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.
Remember the Saab Pride of Ownership competition?
In case you were wondering, I haven’t forgotten about it and the publication of entries will resume shortly. It just took a short vacation. Motor Shows happen sometimes.
——
I can now claim to have my photo in Auto Motor and Sport magazine. It’s not a photo of me, but a photo I took of Par Brandt sitting in the back of the Saab 9-4x.
The same article also features an image of Jan Ake Jonsson reading a copy of AM&S. I think I’m going to have set myself a mission of getting a picture of JAJ wearing a Trollhattan Saab shirt 
——
Welcome to the Saab Club of Slovenia to the list of clubs on the sidebar.
——
Saab Australia are going to feel the heat when they’re dragged into court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over their Grrrrrreen ads.
The ACCC considers that the advertisements represented to consumers that:
- the net amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by any Saab vehicle, over the life of that vehicle, would be zero
- planting 17 native trees on behalf of the purchaser of a Saab vehicle would offset the carbon dioxide emissions for the life of the vehicle, and
- Saab vehicles have some attribute or attributes which contribute to reduced carbon dioxide emissions by those vehicles compared with Saab vehicles supplied prior to the publication of the advertisement.The ACCC alleges that the Saab is Green advertisements were misleading and that Saab has breached sections 52 and 53(c) of the Trade Practices Act 1974 because:
- there would, in fact, be a net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by the operation of any motor vehicle in the Saab range
- planting 17 native trees would not provide a carbon dioxide offset for any period other than a single year’s operation of any motor vehicle in the Saab range, and
- Saab vehicles do not have any attribute or attributes which contribute to reduced carbon dioxide emissions by those vehicles compared with Saab vehicles supplied prior to the publication of the advertisement.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of this and I’ll wager Saab Oz knew it was coming. The same sort of thing happened in New Zealand not so long ago.
At some stage, the powers that be are going to realise that a car company trying to do the right thing is a positive outcome and maybe, just maybe, they’ll encourage it.
in the meantime, it looks as if Saab Oz will have to be a bit more creative to get it’s green credentials expressed to the marketplace.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Tiago do Vale
// Jan 23, 2008 at 11:12 am
Hi Swade!
Quite off-topic, but I was wondering if you still plan to post about the chat you had, before going to Detroit, about the 9-4x design: I’m still very interested…
Cheers!
)
(Love the idea of JAJ with a TS shirt
2 turbin
// Jan 23, 2008 at 11:17 am
BTW Happy New Year Swade.
This is not going to be good. ACCC are going hard at car companies after Audi’s Q7 gaffe. They are out for blood and Saab might have to give it.
Yes we understand that no car is green, now get over it. The offset campaign and Biopower are positive steps. On the subject of hybrids/electrics, people seem to forget that the energy production is displaced and still has enormous environmental impact. The Tesla will undoubtedly chew a lot of power in its 4sec. 0-60mph scream. Bloody hell, how do greenies get from place to place. That’s right, they don’t. They’re all chained to trees in Tassie.
While we’re talking ACCC. I’ve heard that they are investigating the Subaru safety ad you wrote about pre-christmas.
3 Charles
// Jan 23, 2008 at 11:30 am
I really don’t understand how they say that 17 trees would only offset the carbon footprint of the Saab for one year.
Wouldn’t the tree take in more CO2, as it grew larger?
And they are being so counter-productive, Saab is trying to being eco-friendly and what happens? They get punished for it. Sigh.
4 Swade
// Jan 23, 2008 at 11:56 am
My thoughts exactly, Charles. It doesn’t cease to be a tree after one year.
And Turbin, while we’re talking Subaru, my WRX-for-a-week should be arriving soon. More to come
5 turbin
// Jan 23, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Charles and Swade,
The 17 trees will take a lifespan to offset 1 year of carbon emissions. If the trees are felled or burnt then the offset falls short. Also by the time the trees die naturally the car will have been driven into the ground over a 20-40 year life-span and already produced much much more (maybe up to 4500% presuming the car pollutes more as it gets older) emissions than the 17 trees can offset.
6 Swade
// Jan 23, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Ahhhh. Gotcha, Turbin. In that case, Saab are rooted.
7 turbin
// Jan 23, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Rooted! Good one Swade.
Thought you’d like that
8 Jeff
// Jan 23, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Ooooh, you actually got the WRX? That should be fun.
Saab should offer to plant 34 trees instead of 17 just to piss off the watchdogs.