I’ve been following this story for a little while now – who will make the next generation Saab 9-3?
A few years ago we all thought that production was lost to Opel’s plant in Russelsheim, Germany. When it was recently discovered that the 9-3 would be built on GM’s Delta architecture instead of Epsilon, there was a great deal of hope that 9-3 production could be retained in Trollhattan (as the T-hat plant is being tooled for Delta in the next few years).
Today, we’re back to Russelsheim.
Automobilewoche are citing a labor official who’s claiming it’s a done deal that the next Saab 9-3 will be made in Russelsheim (a brief story from another source, here).
Again, I’ve got to remind you that the Saab 9-1 is not yet confirmed for production. If it were, then there’s a high likelihood that it would be made in Sweden at the Trollhattan plant. If this report about the 9-3 is accurate and it’s going to be made in Germany, this means that with the confirmed model line that we have right now, there will be no Saabs manufactured in Sweden in 2012 (9-3 snd 9-5 in Germany, 9-4x in Mexico).
The vast bulk of Saab design is now done in Germany. Saab’s presence in Sweden will be down to Simon Padian’s skeleton crew at Pixbo (how long will that remain?) and a few executives who get together now and then for the Saab Brand Center. Essentially, if there’s no 9-1 in Saab’s future, then the Saab’s link to Sweden is confined to some engineering that’s shared with all of GM (and mostly debuted by others within GM) and the Saab Brand Center meetings, comprising executives from Sweden and other parts of Europe.
Saab have to maintain a design and manufacturing presence in Sweden. The Saab Brand Center is valuable in the right context, but it’s just window dressing if they want to pass it off as Saab’s claim to Scandinavianinity (yes, I just made that word up).
Thanks again, Albert, who’s been keeping a keen eye on this subject
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GM’s NA sales have fallen through the floor and are progressing south towards the earth’s crust, thanks to a combination of poor economic conditions and a poor vehicle lineup. GM are looking to squeeze out some extra sales without apearing too desparate and have launched a military discount campaign.
All GM vehicles except the Corvette are included so if you’re in the services, you can check out GM Military Discounts and see what you can get off your next Saab.
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A very appreciative supporter of Saab Central. And a nice 9000, too.
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TS-frequenter and San Antonian, Dan S, has recently started a blog I’ll be checking in with. It’s called RacingReady and will chronicle him dipping his toes into the world of Autocross.
It’s something I’m contemplating as well, so I’ll be keeping a keen eye on it.
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I loved the video from MotorWeek that Eggs linked up to over the weekend. A great lesson indeed. We live in times when it’s the bells, whistles and general razzmatazz that get the attention rather than substance. Hence the Paris Hiltons of this world.
Saab build great cars for real-world drivers to enjoy. It’s not an effective marketing hook, but it’s that simple.
And the red 9000 in that video – superb!
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I would not see this as a catastrophy for a few reasons.
First, given that the 9-4, 9-5 and apparently 9-3 is scheduled for production GM is having faith in the brand.
They have realized that a 2 model lineup is not enought so a small car would most likely come true as well.
Given the volume of Astras etc there will be (at least) 3 factories doing them, and Trollhattan would not be any more expensive than any other place (cheaper costs but longer distances). There is still quite alot of R&D there as well so it would be natural to place it there.
Furthermore, hopefully there will be a convertible of both the 9-5 and the 9-3 and those special models might not be suitable for russelsheim.
Just speculations but I try to keep my hopes high.
CJ
I’ve got other companies that I’m interested in and I’ll hopefully try their cars at some stage, but I’ll always have a Saab or two in the garage because I love the company and the brand’s identity.
Whilst all of those things you mention are undoubtedly good, cj, the brand identity is a real and tangible part of what attracted me to Saab as a long termer. GM having some faith in the brand name but not preserving the brand’s character isn’t quite enough for me as an enthusiast.
Screw GM.
If I wanted to buy a real new German car designed and made in Germany, I would buy a BMW or MB. Not a Saab… Every year, Saab looses more and more of its Scandinavian identity and soon there will be nothing left. Globalization stinks…
Ditto
I don’t have a problem with the production site. The real problem is rather that there doesn’t seem to be much consistency in the decisions made (maybe not very much commitment either).
This is also visible in the way GM keeps switching its (or Saabs) key persons in short intervals. If you get new people every one or two years (usually with little Saab background) it is not likely you get any consistency in the brand or product development.
You can’t bring back old times, but Saab really would benefit from a sort of modern version of Bob Sinclair or like – someone who knows his/her customer, product and brand.
(Yes, and I do have a problem with a supposedly premium car built on a compact platform…)
I wouldn’t accept that labor official’s word as gospel, there’s quite a bit of evidence to the contary and they are usually full of bull just to keep the unions in check. Delta II hasn’t even been slated for Russelsheim yet. With Isignias and Chevrolet Epicas as well as Saab 9-5s, will they capacity to build Astras let alone 9-3s as both will require a different production line from the Epislon cars.
Anyway I suspect by 2012 it’ll be quite a changed landscape for Saab and Russelsheim might have a markedly different role to play.
I’m not going to panic yet, but if we reach the point where Saab Trollhattan isn’t producing a single Saab model, I’m moving on. Not just from Saab, but from GM as well. Keep it up GM…..and you’ll see a mass exodus of Saab loyalists.
Not that you give a rip.
Having lived in Germany, I hope GM learns a lesson from BMW, who kept the successful mini-cooper production in Britain, to maintain the Brand integrity.
Its unbelievable that the British designers that rule the GM design labs over there, canr step-up to the task of being true brand designers, rather than poodles wrapping around windscreens and throwing Salomon jump suits in every trunk. How will the future Saab consumer make small talk about his car, if the main story line is gone.
The German Unions have no interest in brand building, their view is short term work dominance, and we all know what that will lead to in the end, ….. brand -death. Now lets all pray that there are enough German dentists to go around to promote the Saab of the future.
Well, point of manufacture isnakt as important as point of design.
I’ve seen these news feeds for the past week or so as well. My response was “same story, same sources”. These same people said the same things before, and they were proven to be premature. I’m not believing until BOTH parties agree on a production site. Labor — not a reliable source in my opinion.
Swade, very disturbing news indeed, If this is how GM manages the brand it doesn’t really matter if there are more models out there as they will not be able to fill the new cars with any meaning. The intelligent Saab customer will look through smoke screens such as the brand center and a few engineers in Trollhättan working on Opels and Chevys will not make the difference either.
I wonder however where GM will get the money from to add capability to two platforms in R-heim. No doubt closing the plant in Sweden will cost a bit of money so it is hard to see where the investment money will come from. Why not close Trollhättan and Antwerp and Bochum in one sweep, transfer the tools to the plant in Rüsselsheim and to plants in Russia. That should fit rather well with all sorts of growth strategies, no doubt.
I have been driving Saabs for the past 20 years but maybe it is time to look around for a substitute.
Though often misunderstood, Helga does not come from Sweden, and Saab wasn’t really born from jets. Most Architects and Dentists drive Saab not because of brand passion, Its just that they cant afford BMWs.
So why pretend that assembly production by high school dropouts in Trollhattan gives Saab a soul, when the heart of engineering and design departments has been dismantled quietly over the years. If moving the production of Saab had any connection to building a brand, the next Saab would be produced past the snowy polar circle, next to the Ice Hotel, and not on a rainy parking lot in Germany. So GM decision makers out there, I know u are listening. If you decide to keep production in Sweden, promise to make put back some engineering and design there too. Get some dignity and produce some real innovative stuff, that makes a difference and is relevant to the future of mankind. No more spinning and flipping cup holders in pimped up Opels.
If there will be no Saab production in Sweden, then screw GM. If future Saabs will loose MORE of it´s Saabiness, then screw GM.
I highly doubt that our next new car will be a Saab. New 9-1 based on the BioHybrid concept, build in Trollhattan could be it, but 9-4X from mexico with it´s 3 liter engine. No thank you!
I mean, take a look what BMW is doing. Take X3 for example. Check out the performance of two liter diesel, be it manual or automatic. What´s the consumption?
Well, 0-100kmh takes exactly the same time for X3 2.0d Aut and 9-3 Aero TTiD Aut. BM´s got lower consumption. That´s bulky SUV with two liter single turbo diesel engine outperforms Saabs top of the line Twin Turbo Aero… Ack!
Not to break this thread of arguement, but…
Thank you Swade for the mentioning of my new blog: http://RacingReady.com/blog. I’ve been into it just a week, and I can see the consistant commitment it is going to take to make it a success.
This is the blog’s tagline:
“Go from wannabe racer to successful racing competitor!”
I am inspiring myself and others to start at the autocross level & go up from there. My home base is in San Antonio, TX. I would certainly like to share & get feedback from others of you who compete at some level, especially from other parts of the world, besides the US.
Are you Racing Ready?