Monthly Archives: July 2008

Saab all over the Detroit Free Press

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Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press is doing a full court press on Saab coverage today:

Phelan the love – Part 1 – Turbo X

Phelan has driven the Turbo X and likes it:

The Turbo X’s power and handling give Saab a legitimate competitor for all-wheel drive sport sedans like the A4, IS 250 and S80. Adding its power and handling to the broader line Saab has in the works could let the Swedish brand finally repay General Motors’ patience and investment.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but being kept on life support and denied the new models you need doesn’t fulfil my definition of an “investment”, but I digress….

Phelan praises the car’s looks, power delivery and great handling. On the negative side, he misses features like iPod or USB connectivity and doen’t like some of the interior trim.

Phelans known on the webs as a bit of a GM fanboy, which is understandable seeing he earns his salary in their backyard. It’s a good review, though, and as well thought ut as any other review I’ve seen on the Turbo X.

Phelan the Love – Part 2 – New Models

Phelan also dedicates an article to letting the folks around Detroit know what’s coming down the pike for Saab. I’m sure the execs at the Ren Center will find it informative. Always good to have new information coming in. *whipcrack*

He starts with the current situation:

The heart of Saab’s lineup today consists of the 9-3 and 9-5, two midsize cars that are too similar in size and looks to support a whole brand. The 9-7X SUV is a competent attempt to create a Saab from GM’s midsize SUV platform, but it’s no more than a stopgap measure to boost sales slightly until the new models arrive.

And then covers what’s coming. It’s nothing we haven’t heard about already, but it’s good to see the news is getting around:

A dramatically restyled new version of the 9-5 is to go into production next year. The 9-5 will be based on the next generation of GM’s global midsize car architecture…..

….Saab will also get a sporty crossover that’s very similar to the 9-4X concept car. Saab expects the 9-4X to sell best in the United States, so the vehicle will be built alongside the next-generation Cadillac SRX crossover in an as-yet unidentified North American plant.

The replacement for the midsize 9-3 may move to GM’s compact Delta architecture, Automotive News Europe reports. That would give Saab a smaller and more efficient high-volume model and increase the differentiation between its 9-3 and 9-5 lines…..

….Saab also has a smaller 9-1 model in the works.

Like I said, it’s nothing we don’t know, but it’s good to see the word getting out.

Phelan the love – Part 3 – E85 downunder

There’s only a little Saab in here. It’s mostly about Holden (yes, they’re writing about Australia in Detroit) and how they’re about to go E85 crazy! The strange thing about that is that we’ve only got a handful of E85 outlets here.

I won’t guess how many there are as I know I’ll be wrong (and Hawkeye will let me know!) but it’s got to be less that 10 right now.

It hasn’t stopped them marketing the bioPower cars here, though. Hawkeye’s got one and there’s a very nice looking black BioPower 9-3 here in Hobart.

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Thursday Snippets – BioPower Aero edition

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This video’s been doing the rounds of the automotive blogosphere today and I just had to share it here, too, for those who haven’t seen it yet.

It’s a corporate propaganda video from Mercedes Benz called “That’s how we beat them all” – and it’s so incredibly tacky and bad bad BAD that you’ll want to watch it again and again and again.

OK, maybe just watching it once is more than enough…..

Something inside me is curious to see how a Saab version of something like this could turn out, though naturally I wouldn’t want the negative consequences for the brand that Mercedes are seeing today. But the thought of a Eurovision-like song praising the merits of a 10-year-old 9-5 and a five year old 9-3 are too much to resist in a self-flagellating sort of way.

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You know I hate Cadillac, right?

So imagine how well the news that Caddy will consider a turbocharged four cylinder for future models is going down here at TS-central this morning.

GM are pimps and they will whore out whatever configurations they please to keep Caddy alive in market segments where it shouldn’t be seen. If it’s the peak of high-end luxury then set it up that way and leave the premium turbo four segment to the brand that started it all.

(I can hear the execs now: …and what brand is that? Saab? Who are they?)

A pox on them all!!!

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To some happier news….

Here are your first pictures of a Saab 9-3 SportCombi fitted with BioPower – and in Aero specification. As you can see it’s got the full Aero trim with the deep bumpers, the foglight surrounds, dual exhaust and some fantastic new wheels to roll on, too.

These images have come from Germany, where it seems Saab is making a concerted effort to lift a drastically fallen market share. There’s been a lot of press release and marketing activity in Germany (from what I can tell) and with the release of XWD there, I hope it pays dividends for them. It’s a market that Saab definitely need to improve in.

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2010 Saab 9-5 photochop

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Auto Motor and Sport in Sweden have posted a new photoshop CGI of what they believe is the forthcoming Saab 9-5, which will be a 2010 model year vehicle released for sale late in 2009. The illustration is from an outfit called Schulte Design, who apparently make a habit of being very close to the real thing in their renderings.

There’s a story there too, for those who read Swedish, but I’m told there’s nothing additional to what we’ve already heard. It’s basically a summary article of all the 9-5 news that AMS have collected in the last year (which has all been posted here, too).

Click to enlarge, and if you’re a Swede-reader, click through to AMS for the full story. That AMS link will also get you access to a version twice the size of the one I’ve posted here.

My thanks to Par Brandt at AMS for the tip!

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Saab Convertible Concept in Paris????

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Albert VDB has been kind enought to translate and send through another VERY interesting article.

It comes from Telegraaf, a paper from The Netherlands, and if true, then the latter part of this year is going to be a lot more interesting than I thought it might be.

Here’s the article in Dutch. Here’s the translation:

In October at the Paris auto show Saab comes again with a new design study. It is already the third concept car of this brand as Autovisie reveals in their newest issue. According to the magazine it will be the 9-X Cabriolet Concept, which has to warm up the public for the next generation 9-3.

That is why the successor to the current 9-3 will not be based on the platform architecture of the Opel Insignia as initially planned. Instead, the next 9-3 will use the compact architecture on which also the next Astra will be based. The smaller 9-1 has also been assigned to another platform. That of the Corsa, although Mr. Forster reacts just with a “Yes, that could very well be imaginable”

Autovisie writes that the study 9-X that was presented at the Geneva show is not a forerunner to the 9-1, but to the next 9-3 of which the design has just been approved.

More on Saab’s future plans is in the Autovisie issue 16 of July, 31.

So……..

We might have a 9-X cabriolet concept to go with the 9-X BioHybrid Concept we saw earlier this year, and according to this Autovisie magazine, the 9-X is more likely to be an indication of the future Saab 9-3 than what will now be a smaller 9-1.

The idea of a convertible concept is an intriguing one. If you were lurking at this site this time last year, you may recall that I had heard from Djup Strupe (an insider) that Saab had some very special ideas in development for a convertible. It was mentioned to me in terms of a convertible benig completely re-thought. I have no idea what that will mean, but the person I spoke to was definitely in a position to know.

I was expecting the Saab 9-3x XWD wagon thingy in Paris, primarily because there wasn’t really anything else on the menu. It seems that there may be now.

Ooh la la!!!

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Opel, Saab and GM Europe

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I’ve received a couple of interesting transcripts in the mail over the last few days and I thought I’d share them in full here.

The first one is a translation of an interview with Opel chief, Hans Demant, from Auto Motor and Sport magazine in Germany. Opel have a lot going on with the new Insignia, but they also have a lot to do with Saab and just about everything that GM do in Europe. If it can’t be used by Opel in some way, then it’s probably not going to get done. So this interview has some Saab-specifics in it, as well as a lot of Opel stuff.

My thanks to Albert VDB for translating it and sending it in for me to share here. Albert also raises some interesting questions at the end.

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Mr. Demant, How many units of the new Insignia do you want to sell in Western-Europe?

Demant: As many as the market wants. We do not have any restrictions in Rüsselsheim. In two-shift mode we can produce 180.000 vehicles per year. About two thirds of that, we can problem free assign to the Insignia. Because from the end of 2009 the new Saab 9-5 will roll of the Rüsselsheimer lines for the first time. (q1)

And at the same time an Astra-variant should be integrated in the mother plant. Which one?

Demant: That is still open. But we will make this decision within the coming six months, in order to start in time with the necessary tooling.

The costs for this step are said to be up to 100 million Euros, according to works council chief Franz. Is it in any way possible to allow yourself this amount at this time?

Demant: This sum is way too high. The component architecture for the Insignia and the coming Astra are so alike that I assume an investment of clearly under 50 million Euros. (q2)

Saab 9-3 Sedan and wagon were originally planned for production in Rüsselsheim and now go to Trollhättan. Do you see chances for the German plant to take over at least the production of the cabrio-version, that also will be based on the same platform as the coming Astra?

Demant: The portfolio planning for the successor of the Saab 9-3 cabrio has not been closed yet. When we give the green light for that, we will check intensively where the production is worthwhile. Because we do have a great competence with the in-house production of cabrios, as for instance the Astra TwinTop in Antwerpen shows.

Will there be more versions of the Insignia other than the sedan, the fastback and the wagon – such as a coupe or some kind of space-functional concept, like BMW plans on the bases of the 5-series?

Demant: No, that is not foreseen at the moment. However, we would be able to bring a new version to the market within 18 months if there is a market demand. (q3)

When can we at last expect the city car below the Agila, about which you are talking since years?

Demant: I am sure that we need a city car. A cost effective development however is not easy. Even at Tata in India the initial euphoria for the concept is now followed by disillusionment as they come to the realisation.

How far are the talks with the motorcycle producers, that would accommodate you – in line with the Tata Nano – with simple cheap solutions?

Demant: We ended those. Because the big promises were not followed by corresponding actions. Because of this we rather want to develop a new global city car architecture on our own power which then also fulfils the future Euro N-CAP protocol. Und that gives the best consumption figures at the same time.

At the same time we will painfully watch out that driving pleasure will not be shortcoming. Then all but the least of the customers buy cars just because of their eco friendliness. This lesson we learned a few years ago with our Astra Eco4.

When will we see – at the other end of the portfolio – a successor to the Omega and with that a VW Phaeton competitor?

Demant: the car is available as a completely developed concept. We only have to decide if we bring it on the street or not. Watching the actual CO2 discussion and fleet consumption a car of this size does not have the highest priority.

Besides, we have now made with GM in Europe a profit for two years in a row and want to add a third – despite all the negative surroundings – such as the risen material prices and negative exchange rates. Because of this we do not want to rush into every segment.

Does this also count for the small Opel Offroader based on the Corsa that should roll off the line in Antwerpen from 2010?

Demant: We never confirmed this plan officially. A model like that fits right into the group of cars that we would like to have, but that are not necessary to have.

How, in your opinion, will the German market develop in this year?

Demant: I am cautiously optimistic, when I say that we will not quite reach the last year’s level of 3,2 million new car registrations.

And what do you expect from Russia?

Demant: Last year we sold 66.000 Opels. In the first half of this year there were already 54.000 sales, practically double that of the comparable period last year. That is a hefty development.

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Albert’s notes from the interview:

q1) Does that mean that the new Saab 9-5 is calculated at 60,000 units a year?

Me: Simple mathematics would presume that that’s the case. I tend to think they’re being a bit optimistic, though. I’d have thought the Insignia-to-Saab 9-5 ratio would be a bit more than 2:1. Actually, I would have thought they can make and sell 180,000 Insignia’s all by themselves.

q2) Is he really saying here that Delta and Epsilon II are so alike that we shouldn’t worry about using either Delta or Epsilon II?

Me: I’m not sure what he’s saying there in terms of what we’d be concerned about.

q3) If it takes 18 month to bring a new version, then why does it take up to 2012 to bring a new 9-3?

Me: A very good question indeed. I’d love to hear an answer to that one, but I’ve got a feeling the question would be buried under a heap other questions that were deemed to be more important. Know what I mean?

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The second article came from Tekniken’s Varld and is summarised below with some comments, by ctm. It’s related to the first one in that it deals with the possibility of Opel dipping its toes into the premium market:

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At some point they cite the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. I don’t know if this is “new” stuff (happened recently) or “old” stuff (a few lines from an interview expanding into an article
during a slow summer month).

Anyway, I like the first main line which goes something like this: “Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chariman Global Product Development, put an end to Opel’s ambition to compete in the premium cars segment.”

Evidently, Opel, with backing from Carl Peter Forster, wanted a successor to the bigger Signum model, which in the article is described as almost a fiasco (and it did seem to disappear due to low demand). At first, there were talks about using the Cadillac CTS as a basis for the new model, but then they decided to develop an new flagship car to compete with the other German manufacturers sedans.

The new car was to be one part of GM’s plan to restructure its European brands. Opel would take a big step upwards to become a premium brand, while Chevrolet would be the cheaper brand (and Saab sold off?). Opel boss Hans Demant has revealed that the new car advanced as far as a concept, and that’s when Bob Lutz put an end to the plans with the explanation that that the new Insignia is as far premium as Opel should go. In an interview with the Auto Motor und Sport, Lutz explains that such a car would have a very slim chance to succeed in the premium segment.

My 2 cents? I get the feeling that this is another snippet from some sort of a board room brawl (maybe last year, maybe 2-3 years ago) over the brands – and it that brawl it was decided (among other things) that Saab is not for sale, that Saab is a premium brand, and that Saab will get a new model lineup. Opel have to go after VW, Skoda, Ford, Peugeot etc, and Chevrolet branded Daewoo’s are the cheaper car for mainly Southern and Eastern Europe.

I haven’t seen anything else about this. But I’m mainly at the beach at the moment and kind of disconnected. :-)

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Sorry ctm, but I had to leave that last bit in……it’s good to hear you’re enjoying your summer!

My thanks to ctm and Albert VDB for sending these in. They’re more directly concerned with Opel, but given the state of flux that Saab is in at the moment, it’s interesting to read some of the European stories and try to get a sense of where Saab are going.

There really is an identity crisis going on at the moment.

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One for the gadget guys: Dynolicious

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Got iPhone?

Get Dynolicious.

From Autoblog:

One app that has us really psyched is a new automotive performance meter called Dynolicious from BunsenTech. It uses the accelerometer inside the iPhone to let you record 0-10 through 0-100 times, quarter mile and trap speed, Lateral Gs, horsepower and more. Results are also displayed in real-time on the phone itself with graphs and a speedometer. You can also configure the tool with updates to your car, weight, before and after performance measurements, and keep a complete history of all your runs. The kicker is that you don’t even have to plug in your iPhone anywhere, just set it in the cup holder and drive.

Sounds fascinating. But how does it work? Must be a GPS thing, right?

For $13 at the app store, it’s got to be worth a look.

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A quick update on Saab leasing

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Automotive News has an update on GMAC leasing in general:

General Motors dealers will have to put high-risk customers into less expensive vehicles or get higher down payments than in the past, now that GMAC is tightening its financing policies.

Over the past year, GMAC has tightened its underwriting criteria and curtailed financing to customers considered to be credit risks, says Sue Mallino, GMAC spokeswoman. The policy applies both to leases and loans.

“We have reduced financing for high-risk customers,” Mallino says. “We want to carefully manage and limit our losses.”

Mallino denied a report that GMAC has halted all leases to customers with the lowest credit ratings. She said that other factors, such as size of the down payment and employment status, could result in a low-rated customer getting approved for a lease or loan. But she said that GMAC generally is not a subprime lender.

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Here’s some more about leasing in the US. These stories are all from Automotive News, where a subscription is required to read them in full.

1) Chrysler’s own leasing arm announced a week or so ago that it would stop leasing on August 1. Fearing a rush from Chrysler dealers who still wanted to offer leases, Chase Auto Finance has hit the brakes:

Chase Auto Finance said today that it will not finance leases for Chrysler LLC vehicles.

Chase was afraid auto dealers would flock to it in the wake of Chrysler Financial’s decision on Friday, July 25, to stop financing leases, said Chase spokeswoman Mary Kay Bean.

Chase is concerned about declining vehicle values, said Chase spokeswoman Nancy Norris. Lease payments are based on the residual value, the vehicle’s estimated value when the lease expires.

2) Ford has upped it’s lease rates to the point where they won’t sell any more cars that way. So effectively it’s dead too:

Ford Motor Co. will raise prices on leases of trucks and SUVs as their resale values diminish and its finance arm records “extreme losses” on those vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

The company will price vehicles high enough that consumers wouldn’t be interested in leasing vehicles, according to the report. The newspaper cites a memo Ford sent to its dealers and one dealer who was briefed on the plans.

3) Wells Fargo have pulled out, too:

Wells Fargo & Co. joined the ranks of lenders leaving the auto leasing business July 15 when it stopped accepting lease applications.

Unlike other lenders, which are saying they exited the market because of declining residual values for used vehicles, Wells says industry volume was too low for them to earn sufficient returns to stay in the business.

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I received an email this morning directly about Saab, too. Steve Shannon conducted a conference call for Saab dealers. The information is as follows:

The SaabUSA all-dealer conference call today did not provide a whole lot of good or bad news. It did confirm the ending of the 5yr/100k powertrain coverage, and that leasing for 2008 Saabs is scheduled to end September 2nd. Keep in mind that leasing usually goes to the end of September with the cutoff being the beginning of October (as it was in 2006 and 2007), so effectively we are only losing one month. There is no plan that could be confirmed on whether it will return for the 2009 models.

The “countdown” as Steve Shannon put it, is 14 months until the 9-5 and 9-4X are at U.S. dealers. XWD will at that point be available across the entire Saab lineup. An encouraging tidbit is that the 9-5 will retain a 4-cylinder turbo in the standard model for the U.S. market.

Kroum notes in comments that the news is now official for Canada, where leasing has been withrawn all together.

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There’s nothing here that says leasing is gone for Saab in 2009. There’s nothing to say it’ll be happening, either.

From the GMAC story in Automotive News, it sounds like there’ll still be leasing on offer but they’ll be raising the barrier to entry and with declining residuals, I think lease rates will be so high as to be quite unattractive. The 0% Finance days for anyone with a heartbeat are over for quite a while, I’d say.

One thing: this is an industry wide phenomenon. I know I can be quite critical of them, but there’s nothing to pin on Saab here. In fact, if they do maintain a leasing program then it’d probably be a miracle.

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2006 Saab 9-7x 5.3i review

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Long-time lurkers would be familiar with Andy Rupert. He’s a former 900 owner, famous for his plaid door inserts and that song about Bringing Back The Hatch.

Nowadays, Andy works at a Volvo dealership in Ohio and recently had the chance to take a 9-7x off the lot for a few days. My thanks to Andy for allowing me share his thoughts on what’s going to be one of Saab’s rarer models.

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Working at a car dealership has taught me several things. The first lesson is that you never know how long you will have a demo vehicle. It may last a month. It may last a day. You just never know. I’ve also learned that you should never put much gas in the tank of a demo vehicle. As soon as you fill-up the tank, the car will sell and for some strange reason the customer won’t refund you the money. Sure enough, after putting $20 in the tank last night, the SAAB 97X was taken from me. Therefore, my review of this ‘Swedish’ SUV will be limited to four days and less than 100 miles. Even so, I have some thoughts to share.

First Impressions

My wife likes the 9-7x. In fact, the first day home, she announced her approval of purchasing it should we need to replace the minivan. That says something about the vehicle as she normally doesn’t like foreign brands. As strange as it may seem, she never did like the SAAB 900s or either of the Jaguars we have owned.

Rather than question her tastes (at least for the moment), I think this may say something about a portion of the American market. Die-hard Saabisti may decry the re-badging of the Trailblazer/Envoy, but some people really don’t care. They actually like the way it looks. And to be honest, the black 9-7x I’ve been driving does look pretty good.

Performance

Last Thursday evening, I was handed the keys to the 9-7x. One of the first things I noted as I pulled out of the parking lot was the explosive acceleration of the 300 hp V8.

For instance, as I was preparing to turn right onto Mentor Avenue, another car was driving past. With every other car I’ve driven, it was appropriate to push the accelerator when the car was directly in front of my bumper. That usually allowed me to enter traffic without having to worry about hitting the car as it passed. Not so with the 9-7x. As I pressed the accelerator, I thought that I was going to hit the car driving past!

Acceleration on the highway was also impressive for an SUV. It doesn’t quite compare to a compact car with the same specs. But the fact that the 300 hp is backed up with 330 lb. feet or torque is quite notable at all times.

Interior

Several weeks of looking through the window of the vehicle produced in me a desire to test drive this vehicle. The perforated black leather seats, wood accents, and a tasteful amount of chrome trim made the 9-7x look like the finest car on the lot.

However, as I drove the vehicle home, I was quicky reminded that it indeed was a truck — especially on concrete roads. To make matters worse the driver’s seat back felt like (and on closer inspection looked like) square sofa seat cushions from a hide-away bed. They were not very comfortable at all. But I must admit that I had grown accustomed to the glove-like, comfortable seats in the Volvo S60 R.

Now take those comments for what they are worth. I have had a trouble with my back for the last twenty years. And driving any SUV over Tyler Blvd. is probably not going to be very comfortable. But then again … on the way back from church last night, my wife commented on how comfortable the passenger seat was. Go figure.

I did appreciate the accessibility of the rear storage compartment. The 9-7x comes with a two piece rear hatch. By pressing a large button underneath the hatch window, the hinged window itself can be opened. This is a nice option as it enables you to access smaller items without opening the entire hatch. Of course, it only takes a moment longer to open the entire hatch, but every little time saver is appreciated.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed driving the SAAB 9-7x 5.3i. It is a nice looking, powerful vehicle SUV that allows five passengers to travel in style. While the seats may not be as comfortable as those in a 9000 Aero, you do get used to them after a while. And if you are not intimidated by the current price of gas, this is the time to buy. Leikin Motor Company has two in stock for under US $20,000.

Quite the deal, I’d say.

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