On Saab and Saab blogging
I’m going on holiday soon, and I’ll be honest with you - it can’t come soon enough. Despite all the struggles I’ve had personally this year and the slow time that Saab’s had over the last three years, this is the first time I’ve really felt like I’m blogging in what I’d call a Saab recession.
And it sucks.
Despite my distaste for it, I’ve always tried to stay positive about GM’s ownership of Saab. If it weren’t for GM, Saab probably would have died some time ago. Would someone else have bought them? Maybe. Maybe not.
Alternate realities are a point of frequent conjecture and the source of a somewhat deluded optimism, primarily because the reality we face as Saabists is one of constant short-term frustration followed by a little bit of medium-term promise to keep us on the hook.
If the rumour mill is correct, then we’re going to see Saab’s next concept car at the Paris Motor Show in October. That means that since the turn of the century we’ve seen the 9x, the 9-3x, the Sport Hatch Concept, the Aero X, the 9-3 BioPower Hybrid Convertible, the 9-4x, the 9-X BioHybrid and now a possible 9-X Convertible. That’ll be eight concepts cars in 8 years (and that’s leaving out several of the recent BioPower concepts that aren’t significantly different enough to count) and five concepts in the last two years or so.
A countback of eight actual production vehicles takes us back as follows: the 9-3SS range, 9-5 range, OG9-3 range, NG900, 9000, Classic 900, 90, 99. You didn’t expect me to count the 9-7x and 9-2x did you? I’ve included the “sort of” Saab 90 in the real cars to offset the BioPower Hybrid Convertible, which was a “sort-of” concept in my eyes. I’m still tossing up as to whether I should count the 9-3 SportCombi separately, and the Saab 9000 twice due to the generational change it underwent in the early 1990s.
Eight concepts takes us back eight years. Eight production vehicles takes us back around forty years. Count back eight competitors’ models and you’ll likely stop around 2004. Saab’s eight models go back to 1967!
The newest Saab production vehicle is now going on 6 years old and won’t be replaced for at least another three years. The next new Saab production vehicle, the 9-5, will replace a vehicle that’ll be 11 years old by the time it finally comes out. After that, Saab will release a crossover into a market that’s already declining (down 11% so far in 2008, I believe) and we’re yet to see if that crossover will have the hallmark features that made it interesting as a concept, not to mention the question of how it will drive (which is the very point of its existence).
One of the models that many put their traditionalist’s faith in, the possible Saab 9-1, is now delayed and will likely be smaller than anticipated if and when it arrives. Those with a mind for a new car in a few years time don’t know whether to hold out for this Saab 9-1 or a now-revised-and-smaller Saab 9-3. And they won’t know anything significant enough to make a decision about them for a few years, because after a session of Lutzian flip-flopping, they are only just starting work on the vehicles now.
What we’ve got for sure is a 9-5 that’s reputed to be great to look at and a 9-4x that will open up a new market segment that enthusiasts may or may not be enthusiastic about. And those are 15 months away from being available for sale. By the time they’re actually released to the market, this website will be 4.5 years old and they’ll be the first actual new cars that I could write about.
GM (and Saab) have effectively put an entire generation of aspirational Saab customers on hold. These are people with only one lifetime to live, one set of choices to make. How long can you do this before people move on and you’re effectively building the brand again from scratch? And how much intestinal fortitude and money do GM have? Are they willing and able to rebuild Saab as it should be if it comes to that?
——
So what do I do for the next 15 months?
To be honest, I’m really not sure. I love my Saabs and I have a deep-rooted passion for the brand, but I don’t like the way GM are handling them or the way Saab’s reputation has been allowed to free-fall into mediocrity. The cars and the people are much better than that, but GM has allowed the slide to continue unabated for years now and I don’t see a lot of basis for hope that they’re going to make a genuine attempt to allow Saab to fulfill its potential.
This age of oil-awareness that we’re living in right now has been a long time coming and it should have been the perfect storm that allowed Saab’s vehicle philosophy to shine. Instead we’ve got a lack of development and lack of exposure that leaves just about everyone in the Saab family doing what we’ve been doing for years now: remembering the Good Ole Days (TM).
GM Europe wrote an article today about European applications for GM’s E-flex architecture and there’s no mention of Saab whatsoever in it. Saab’s brilliant Turbo X should have sold out almost completely before it was distributed to dealers, but you can buy one from a dealer on Ebay right now if you like.
I have little doubt that if they could, GM would dump Saab. They’ve pursued the sale of Hummer because it’s a strong brand (perhaps GM’s strongest brand image) and could therefore receive a worthwhile price. They’d receive no such interest in Saab right now, and the only offers that might come in would be ones that would quite possibly leave them a sizeable deficit when they consider the dealers they’d have to compensate.
This website started out as a place for Saab enthusiasts to read about various aspects of the brand. I was mainly concerned with the ideas of history and identity because of where Saab had come from. It was the possibility of Saab building on those aspects of the brand, as well as the performance I experienced in my Saabs every day, that really captured my heart and fuelled this website. I still love those things about the brand today but the fuel has all but dried up.
Whilst the site had an initial focus on brand and culture, The News about current vehicles eventually took over. It’s the desire to hear about what’s going on now, and what’s coming down the pike, that keeps me writing and keeps many of you visiting. 90% of that news has now dried up, or become bad news that’s hard to write about with a cheery disposition.
Even if GM do give Saab the freedom and the resources to build on, it’s going to take a long time just for the baby steps to begin. I’m not just a Saab driver who can happily jump in my own car every day, I’m also a Saab blogger, and I’m starting to feel that this brand isn’t big enough to keep a Saab blog alive.
This is not Trollhattan Saab’s second death notice. Not by a long shot.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s me who’s changing and a fresh set of eyes around here would do wonders with the place? Maybe I feel like I’ve done what I can and I don’t have anything left in the tank to expend on a company whose management I don’t believe in anymore? Maybe I just need a proper break? Maybe TS needs to be aligned to something else, a Saab-based business, in order to keep its focus and its raison d’être alive.
TS will continue but I guess it’s fair to say that like Saab, it’s going to be in a holding pattern of sorts for a little while. I’m starting to see bigger fields on the horizon and I need to see what they mean for me and for this website.
——
More than anything else, though, I’d like to see Saab survive and thrive. I hope that GM give them the tools they need to do so, but I’m sick of believing that they will just because they say so.
This is our time. Now. Not five years from now or ten years from now. It’s now. If you’re moving along in the world, you’re driving a Saab 9000 and would like a newer car for your daily commute and some fun along the way, then you probably need that newer car in 2008 or 2009, not 2011 or 2012. That’s three years of your driving life gone. You don’t get those three years back to do over. If you’re a Saab enthusiast you might wait it out, or buy an older Aero to satisfy your needs. If you’re not a Saab enthusiast then you’ll probably go buy a WRX or something and you could well be lost to the brand forever.
My time as a blogger is right now. It’s the next few hours, not the next few years. There’s only so much historical stuff that I can write and repeat in the slow times before it gets old - for you and for me. I don’t ever want Saab to get ‘old’ in my mind.
So let’s see where this goes, shall we? I’m still a Saab nut and always will be, but the times are a-changing (unless you’re based at the Renaissance Center, where it’s still just Chevrolet and Cadillac that matter in the end).
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I like that new logo…cheer up man. Life is good…there’s more to life than a car company. I think Saab will make it thru, but even if it doesn’t life will.
If ur trying to make a living as a blogger you are probably blogging the wrong thing for sure. Perez-Hilton…that makes money. Saab blog? Can’t see making a living on that. Maybe a few bucks.
No. No. I’m not trying to make a living from it, though I wouldn’t mind writing for a living. The main issue in this post isn’t about money. It’s about having enough content to keep the site interesting, both for readers and for me as a writer. Saab and GM have just about killed off all forms of Saab news because everything right now and for the foreseeable future is focused on things other than Saab - SW
Personally I think there’s a lot to look forward to with Saab, but no doubt the times are challenging for all the mid-size brands.
beren
Amen!! When the threads drift toward key chains and other Saab paraphernalia, it’s hard to keep reading. Ditto for time-machine restorations that ordinary folks will probably never own or be able to maintain. As would-be buyers wait years for new models, and hear all the bad news that the brand is shrinking and may not survive, etc, etc, isn’t it likely that they’ll begin to have second thoughts? Sad, but this sate of affairs has the potential to kill off what is left of the Saab community.
I can’t help but feel a revolution has to be brewing at GM. Lutz and Waggoner have done some good things, but have missed the boat on so many more things that should have been obvious to anyone with common sense. The board needs to fire this management group who have driven GM’s share price to all-time lows. Then perhaps a new business team can pick up the pieces and hopefully see the asset they have in Saab. Even still as you mention Swade, even starting with baby steps we won’t see anything great come out of Saab for about three or four years at the earliest. Who has that kind of patience?
Cheer up, mate.
In all honesty, there is more happening around Saab these days than back when you started the blog. What was in back then, the 9-5 facelift? The Saabeca 9-6X? The uncertainty whether GM is committed to the brand at all?
All good things come to the point where you reevaluate their place in your life, unfortunately we human beings are muc so often prone to be cynical and overly self-demanding. If your passion for blogging about Saab is at a cross-road, take a break from blogging about Saab.
Personally, I believe Saab is for sale already. Nothing I have seen in the past few months has made me think otherwise. Any new product developments are just aimed at increasing the brand’s net worth. But at the end of the day, Saab has failed at making an impact on the marketplace since 1978… That surely tells you something. In a competitive global economy, mediocrity is not a hot-seller. No matter how good Saab engineers are - if they lack the management team to sell and promote the product, it is all engineering in vain. And Saab was in trouble even before GM bought half the company, some 20 years ago.
In all honesty, and I was thinking that a few days ago, even if Saab folds down, we’d all get on with life just fine. I’d probably drive an Audi just like everyone else, and one day tell my kids of a storied Swedish automaker that could not find its place in the ever-changing world. And perhaps then they’d go and read about what used to be the world’s largest automaker for nearly a century, before the eminent bankruptcy and liquidation of assets.
It is, after all, survival of the fittest.
An Ex- Saab loyalist said to me last week, “It’s cheaper to keep existing customers than attract new ones”…
I’m cheery. It’s OK. I’m just feeling philosophical about this whole activity I’ve been involved in for the last few years and whether or not it’s sustainable given the subject matter and where it’s headed.
I feel your anguish ( confusion, boredom, apathy, insert extra words here ). Seems that Saab news is eating it’s own tail. We have Turbo X reviews, warranty cut and; speculation and re-speculation and regurgitation of reports and images. How Saab is expected to limp through these next 18months I do not know.
It’s about friggin time somebody leaked some 9-5 images!
“An Ex- Saab loyalist said to me last week, “It’s cheaper to keep existing customers than attract new ones”…”
SO Richo, the implication is that GM is not even prepared to pay that lowly price given that the speaker is an Ex Saab-loyalist??
I hope the big wigs at GM read your Blog Swade. It has alot of infomation on Saabs and what the saab public is all about. I am a regular on TS and love the site! But I do feel your concern. Being the best Saab Blog on the net it would be a shame if it was there anymore. I do feel Saab will come back and do great things in the future. I am still waiting for the 9-1 or the smaller 9-3 to come out. but for now im driving my classic saabs and dont really mine it. The economy is not doing well right now, so maybe it is good to wait for the newer models to come out later. I not sure right now is a good time for any car company to have new models. People these days are tight in their pocket books to buy a new car. Alot of people are hanging on to their older cars and getting them fixed to run longer. I know because I have a Shop here in New York and its been very busy. All we do is Saab and Volvos. I think Gm will make saab the true responsable car maker. Smaller, lighter, effecient and with turbo and XWD of course.
Hi Swade, If GM hadn’t bought Saab, it would almost certainly gone to Fiat. As to how it would’ve survived Italians instead of Americans is anyone’s guess. Also what would’ve happened to Saab when GM bought into Fiat? Well at least Fiat got some benefit out of that one!
I agree with Kroum to some extent. I think Saab is being prepped for sale. You have to spend money to make money and I think that’s what GM is now doing with Saab. Selling it a few years back would’ve been a costly mistake, but if GM can portray it as a potentially viable concern then it will command a much better selling price. I still think GM will try something like what Ford did with Jaguar XF to sell Saab and try and sign the buyer into a 5 year deal (or something), to supply the new 9-5 from Russelsheim. I don’t think any other model will feature in this deal and the 9-4x could well end up being re-badged as a Buick or something. The 9-1 and the 9-3 replacement will most likely be up to the buyer. My gut instinct says this will happen within two years.
When Saab was still only partly GM owned their seemed to be at least some sense of purpose and direction. Since 2000 this has become increasingly blurred and skewed and my dissatisfaction with GM has increased markedly in this time. I am and will always be a Saab fan, but a GM fan? I don’t think so…
Anyway hang in there Swade. The next couple of years for Saab could prove very interesting, but somehow I don’t think it will be new models that make it that way?
The history of saab is a noble cause in it’s own rite and your passion for it is amazing.
but until you pass your energies onto GM somehow, we are all disappointed in the current trends.
The power and the knowledge to make the changes are in the hands of a few people who are out of touch with reality in 2008. you know better than most the terrible and disastrous decisions that have come from GM. All we can all do is wait and prey that GM finally brings us the products that we have been waiting a lifetime for.
Best wishes on your time off
and thank you.
No time off at the moment, Tom, though a holiday is coming up. But things will keep on ticking.
I’m just pondering the fact that things have slowed to the point where I’ve had time to breathe and take a look around. I’ve lived, slept, eaten and bled Saabs and this site for the last three years. Given a little time, I’ve noticed that there’s other stuff out there. And it’s got merit.
In terms of promoting interest among enthusiasts, TS has done more to “move the mind” these past few years than SAAB itself has. If SAAB delivered (make that “was allowed to deliver”) new models with the speed that Swade produces great posts about them, all would be well with the world.
Like probably a lot of other SAAB owners I find myself counting SAAB’s wherever I go. I was in Fairfax, CA this weekend and take heart it’s a veritable SAAB heaven. Sitting on a bench I counted SAAB after SAAB after SAAB. 9-5’s, 9-3’s, 900’s, one 9000 and even a 9-7. There are a lot of intelligent, creative people in Fairfax - really.
Before I bought my 9-5 Arc Combi (which my wife and I love) I had 6 BMW’s in a row. BMW’s are very good cars but they are way too common. SAAB’s are neat, a bit different, still have cache and thank god I don’t see them every time I turn the corner.
I check into this site every day and it’s one of the enjoyable parts of my routine. Keep the faith, as one of the newest Saabista I can say that I’m counting on you to be around.
Hang in there Swade, I think you are delivering a very insightful and thoughtful blog indeed.
I’ll try to be upbeat and say that the reason that Saab news have dried up is that this is the calm before the storm. Next year will see three launches, two completely new cars and a new cool 9-3x.
It is easy to get the blues right now when considering Saab but I do believe it will be better in the near future.
Let’s send these thoughts to Detroit: GM Learns the benefit of owning more brands than two, GM shifts focus on Cadillac introduction in Europe from all of Europe to Eastern Europe (a place where they actually appreciate the product), GM decides that also Saab can sell a lot of small cars in the shape of the 9-1 and makes a thorough rebadge action on the next gen Astra.
It is not impossible, just very difficult in an company that is not interested in maximizing profits for the shareholders but is more interested in personal politics and preferences.
Sorry for the harangue, keep in there Swade we need you.
GM ownership can kill Saab or sell the automaker on, but it would not change our loyalties. There is this tingling, this feeling of togetherness, a sense of belonging, whenever I see a Saab on the road. Whether GM keeps the baby in the bathwater or throws it out, it is really an academic exercise for some of us as I would keep my MY01 9-5 for aeons to come, even if that meant maintaining it to the detriment of my hip pockets. There are certain things in life which is not tradeable or what price you would pay for it (loyalty). Saab is one of them.
If you happened to take a little breather in terms of a holiday, pack your laptop or palmtop away, dive into those beautiful coral reefs and enjoy the exhilirating feeling of belonging to a community which is a loyal as you can get. Reality dictates something else, particularly where you have to make money, and that is GM’s business. Our business is to drive and own the products emanating from the stylish pens of designers at their Design Centers, and we will continue to do so whether GM continues to own Saab or not.
From my dealer today - the 9-5 demonstrator models are ordered for August 2009 with customers sales available from September. 9-4x sales to commence January 2010.
Just had a 24 hour test drive in a ‘vert TTid and wow- what a great engine and what a great ‘vert - thought I would come away thinking it wasn’t for me, but I’m addicted. This is the passion that is lacking from my 150Tid wagon which leaves me cold as a driving experience. This is the only diesel engine Saab should use ‘cos the others are just plain average and spoil a good car.
One can look at the situation in different ways…
What other brand selling “normal” cars (that is, not supersportcars) would be able to sell over 100,000 cars per year with two old mid-sized models in their lineup? Imagine BMW only selling the previous generation 3- and 5-series… Or Audi only selling previous generation A4 and A6… No way they would sell a million cars per year. Look at Sweden. The 9-5, a 10 year old model, is still outselling the latest Audi A4 and it’s not because the 9-5 is cheaper. So yes, Saab has extremely loyal customers. It won’t be enough in the long term, but it has saved Saab the last five years. That alone says something about the passion for the brand.
What if GM had done all the thing we wanted and had a full Saab lineup one year ago? And then, oil-price and panic… Yes, I know, there has been energy crises before, like in the seventies. But look at the state of the U.S. auto industry. There are nog Big Three anymore. This time it is different. If GM didn’t had the technological knowledge of GM Europe, they would be in ruins right now. Saab could be in a position to have a lineup that is fully adjusted to the new situation, instead of seeing sales figures of new models decline because they are the wrong product.
And yes, I just make this up not to encourage the spirit…
Have a nice vacation in Canada (they speak funny there, you know) and don’t think about TS for a while.
Swade,
As a UK Saab dealer I have to say that I agree with all your sentiments,I dont know if GM will ever “get” this brand,I do know that they have a lot of work to do if they are to be taken seriously by both the dealers, and that is a declining number here and what is left of our customer data base,Good luck with the blog though.
Swade - you are spot on - as usual.
And NO - if TS was under another’s hadn, it would not benefit from a fresh look, as there is not one to be ahd- you are correct in all you say and feel.
But do not give up mate. Just moor up, learn Candian speak, drink some wine or beer and chill. Go and think about Alfas for a week or something. Put Saab in the fridge for a bit.
Do not forget - you , and your readers have the Saab apssion - it seems the corporate-speak robots do not…….. And yet, they came up with the brilliant Insignia- because they had too.
Shame - because you could apply the same arguement to Saab- beacuase they have too - but they have not- yet…
Lance Cole
Saab addict - feeling just as frustrated at the GM machinations as you are…
GM sucks, bigtime. They did not help Saab financially to develop new models and let’s face it, the designs of the 9-3 and 9-5 were complete failures… too plane Jane. Swade you have to move to Detroit.
Hang in there, Swade.
No pressure for you to crank out daily posts…once again:
health & family come first.
I wouldn’t mind if you focused on the Saab owner’s stories
again (i.e. POO competition)…i cant get enough
of the photos and stories coming from all points around
the planet.
Have no fear…i won’t beat the drum to put it all in book
form (see line three of what i just wrote)!
Cheers!
You’ll need another blogging project. How about http://www.goteborgvolvo.com? Plenty of new models to talk about, much better model mix and I am sure they have an interesting history as well. There is not a current Saab in production that I would want to buy. And no, I don’t really care either of reading the 100th review of the Turbo X or the next concept that will ever make it into production. New Saab slogan: We’re all talk and no action.
Wulf, all due respect to our Swedish cousins, but you just made me puke.
Yeah, as much as Volvo fan as I am, wulf, that just sucked.
I wonder what the hostility against Volvo by so many Saab loyalists is about? How about comparing some Volvos against Saabs to see why Saabs are better? That should give you something to write about.
Wulf, my analysis would be pretty quick, primarily visual and mostly historical.
Truthfully, I’ve developed a much deeper respect for Ovlov in the last few years, but they’re still not for me (with the possible exception of the C30 if it had a useful rear).
hey guys, you are not very fair, historically there is lot of happening around saab. Facelifted 9-3 fleet just released with xwd and great ttid and 2 concepts released also. 9-3x, 9-4x and 9-5 fleet coming into production soon. Lets wait what those will offer, i am sure that there will be some surprises as ttid for 9-3 last summer(largerst surprises will be saved for official product launch). Also hybrids are coming when gm technology is ready. Gm bad financial situation of course has effect on saab also, some cost cut will happen. Of course blogger wants big news everyday but thats not the case even with largerst brands.
I have tried to stand behind GM if but for no other reason of American pride. Sad, really. GM is the best that the US has to offer at the moment for the car world, but that is not saying much. In the past six months I have done an about face and I now realize that GM must sell SAAB. Seriously, you are losing money on the brand and you are doing the brand no justice at all.
Here is what I see as the reasons that SAAB should be sold:
1) GM needs cash
2) GM’s ownership has created a domineering layer of management above SAAB that has constnatly undermined the devlepoment of the cars as well as slowed the process of bringing new products to market.
3) GM has consistently stifled SAAB management by taking seemingly forever to make a decision. Once a decision is made it is then changed by Bob Lutz at the last minute. The 9-x biohybrid is a great example. The net result is a flip-flopping image where the brand always seems to drop the ball, but undoutedly at some time during the process they in fact had the ball. All I know is that GM will find a way to mess it up.
I would love for SAAB to be independent and be able to act as a fast-moving, lean organization. But let’s face it; they had their chance to do it once and the global economy about swallowed them whole. While I am generally averse to anything French I am willing to accept the French Kiss and Renault ownership. I know that Renault would love to get back into the US market. I would welcome them with open arms since brands seem to flourish under their leadership rather than whither and die.
GM: Sell SAAB. This will allow you to pimp Caddy all that you want in Europe. This will result in what we all know already. That is, a fresh SAAB product will thrive in Europe and Caddy will still flounder. GM if you truly believe in Caddy, sell SAAB and let it compete on a level playing field in the US and in Europe.
*Rant Over*
Saab enthusiasm is not only for futur upcoming models ,but also for oldies
Swade: I agree with you about the Volvo C30. It’s copped a lot of flak at TS in the past and sure it isn’t perfect, but Volvo wanted to try something different and Ford let them, so I congratulate them both. Unfortunately that kind of thing never seems to happen with the Saab/GM relationship.
why don’t we just burn Bob Lutz??? Or maybe just burn the Cadillac HQ??
Hi Swade. Go for a well earned vacation now! I am sure that we all can find other things to do than look at the blog, or maybe we will start browsing the archive!
Like J said, take a break and be with family which should always go first.
If you want to continue blogging, which i think we all would appreciate as you are a great writer do not post to often. I am sure that if you would limit the posts to 2 per week or so there would be plenty to write about. To have several posts per day only creates work at a deminising return. We all know that you would be first with the news anyway…
cj
And i am sure that other people can link to interesting stuff… Some testing pictures of the 9-4x but the interior is visible.
http://www.automotorsport.se/news/15163/spion-saab-9-4x–med-interiörbild/
I think I understand the pessimism, but it’s tough out there and there are freshened if not new SAABs out there. I think SAAB dealers need to get more active and LOCALLY get people to come in see and DRIVE their cars. Pan-US or Pan Canadian ads are somewhat $ down the drain because these cars are essentially regionally attractive (so far) in these parts of (never saw a SAAb in Mexico; any in Greenland?).
We are near the end of a 5000-km drive (with bits of work at the ends!) from Montreal to New Orleans and back with a Massachusetts stop now for a model RR meeting. I saw one SAAB in New Orleans, none until Pennsylvania, and bunches here in New England, including other 9-5s gliding along effortlessly. My personal opinion is that GM has the best looking full lines of cars on the road (others have sharp models, but not across the line). Euro GMs are also very competitive in styling and mechanicals. This is a very promising base for future SAABs that will HAVE to be variations on base themes or they will not exist. Every Audi up to the A6 is a premium VW and the same 2.0T is in nearly every model sold in NA; what’s wrong with GM doing the same?
We are trying to have our cake and eat it too–premium new SAABs and cheap recent used models. That’s bad. A SAABized Insignia would be great, SAABized Astra or similar would be great; and a uniquely bodied SAABized Corsa or similar (yes, a hatch) would be fantastic and would enable new buyers to get a new SAAB with a warranty. Any other models are gravy and create showroom traffic. Unique models? Even Bentleys (what a sharp looking coupé) are reskinned large Audis, i.e., stretched VWs.
My parting shot (for today): If GM wants to do some lobbying with the US and Cdn governments to clear a quick path to reduced energy consumption, get early agreement to allow EU diesels (lower CO2, higher NOX) to be sold over here. Then we SAAB fans could have the TTiD! From Fiat!!! And I would not object if the same engine appeared in the Malibu or anything else. When is the last time an Audi buyer complained that the Golf/Rabbit/Jetta/Bora 2.0T from across the showroom floor was also in her or his A3 or A4? I suggest we should stop hoping for a sale and hope that GM thrives.
Cheers all. Happy holiday Swade!
B
Swade,
Sounds like the misery that has been Saab here in the US is spreading your way. Your efforts are and have been beyond valiant; Your skills as a writer / blogger, in my opinion, given the subject matter and material (or lack thereof) are outstanding. Imagine what you might be able to do with subject matter that actually matters in the grand scheme of things.
I understand the passion and commitment. As you say though, “I’ve noticed that there’s other stuff out there. And it’s got merit.“. Run with it mate.
BMW is way to common. My son and I counted 9 in a row just in our immediate driving zone the other day. I do love my Saab. I have to say that I keep looking at the Audi A5. Great looking car.
I just don’t know if I trust them. The Audi convertible just looks blah to me. It does have all wheel drive. Why couldn’t Saab do that, no room for the plumbing they say. I need one car to do everything for me. The good news is my Saab convertible does that all in style. Do I really need all wheel drive? I think not. I will take any Saab, any day over the BMW. Audi, I am not sure?
Swade, as I have said many times, love this site, you do great work and keep eveyone’s hopes high.
I love this site, and other than tv BBC, it’s the only site I visit regularly. I’m much in your debt for bringing the site to us. I do have to disagree with your pessimism. This week was one on my hardest in the past 23 years. I was dead tired as I shuffled to the car. I got in my month old Turbo x and got on the parkway towards home…. The sheer pleasure of driving that car instantly made my day. Any company that builds a car like that has something right going on. Driving it is better than driving my mom’s 900 in high school. I think Saab is building better cars now than they ever have, and things will pick up. After all, who out there would rather be driving a Mcbmw? Not me.
Michael,
I fully appreciate your enthusiasm and the thrill of driving the X. No question that when compared to the other cars in Saab’s stable it is exciting. The question “who out there would rather be driving a Mcbmw?” Is answered by the post from Mike C “My son and I counted 9 in a row just in our immediate driving zone the other day.”. Someone is driving those cars, no? Maybe not anyone posting here but there are warm bodies who paid good money to drive a bimmer. We can either attribute the interest to herd mentality or BMW just doing a great job of building good cars and telling people about them in an effective way.
I love the brand and it saddens me to see their current state of irrelevance.
I think “Saab recession” is an excellent term. How many times can the company… choose your term: disappoint, fail, underperform, make bad moves and still survive?
Here’s my Top 5 disappointments since 2000, ranked by long-term impact:
1. Early 9-3SS reliability/quality problems damage brand image
2. Repeated delays of new 9-5
3. AWD for 9-3 arrives 5 years late
4. Failure to produce a small, fun car with real Saab personality (partial credit for the 9-2X)
5. Dissolution of Subaru relationship leaves only other GM products to develop from, hurting uniqueness
Dear Steven ,
I’m sure you will have a great time on vacation .And I’m also sure that you will check out what happens here . You’re TS and TS is you .
And whatever happens with Saab , you’ll be there to chat about it with us .
I think GM has respected the spirit of the marque .And made it still existing .
Thanks to GM , Saab is now always more and more popular .
Adam , I do agree with you : some mistakes have been made .
But we all have the conviction that Saab can’t disappear .
I too love saabs..have owned ten of them starting in 1980. they are now barely outstanding; not great like they used to be….must say though that my 2006 9-5 sport is one fine car. The best test is to take whatever other car you want and drive on slippery ice or about to freeze snow. Then you realize how perfectly saabs perform.
Despite that perfection other problems irritate: too much road noise, low quality interior materials, high priced service and non existent resale value. GM could fix if not so lazy and cheap. A little more insight and they would create a magnificent car. Instead they settle for barely outstanding. Somehow GM got the idea that saab owners were dumb traditionalists and couldn’t see through the theft of quality and the cost of owning a car with a confused marketing plan.
Most of the true saab loyalists (like me) have gone lexus or bmw…so counting on the old guys to keep the brand moving is foolish. Their appeal to new guys is too limited—(even the turbo x is sitting on the lot while BMW sells). So I see the demise in a few years…GM just can’t find the quirky ambiance they lost early on and make a profit on a line they obviously destroyed on purpose.
ssj. Reno.
Swade, very good writing indeed, I totally agree with you.
We bought a new 9-5 in 1999 and again in 2002, and we wanted to buy a new car this year as well. But who wants to buy the same car for the third time (well, every time a bit facelifted, but basically exactely the same) ?
Luckily for SAAB, the 9-3 got a pretty well done facelift and is not much smaller than the 9-5, so this spring we ordered a new 9-3 and are happy with it. Before this 2008-facelift, the 9-3 was not a car I wanted to spend that much money on. Without this facelift, I would now drive a new Volvo V70.
It’s good to be a SAAB enthusiast, but don’t spend too much on SAAB. It might prove not to be worth….
Andreas
Sigh…
Swade, you have been laboring in the Saab vineyards for so many years now, and it is sad to see that the fruit they bear is a bitter one.
I have to agree with you about Saab’s missed moment — I can’t help but think what an abject waste it is to spend money on things like the Escalade Hybrid instead of a new small Saab, since the 900 is one of the earliest eco-friendly cars around.
I waver in my feelings about the length of Saab’s production cycle; the 900 (the REAL 900) was around for 15 years, and I don’t think too many people complained about that. A solid product will hold up indefinitely, won’t it? But then, I’m not so sure. If we go toe-to-toe with Audi and BMW and Infiniti, do we have the money and the brand cachet to play the game and update our models every three years? We have to do something — I don’t know what — but SOMETHING fundamentally different from everybody else. I like showing my friends the cupholder and the night panel on my 9-5, but if this is all the car is to be about, it’s nicer deck chairs on the Titanic. We’ve let other companies define the segments and the game; whoever decided 20 years ago that Saab would be the Swedish BMW instead of the Swedish oddball began our long decline.
Every time I see something new from Saab — the latest 9-5 redesign, or the 9-2X — my reaction is mild pleasure. I haven’t seen a knockout in forever. I’m holding my breath for the new 9-5 and hoping it’s over the moon. But I’m bracing to be brought back to earth. I do take heart, though, in the fact that I’d still buy a new 9-5 today. Maybe it’s an irrational love of the brand, or maybe it’s the car’s gritty, spangled grin that seems to say, “Hey there! It’s not so bad.”