Monthly Archives: August 2008

Saab 9-7x the 2nd most leased car in the US

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Yes, it’s true.

According to Business Week magazine, Saab’s own 9-7x SUV is the second most leased vehicle in the US market. Of course, this isn’t by straight lease numbers, it’s by lease penetration. There were only 2,321 units of the 9-7x moved in the 12 months to 31 July 2008. That’s not a high number. BMW write more lease business than that in a month. It’s the 82.2% lease penetration that puts the 9-7x at #2 on the list. Only the BMW 7-series is higher.

That lease penetration figure represents the percentage of vehicle sales that involved lease contracts. So of those 2,321 9-7x’s sold, 1,908 of them were leased. And I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that a large proportion of those leases were to GM employees. It’s their inexpensive way of moving up to a better SUV.

Seven of the top 10 leased vehicles in the US in 2008 were German and the most represented Teuton was BMW, with three vehicles. Mercedes and Audi both had two.

The Business Week article gives a great overview of how leasing works. It’s a really good primer for those who are unfamiliar with the process. It’ll give you a better understanding as to why leasing incentives for GM are out the window, making way for bigger cash purchase incentives and low interest loans.

Right now, in the US market, the cash incentives are in addition to GM Employee Pricing. This means a Saab 9-3 2.0T Sport Sedan’s selling for around $25K instead of the MSRP of around $29K. This isn’t applicable to lease purchasing.

The customer cash on that 9-3 is $2,000. Customer cash of a whopping $8,000 is available on the Saab 9-7x, an indication of just how far they’re willing to go to get people buying this vehicle instead of the traditional lease.

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Saab 9-7x

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Saab Custom Plates at SOC 2008

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We’ve talked about custom Saab number plates a few times in the past. I even had a competition last year so that you could suggest some custom plates for my C900.

Greg Abbott used the Saab Owners Conference last weekend to put together one of the more comprehensive photo collections featuring custom plates. These cars were all in attendance at the convention and I think it was a pretty good idea of Gregs to capture all the tags at once.

Actually, maybe a custom tags posting is in order that can act as a repository for everyone’s tags?

Whilst I get that in order, here’s a few from Greg’s collection and you can peruse the full gallery here.

Thanks Greg!!

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At the SOC08 – one man’s account

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I’m pleased to bring this account of the Saab Owner’s Convention 2008, from Jonny Del. Jon’s covered several Auto Shows in the northeast on TS’s behalf over the last few years, and has done a superb job once again here.

Jon accompanied Steve Shannon for part of his time looking around the Saabs on display, and provides a superb account of the show in general.

Photos are clickable, as always. Thanks Jon!!!

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This years SOC was greeted by picture perfect weather, we could not have asked for better conditions. Although some serious spf was required otherwise Terry’s Sensonic car wouldn’t be the only thing bright red.

I must say that this was the shortest trip we’ve ever made to travel to the National Convention. Jeff Proposki and I set out Thursday around midday, and our families were going to drive out on Friday. Well an hour and fifteen minutes later we made it to Devens for the shortest recorded trip of 66 miles. It was almost anticlimactic when we pulled into the parking lot after such a short journey. I guess we’ll pay the price next year when we drive to Copper Mountain in Colorado.

We arrived to be greeted by the turbo cars of the GM heritage collection, as well as the 9x Bio-hybrid that was flown in especially from Sweden. The 9x was being guarded by a Turbo-X Sport Combi, a black ’08 9-5, and a Lynx yellow convertible. The cars from the heritage collection were all turbocharged examples of SAAB’s history. Starting with the beautiful ’78 99 turbo, and the ’85 SPG that GM restored specifically for the unveiling of the Turbo-X last November in Boston. Along with a 400 mile Viggen there was also the Long run 9000, the Talladega challenge NG 900, and a NG 900 that was raced by Simo Lampinen up Pikes Peak in the late 90’s.

We spent Thursday cleaning cars and catching up with old friends as well as indulging in some libations. Jeff and I were waiting to see what Jon Williams had done to his newest SPG, since he had stripped the car down in February to do his first grounds up rebuild on a C900.

We would have to wait a while since he just got the car fired and out the door from his house in New York around 2:00 pm Thursday afternoon. So we decided to see what other cars were around the grounds. We bumped into our good friend from the other side of the globe, Steve Bunton world SAAB traveler extraordinaire, as well as the Coyle’s who were nice enough to put him up while he stayed in Beantown.

Being in New England there are always plenty of vintage cars that come out for the weekend. Plenty of Bullnoses, Longnoses, and Sonnets. As well as a group of immaculate 99’s turbos, including Mike Hedges original condition car from Vermont.

After grabbing a pint and a bite at the local Irish pub with Jeff, Abigail and Peter, and Steve it was back to the parking lot for a few hours of tire kicking and catching up. There we were greeted by Jon’s new White Airflow SPG, and what a stunner this car is. Basically a new 2008 C900 SPG, with so many intricate details that we could do a piece just on the build of his car. A few hours of chatting and it was off to bed.

Friday dawned beautifully, and we were off on our day early. Trying to get the car wash functioning properly for all those who wanted to use it, before the mad dash at 10:00 am to the SAAB parts tent. This year was a little tamer when the doors opened, and everything seemed much more calm and organized. Wheels, did you say you wanted wheels? There were plenty of sets of Fondmetals and a smattering of other OE wheels but not in sets. If you needed oil, dexcool, or stainless polish you were in luck.

From the parts tent we were off to see all the cars that had come in overnight. Along the way we bumped into PR director at SAAB Jan-Villem Vester, and had a chance to chat about what beautiful cars had turned out for the convention.

The poker run went off in the afternoon as well as a few tech sessions, but because of the weather quite a few people were hitting the pool. The afternoon was relaxed and we had a chance to look at the cars that SAAB brought up close.

Friday’s dinner banquet was a great gathering as everyone ate well, and the hotel did a great job with the food. Simultaneously NESA was holding a BBQ for those soles who weren’t interested in the more formal affair and speaker, all in the name of fundraising for the Chrisman fund. After dinner Sten Wennlo former SAAB global president gave a lovely talk on what it was like at SAAB in his day. After the dinner was over it was back to the car park for more tire kicking and libations.

Saturday dawned with another sunny day, and the chance to do some final detailing before peoples choice. Off we went to the show field with coffee in one hand and final detailer in the other. The guys from NESA were on hand to organize the field as people pulled into the show area.

While the cars were being judged I had a chance to speak with Steve Shannon on the state of SAAB’s newest models and what was to come. Steve had just had the chance to drive the 9-4x a few weeks before and he raved about how it drove and handled. And if you have seen the car in photos from the auto shows Steve said about 97% of the concept car was going to make it into production, and better yet it will be on the ground in dealerships in about 12 months. Even better news about time frames is the fact that the all new 9-5 will only be a couple of months behind the 9-4x’s arrival in you local dealer. Steve will be off to Sweden in the next few weeks to drive the new 9-5. Hopefully someone in Sweden will get some shots of those cars driving around the countryside.

Then Jan-Villem took Steve around to show him some of the beautiful and rare models that were on hand at the show. Starting with a beautiful Griffin edition 9000 that was a Concours contestant with all of the original items and accessories that came with the car. Next we looked at Mike Connelly’s 1984 Prototype SPG show car. One of six cars that SAAB brought into the US to showcase what the SPG would look like. Finally a very beautiful 93 Bullnose in powder blue, Steve seemed very intrigued by all the cars at the show especially the rarer ones on hand.

After lunch and peoples choice judging it was time to line up the cars for the group photo. Once again lining up for the picture seemed to go off mostly without a hitch, and we were able to get the photo done again in record time. Especially if you were around for the Ohio conventions line up.

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at cars and enjoying company of fellow SAAB lovers. While waiting for dinner we had the chance to look over the GM Heritage cars, and decide on which one we would most like to take home.

The banquet always seems to come faster that you want it to, but that is unfortunately the nature of the beast. Steve Shannon was the speaker on Saturday night and he spoke about the new 9-5 and the 9-4x and how they would wow the SAAB community. Talking about the models available, he spoke very highly of the 9-3x 2.0T that is coming to market this fall. If you want the perfect balance of performance and economy Steve gives this combo the big thumbs up. So as we went into the night with awards and kudos as well as the promise of another great convention in the high altitudes of Colorado we adjourned for one last night of late night tire kicking, and spud launching.

As we made our way to the lot John Moss was showing off his new toy. A gas fired heater system for your car. Interestingly it uses gas from the car and then lights it off in the combustion chamber to make heat. Not exactly what I would want in my car, but better than what Frank Stromquist of SQR wanted to do with John’s toy. Frank insisted that in about an hour he could turn the heater into a little jet engine. Needless to say John passed on Franks offer.

Meanwhile Carl and Kenny were in the process of firing up their 4-barreled DI fired spud cannon. I must say the sound of the consecutive barrels firing off was quite an experience. Carl keeps outdoing himself every year with more innovative ways of lobbing spuds. So as the night passed on, I ended up going to bed around 3:30 am.

Sunday morning was a quick little flurry of the SAAB corporate roundtable, and the charity auction. Followed by packing up and heading out on the long journey home for most people.

Kudos’ go out to the Chairman Linnea Krajewski and the gang from SCNA, as well as the efforts of the newest members/officers of NESA, which in the winter months was finally resurrected by a group of young enthusiastic SAAB owners who were willing to take over the reigns of the New England club that has been sitting idle since the convention in 2005. I look forward to next year’s convention in Colorado, as well as hopefully good news over the next 6-8 months on new SAAB products and where we are heading as a brand.

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A little more from the Saab Owner’s Convention – photos from SaabUSA

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I got these photos via email from Jan-Willem Vester at Saab USA today. There’s a few interesting ones here.

Click to enlarge….

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The Saab 9-1X BioHybrid made an appearance at the show, flown out especially from Sweden. I’m sure all the attendees appreciated the chance to get up close and personal with the car. It’s a rare opportunity indeed, as every show I’ve heard about so far had the car roped off.

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Saab cars from the GM Heritage Collection that were on display at the SOC.

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The latest addition to the Heritage Collection: a Saab 9-3 Viggen. Apparently this one’s almost brand new with just 400 miles on the odometer.

As a personal side note – the night before we left for Canada, I hooked up with the Sydney Saab nuts: Richo, Joe Lobo, Hawkeye and Brendan B. I had a great drive in Hawkeye’s 9-3 BioPower – one of the few Saabs in Australia running on E85 – as well as a spin in Richo’s Viggen.

I’d just like to say the following as a former Viggen owner with his fondness for this car recently rekindled: If you have a chance to own a Viggen and you pass on it then you need your head read. This is one awesome automobile!!!!

My young fella, Geoff, came along for the ride and he reckons I need to look into getting one again, too. It might be difficult getting that idea past his mother, though…..

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Former Saab chief, Sten Wennlo, attended the event. He was flown in by the guys at Saab Sweden.

Mr Wennlo, now 85 years old, is a former Saab Automobile worldwide president who spearheaded the turbo movement for Saab, which lead to the 1978 Saab 99 Turbo. His remarks were well received during the Friday might opening dinner, nicely dovetailing with the “30 years of Saab Turbocharging” theme of the event.

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There were 60 or so attendees at the round table, Q&A event. If you were there, you might recognise the back of your head in the following photo :-)

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My thanks to Jan-Willem Vester of Saab USA for sending these through.

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News from the 2008 Saab Owners Convention

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The 2008 Saab Owners Convention has been taking place this weekend in Devens, Mass, and whilst I couldn’t be there and didn’t ask anyone to do anything on TS’s behalf, Alexandre was kind enough to take some notes and pass them on.

This are notes made from conversations with several Saab staffers on site, as well as from the roundtable Q&A session.

If you attended the event and have something to add, please do so in comments.

Thanks, Alexandre!!

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About the potential for a Saab 9-1:

- My Question: what would it take to officially put the 9-1 on the table? Need money. Only enough development dollars to go around and there isn’t money for this at the moment. (this was the main answer from both John and Steve in separate conversations)

- The answer isn’t “no” just yet. Even on the Delta platform, (this from Steve). Delta is flexible enough with long and short wheelbase versions to accommodate both the 9-1 and 9-3. They deliberately did the showcar to use existing platform components to shorten development time if/when there’s a green light.

- Another question: with current sales strength and future growth areas consisting of markets that typically go for smaller cars (Europe and Asia), wouldn’t this play to the strengths of Saab and help the case for the 9-1? (smirks from Steve and another PR gentleman who’s name I forgot to write down (possibly Jan-Willem Vester?)) Answer: Yes, and the case for it is getting stronger every day.

About the potential for TTiD in USA:

There’s great interest in bringing it over. With EU diesel standards getting closer to US diesel cleanliness standards, the likelihood is getting stronger. Technical differences will thus narrow between a European version and a US version. The main issue is (again) cost. The TTiD price premium in the US might be too high with diesel pricing trends the way they are (~20% higher than gas). A related problem is that Saab buyers are more likely to run the numbers than most car buyers. If they don’t see a personal justification for the engine, it makes the economic justification for GM making it available more difficult.

About a 2.0T engine in US 9-4X:

No clear answer given, “looking at lots of engine options with nothing ruled out yet”. Steve kind of fudged the answer so he might not be really on top of it.

Bringing back the hatch:

Current 9-3 concept drawings are closer to the hatch shape than a station wagon/current shape. 2 door is likely.

9-5 sedan vs. combi:

The future 9-5 combi is much more sporty looking, almost looks like a different car.

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And for those who’d like to see a few of the Saabs that gathered for the event, there’s a few photos here at Flickr, and I’m sure more will show up in the coming week.

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Pacific Northwest Saab Meetup – An update

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If you live in British Columbia, Washington, or even in Oregon, and you want to catch up with some fellow Saab loving lurkers from this website and beyond, then please keep September 6th free (and maybe even the 7th as well).

The location hasn’t been finalised, but it looks like we’ll probably be heading for a meetup somewhere in Washington on Saturday 6th. I’d assume a drive and a dinner will most likely be in order.

Please register your interest in comments, or send me an email at swade99@gmail.com. Even if you’ve sent me one in the last month or so, please re-send as I may have lost track with all the preparations for this trip.

I hope we can see you there.

Cheers,

SW

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Saturday in Vancouver MegaSnippets

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Who says there’s no Saab-love in Vancouver?

Part 1: we saw 11 Saabs yesterday. This included the drive from Maple Ridge to the PNE (a big fair) and then the walk from the PNE into downtown Vancouver (Hastings Street is certainly interesting, eh?).

Yesterday’s sightings included 4 Saab 9-5s (incl 2 Dame Ednas!), 2 Saab 9-3 SS, 1 Saab 9-3 convertible, 2 Saab OG9-3 conv, 1 Saab 900 S, 2 Saab C900s.

Part 2: The Motoring section of the Vancouver Sun had no mention of Saab whatsoever. Not even a small ad. Bad.

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With thanks to Dippen in comments, there’s some Trollhattan production news in comments. The news comes from the local Trollhattan newspaper, TTELA:

Saab will cut the production rate in September.During the week 36 & 37. This means that there will be no production on Fridays. The result will be that 750 less cars will roll out from production. The reason for this is the slowing sales in the US.

-We have a flexibility in production and we adjust after the demand says Eric Geers, the Director of Communications for Saab Automobile AB

Whats for sure is that Saab will not hit the 125000 figure for sold cars this year.

According to the Metal-union ceo Paul Åkerlund at IF-Metall says cutting the production rate is not a big thing. It is a method that has been used 12 years back when demand is slow.

Paul Åkerlund says that the goal for sales figures has been revised two time this year and the figure now stands on 90000 sold cars.

-If sales continues dropping then we have to revise that figure again says Paul Åkerlund.

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One of the interesting things about coming to North America is seeing, once again, the type and number of cars on the roads here.

Two personal observations: Honda is cleaning up way more than I realised. The numbers on the road are huge.

Second, after having a good look around, I cannot see one redeeming thing, one good reason as to why Pontiac should still be in existence. They’re dog ugly, and there’s not a car in the range that couldn’t be adequately re-made as a Chevrolet.

But that’s just me.

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The Detroit News drives the Saab 9-3 Convertible:

My first impression of the Saab 9-3 convertible was not one of joy. There’s something impersonal about its exterior that I couldn’t put my finger on. This is the kind of car they might design in Sweden. Oh wait, they did.

But after 100 miles, my opinion changed dramatically. I was seduced by its open-aired Swedish sexiness, lulled into liking her by her vulgar appeal to my topless obsession.

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Some argue that the best thing for GM would be to declare bankruptcy and start again (I’m looking at you, Farago). It’s fine in theory as the thought is cut and dried, simple and logical.

The reality is a bit different. US News reports on how bankruptcy would wreck GM and/or Chrysler.

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I’ve seen quite a few Cadillacs on the roads here in Vancouver, too. Certain cars look great in photos and nowhere near as great on the street. Cadillacs definitely fall into this category and it’s only made me hate them more.

They are the anti-Saab and it kills me that Saab’s fortunes are subject to the whim of the GM board with Caddy as their favourite.

Business Car looks at how they’re trying to get a foothold in the UK. The BLS will continue until 2011 and they’re aiming to sell 450 Caddys in total in the UK.

And how much will that cost in marketing terms? Oh, how I’d love to know.

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The Saab Turbo X too mild to be a sports sedan?

A guy in Ottawa thinks so.

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Someone’s visited the Saab Museum recently. There’s a great set of photos here at Flickr.

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And someone’s recently purchased a Saab 9-5 and posted some great shots of it, also on Flickr.

Congratulations. Enjoy the car!

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Teknikens Varld on a possible Saab 9-9

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I’ll put this one down to rumour and speculation, but it’s fun to think about anyway.

With Saabs getting smaller in the future, the potential is there for another model at the top of the lineup. Tekniken’s Varld say that car will be called a Saab 9-9 and they have some ideas as to what it might be like.

I’m jetlagged, and it’s too late to find the link. If you must see the original TV post in Swedish then check out the comments in the Holiday Mode posting. Thankfully, Gordon has posted a precis of the article in English in that comments post, and here it is.

My thanks to Gordon!!

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I don’t have time to translate the whole thing, but not to worry, there is very little here that is new. The article is mostly speculation, history and opinion.

They do cite Jan-Ake Jonsson, however. He has promised at least one new product, production car or concept car every year for the next six years. He is also satisfied that product development is following the strategy that was laid aside (or is that “put in place”) three years ago. 2009 and 2010 SAAB will return to profitability and that will happen through the introduction of new models and a broadening of the existing models. After that it is not clear that any of the other information comes from Jonsson, although the author alludes to having “uppgifterna”. Which in Swedish is much more than guesses and deductions, it is more like information. I will leave it to others to let us know how much of this is real.

For the list of models, the author just generalizes about the type of car. There are specifics only for the 9-4 and 9-5 and there is nothing new.

For you dreamers out there, the author says that the Aero X concept car marked the start for the “new” SAAB. If the car becomes a reality, then SAAB will have a sporty but luxurious coupe in its model lineup. The bottom box just says, sporty luxury car with four wheel drive.

For the 9-3, they mention a sedan, a half-combi and a combi. The half-combi should be a combi-coupe, so either that is actually being discussed or Teknikens Varld would like to see it.

For the 9-5, the author says that it will be no longer, but it will be roomier inside. We will see it at Geneva 2009. The author also says same body styles as the 9-3. (That would include the half-combi. Since the Insignia comes as a four-door hatch that half-combi would probably be a four door hatch as well. The Insignia has also been shown as a real coupe, so who knows?)

So the big new is the 9-9. The article does not promise that it will come, and says there are still a lot of outstanding questions about it. If it does come, the author says that it will use Chevrolet Volt hybrid technology, AWD, the Epsilon-2 platform, next generation Cadillac CTS technology including electromagnetic shocks, and be produced starting 2010 or 2011. More details will be available fall 2009.

The size is at least 5 meters long, at least a 3 meter wheelbase and competitive with Lexus GS, Merc E-class and Audi A7.

Engines are detuned a 250HP 2.8LV6, a 350HP V8, and a 250HP V6 diesel with 600Nm. The author notes that such big motors, especially the V8 may not fly as Volvo has dropped its V8 in the XC60. (I say go for the V8 Twin 4 based on the current 2.0 and make it twin turbo biopower. As was posted here, an example was built in Finland 20 years ago and it worked great.)

The author notes that the reflector design that goes all the way around the rear of the pictured 9-9 is from the old 9000CS. I hadn’t thought of that. They also had it on the GM 900.