Saab sales - global and UK news
What we have here is a straight-up example of why it would be hard for me to work within GM. Much as I’d like to work for Saab, I’d find it very difficult to swallow this:
Saab saw annual sales increases of 13 percent in the Latin America, Africa and Middle East region, and 5 percent in Asia Pacific. In Europe, Saab maintained its market share position (0.4 percent), and with the extension of BioPower to its 9-3 model range, continues to be the leading brand for E-85 vehicles in Europe.
When the best thing you’ve got to say is that you sold 13% more in small base markets like Latin America and Africa, then you should just admit the obvious: Saab struggled in a transition year with an aged lineup that’ll be refreshed in the next few years and complimented with an expanding model range.
Saab sold 124,438 vehicles for the year, a fall of 7.1% from a record 133,936 vehicle sales in 2006. That’s it. Period. Time to do better.
Accentuate the positive? Just be honest and straightforward with the meaningful stuff, please.
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The global release, covered from a Saab perspective above, was sent to me with the notion that what’s good for GM is good for Saab. And indeed GM had a good year as a whole unit, selling 9,369,524 cars and trucks around the world in 2007, an increase of 3 percent.
So that’s good news. The fact that there’s good stuff coming down the pike is even better.
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Given that most major markets publish monthly sales within one or two days of month end, it’s not unusual for me to forget the UK market as they take a week to get their monthly sales figures into the public domain.
But that doesn’t mean they’ve been forgotten all together.
December was a bad month in a year almost full of bad months for Saab GB. December saw sales fall by 32% compared to the same month in 2006, from 1,809 vehicles in December 06 to 1,228 in December 2007.
In fact, December was one of nine months in 2007 that saw negative sales figures. The only positive months were April (+0.56%) and August (+23.88%). October saw 0.00% movement.
Over all in 2007, Saab GB sold 23,642 vehicles, a fall of 12.31% from the 26,962 vehicles sold in 2006.
Whilst this may seem pretty bad, it may not be so. 2006 was chock full of stories about dealers being coerced into pre-registering vehicles. In effect, this meant that they were counted as sold despite the fact that they were still sitting on delaers’ forecourts. So what we have in 2007 is quite possibly a better reflection of actual deliveries to customers.
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This makes me worried that people aren’t taking to the new 9-3 refresh too well.
Maybe if there was better marketing in the US…
It is my hope that GM puts the necessary effort into the US market. In one respect, It is sad to see how GM treats Saab as compaired to the others in the stable. On the other hand, it is clear that some nice things are on the way and the new units do look good, so thats good. I just can’t understand how Audi and BMW can put a lot of things to market so fast and it takes Saab forever or not at all. I keep hearing and seeing BMW pre owned tv spots. Why not Saab spots? I think I am going to focus on what
saab does well, THEY MAKE GREAT CARS AND I HAVE ONE. That makes me feel better. Let’s be greatful for what we have today, when it’s no more, it will be missed.
The new 9-3 wasn’t on dealer lots in quantity long enough to make a difference in Nov-Dec. The dealers still had 07 models to sell.
“Pre-registering” cars, as you put it, is illegal in the United States. I’m surprised that British dealers could do it, either.
Interestingly an Australian newspaper claimed that Saabs sales increase last year could be attributed to diesel and the new 9-3. In fact very few ‘08 9-3s are to be had anywhere here so that had nothing to do with it. Seems largely the same in the UK and US.
I think they’ve saturated the ‘upper liberals’ market.
Again, I point to an ultimate 30-50K US sales increase with a diesel and a 95 worthy of its sticker. VW, MB and now beyond a rumor BMW, Honda, maybe even Subaru are bringing a D for 09…GM???….not so much as a spotting?
Very hard to watch(with straight face) that Chevy E85 commercial (it comes mostly from the earth?) with the black guy and the kids. Rick? Bob? did yous sign-off on that?
An interesting piece of information that did not appear in the that press release is that, Saab UK has actually started 2008 will only current 08MY in stock. You may be able to pick up some pre-regisered 07MY vehicles at dealer level on very favourable terms, but there are no old models backing up the system further up the chain. As Saab UK enters its full year with the new 9-3 we should expect to see increased sales over 2007.