Surprise surprise.
GM want to keep their international ops out of the US spotlight, so it’s to be expected that there won’t be much on the Saab stand next year that we haven’t seen already.
The fact that there won’t be anything brand new for Saab was pretty much confirmed by a promotional email I received from the NAIAS earlier today:
……the highly competitive nature of the industry means most manufacturers keep plans secretive until the show draws closer. Until then, anticipation continues to build for the innovation, technology and creativity on the horizon.
An overview of some of the excitement set for 2009 includes:
* General Motors confirmed it will hold the world debut of three new production vehicles, scheduled for arrival in showrooms in the near future. GM will premiere the 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan, the 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover and the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox compact sport utility.
* Ford promises some show-stoppers but is playing coy on details just yet. Company executives are teasing the media with hints that the models being shown for the first time in Detroit will be the next step in Ford’s future global design direction.
* Chrysler will hold three world debuts. The automaker is keeping details of those secret until closer to showtime.
* Toyota revealed it will use NAIAS 2009 as the stage to unveil its much-anticipated next-generation Prius hybrid. In addition to the 2010 Toyota Prius, Toyota also will unveil to the world a new Lexus hybrid.
* Honda, likewise, will unveil a hybrid – its equally anticipated – 2010 Honda Insight.
* The always-popular Mini will hold the world reveal of its new Cooper convertible.
* Kia plans the world debut of a new concept vehicle.
* Volkswagen promises the debut of a green but sexy model.
* Mazda unveils the five-door version of its highly successful Mazda3.
* Chinese automakers BYD and Brilliance Auto plan new model debuts as well.In addition, the traditional crowd-pleasing luxury cars will shine at the NAIAS 2009:
* Audi plans at least two world debuts, including the premiere of a new production model and a concept strongly hinting at a future production car.
* Bentley will hold the world introduction of a new model, details of which are being withheld until a future date.
* BMW will only say it has major product news for the show. More on the specifics later.
* Maserati will show off its Grand Turismo S to the world.
That sounds like an impressive list, but remember that a whole slew of manufacturers have pulled out of the Detroit show already, and that means the NAIAS people are scrambling to promote the show as much as they can. Hence, the tell-all-they-can emails doing the rounds so far.
Saab will show the 9-3x early next year, but with Detroit off the table, it looks like it’ll definitely be Geneva.
The Saab stand probably won’t be empty at the Detroit show, however. The Saab 9-X Air just finished up at the LA Auto show and is now on the east coast for the Boston Auto Show (December 3-7). I imagine they’ll keep it around to liven up the Saab stand in Detroit.
The show is on from January 11 to 25.
——
Swade: I see your friend the “Dude” has been talking about Volvo and Saab again:
http://www.thelocal.se/16138/20081204/
Good bye GM
thanks for nothing
I born in Dallas and reset in Sweden and are pride owner owner a SAAB 900 turbo 89 sp whit super Inca rims, and the airflow as well. I will stop bragging now.
GM was no a good owner for SAAB that’s a fact.
SAAB can still make it on its own whit help whit ABB robots,
and all the company’s that sell parts to SAAB
I SA a Swedish interj whit Jan-åke And he was taking about a electric car.
Vattenfall (gov owned cop) are in a project whit BMW and Volvo maybe SAAB.
maybe the 9-5 is electric? and maybe I am a dreamer.
Best regards noah
I’m planning to go to Detroit again this year, it’s a fairly short drive by North American standards. So I’m hoping Saab will have the Air at the NAIAS.
So far Nissan has pulled – no big loss, I guess. I am so not interested in seeing their uglified FX. The G37 convertible looks good, though – for a Jap.
I’m disappointed if the 9-3X debut gets pushed-off to Geneva. As you mention Detroit is in January and Geneva is in what, March? That means that we won’t be seeing the 9-3X on dealer lots until at LEAST March? I was hoping that we’d see the 9-3X in winter at least, when it’d sell well in parts of N.A. that get “weather” in winter. It reminds me of when they debuted the excellent all-weather Turbo-X and its groundbreaking XWD system in… April? Who’s going to be thinking about XWD in March? Can we officially change Saab’s slogan to “a dime short and a day late”?
Gripen –
or ‘a few billion dollars short and 3 or 4 years too late…’
why does the srx get to show, when that and the 9-4x had a similar time table.