More Saab 9-7x incentives coming
I’ve just heard earlier today from an insider in the US that SaabUSA will be adding some wider incentives on the Saab 9-7x. His guess is that because it’s US built, hence not affected by exchange rate issues like other Saabs.
There is a sign and drive lease program on all 2008 9-7x’s until March 3rd. Security deposits are waived on all 9-7x’s plus there’s no first payment on a lease.
In addition, there is a GM loyalty program on 9-7x for any owner of a GM car or truck, 1999 or newer. It is $500 on a 2008 lease or $1000 on a 2007 or 2008 purchase. This can not be combined with Saab owner loyalty.
As I mentioned, we’re not talking a multitude of four-figure sums here, but the opening up of a Saab Loyalty discount to be a GM loyalty discount is significant in itself.
I have a feeling 2008 is going to be a leaner year than we all thought in the US.
More from this category
- If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- News from the 2008 Saab Owners Convention
- GM Employee Discount for Everyone coming back this week
- Saab improves in JD quality study (which sucks, by the way)
More from this author
- A Quick Thankyou
- Automotive Rites of Passage
- Friday Snippets (well, it’ll be Saturday when you read them)
- Edmunds provide puzzling Saab Turbo X road test
Subscribe to this author
Recent Comments
- zippy on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- Alex on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- Nico on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- robert on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- Ned on Automotive Rites of Passage
- 1985 Gripen on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- papluh on Automotive Rites of Passage
- Squaab99t aka Dennis Lin on A Quick Thankyou
- Mag-X on A Quick Thankyou
- SaabKen on A Quick Thankyou
Saab is in transition right now. Much like it was 10 years ago when they were on the heels of releasing the 9-3 and 9-5 on the American market as MY99 vehicles in the Spring of the very abbreviated MY98. It wouldn’t shock me in the least if we saw MY09 cars a lot earlier than September this year. Have fun in Detroit, btw!
All it will take is for a rockin’ 9-1X to come along and there’ll be plenty of buyers Stateside. Hell, even FWD-adverse SoCals will buy ‘em.
It’s been said over and over, but they need a credible launch of a credible new 9-5 pronto, or all these other nichemobiles in the lineup are just going to be superfluous in comparison.
I don’t think this is really “huge” news. From most accounts I’ve read the 9-7X is the most pricey of the GM360 variants (USD45K. The Chevy Trailblazer SS AWD w/ the same 6-liter V8 Corvette engine is only USD35K). It’s also being phased-out. This or next year will be the last year for the vehicle. They’ve just this year released the Aero spec, which has received little to no advertising.
I was at my local Saab dealer recently (in SUV crazy SoCal) and saw they had their newspaper ad tacked-up on the wall. They are advertising the 9-7X in the paper as “come drive the SUV that can go 0 to 60 in less than 6 seconds. The new Saab 9-7X Aero now in stock”.
Despite SUVs being very popular regionally and the people in the area being on the wealthy side (a lot of entertainment industry people) it seems the 9-7X gets even less advertising than other Saabs, certainly the 9-3, which seems to be the only Saab currently being advertised in television commercials.
I spoke with someone at Saab USA about the 9-7X Aero a few months ago (and even rode in one in August at the U.S. 2008 9-3 launch) and I was told that not really a lot is expected out of it regarding sales. He kind of had a write-off tone in his voice.
I would say the price of gasoline will hurt sales of the 9-7X Aero, but someone who can afford to buy the thing in the first place probably isn’t really concerned about the price of fuel. Land Rover still sells the Sport model like crazy, despite the fact it’s a gas guzzler (though after I looked into it, more efficient than the 9-7X Aero…).
it’s going to be lean for saab until 2010-2011, or until it gives the consumer something with stylistic, modern “visuals” (and awd for kicks); models that heavily plagiarize the aero-x, for example.
well, truth be that there is only one model that sells right now. In Canada anyway, they have not started advertising the facelift of the 9-3, so that I think that the sales of that will go up slightly when it is advertised. Other models are sellign on teh backburner thou.
Think my point is that with the 9-4, and a crossover of the 9-3, sales could realy increase in northamerica and also europe. CUVs are growing and i think it will be a great fit, with production in mexico making the prices competitive.
Right now the U.S. economy is supposedly taking a downturn. Economists are warning of recession. The U.S. dollar is quite weak. When this happens it helps U.S. exports and hurts U.S. imports. The reason for this is that it’s cheaper for other countries to buy U.S.-made products and more expensive for U.S. citizens to buy imported goods (because it costs more dollars).
The fact that the 9-7X is built in the U.S. would help it in the export market, but this vehicle isn’t really marketed outside the North American market. The 9-4X is to be built in Mexico, which economically is the same as building it in the U.S. due to NAFTA. So if the U.S. economy takes a downturn this should help 9-4X sales, I think.
You might remember years ago the exchange rate between the Swedish Kronor and the U.S. Dollar was really hurting Saab sales in the U.S. because Saabs were priced so high.
I would like to thank the true SAAB loyalists who have contributed to this blog and taken a unbiased approach, with regards to GM’s ownership of SAAB. We all too often are misguided into focusing on the negative aspects of their ownership, with a total disregard to the positives; foremost being the very survival of the brand. They have also kept the core of production in Sweden, while continuing to make substantial investments in Saab’s future.
But, I know what many of you are already thinking, and agree with most of it. “Saab could be better managed!” But by who? At the time of GM’s acquisition of Saab, many other smaller companies were also being bought up by the larger companies.
Imagine where Saab would be if Ford had bought them like it had Jaguar and Land Rover at that time.
Would Saab have been better off then?
Or would they have been abandoned and sold off with Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s “Tata Motors,” makers of the world’s first Car/Trashcan on wheels, which for the cost of less than my laptop is sold to the masses of developing countries, with no regulations on safety or emissions, of course. All to only help further the world’s downward spiral into a hell of global pollution. Now that’s Scary!
P.S. Is it just me, or is it kind of ironic that one of world’s largest tea companies, “Tata,” has purchased itself Britain’s two largest auto manufacturers? Maybe there is more at work here than I give credit, perhaps with single-serving Keurig Tea Brewers integrated into the dashboards of every Jag and Rover, they will have at last tapped the potential trillions of dollars of the tea addicted Brits. Anyway, I wish the best for the two brands but am glad I am not in their shoes at this time.
And by the way, sorry guys, I already hold the patent on the Wal-Mart courtesy electric cart with the built in Marlboro and Budweiser single-serve vending capability, so the American market is taken.
Seriously, look at the innovations that have been made by Saab while under ownership of GM and I think you will see some pretty remarkable achievements happened in such a short amount of time. The future of Saab is a bright indeed and I look forward to seeing the many new vehicles they will produce in the near future. Their Turbo X is an extraordinary start to this and I hope you all will open your minds and give them the opportunity and support they deserve to succeed.
Thank you
IndaKno