctm’s reminded me that back on December 31st, 2006, I did a post entitled 9 Saaby things I want for 2007.

How did it go? Read on….

1) Fix my front shocks

I’d blown my front shocks in the Viggen earlier in the month. They got fixed in January and the car was running like a dream, until I crashed it in July. Oops.

No prizes for guessing what #1 will be in the forthcoming entry 9 Saaby things I want for 2008.

2) 10 movies

I definitely got more than 10 movies added to Youtube and Google Video this year, though they probably weren’t the type I was planning. They tended to be more event-based than car based, but I think the amount of content I was able to provide in this way was pretty satisfying.

No compilation DVD though.

3) More news – direct

We definitely got to nail this one in 2007.

We started the year off with Gripen at the 60th Anniversary event in February. We had Rayman’s coverage of the Turbo X debut at Frankfurt and Johnny Del’s coverage of the Boston Auto Show where the Turbo X made it’s US debut.

Most prominent for me though, was the assistance I received from readers here to attend the Saab Festival in Trollhattan, and the launch of the 2008 Saab 9-3 straight after.

All the big news. Covered first hand.

4) A killer 9-3 refresh

Saab took care of this one with a fantastic new Saab 9-3 for 2008.

The car is better in just about every way and anyone who picks one up will be pretty pleased, I’m sure. The addition of XWD was a major coup and the TTiD engine is going to make a great statement in Europe.

5) Increased sales in Germany

Nothing I could do about this one, but Germany continues to be a struggle. Hopefully when the new 9-3 gains some more traction (is than an XWD joke?) things might improve.

6) Some sneaky-peeks at the 9-4x

Saab have kept everyone very tight-lipped on this one and there’s been nothing so far. The year’s not over yet, though.

We’ll see it around 12 or so days into 2008 at the very latest.

7) Something more on the Hybrid

The BioPower Convertible Hybrid sank into the quiet recesses of the Saab Museum about as quickly as it appeared.

But there has been some news on hybrid activity at Saab, with it mentioned as a definite part of Saab’s future. It’ll likely feature on the Saab 9-1 and probably the next generation 9-5 as well.

A pair of great enthusiast’s events

When I wrote this last year I predicted that the Saab Festival in June would be too soon and too expensive for me to get too, and that I’d likely make it to the Saab Owners Convention in the US.

With your support it turned out to be the other way around I couldn’t have been happier. I worked my butt off for around 15 hours per day in Sweden, but wouldn’t have had it any other way – it was a fantastic event.

9) The product. Always the product.

The one thing that’s more important than anything else, is the product – your Saab. Whatever model you’ve got, whatever you buy through the year, I hope you have a great time driving what I truly believe is one of the great all-round practical and performance cars there is.

I had a great time in mine. The Viggen should will rise again and I’ve managed to add a classic 900 Aero to the stable – for the time being at least.

I know there’s been a number of readers here who have bought Saabs during the last 12 months. Some of them new and some new-to-them. Whatever your scenario I hope you’re loving what you picked up.

——

2007′s been a roller-coaster of a year here. A massive year of growth over all, with some huge trials along the way. I’ve learned more in the last 6 months than in the previous 2+ years of blogging.

I’ll be honest – work, family and the ongoing blog situations make for a fairly muddy future for Trollhattan Saab. I’ve been pushing the boundaries in a lot of areas and sooner or later, something’s going to give.

I’d like to thank Saab Sweden, Saab USA and Saab Australia for helping out at different times and their willingness to deal with an occasionally cranky blogger. I’ve always had the brand’s best interests at heart, though.

Thanks to all the people who have visited, commented, visited again, sent material for use and shared their stories about the greatest car brand there is and the most enjoyable to own – Saab.

And finally, thanks to Eggs, Gripen, Robin and ctm for their tireless ability to receive an email and not junk it. The help and support you guys have provided throughout this year has been amazing.

——

There’s still more to come in 2007…