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The following is a copy of an advert that’s been mailed to me in PDF form. I assume it’s going into various forms of media in the near future.
Can I just say something out loud, in case it isn’t obvious: I love Saab Sweden. You guys are the best!
Thanks Tobias K!!
——
THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THINGS LOOK TOUGH FOR SAAB
More than once during his career, Swedish rally driver Erik Carlsson pushed his Saab so hard that the car rolled over. Fortunately, thanks to the rounded roof, it wasn’t hard to turn the car back on its wheels. The Saab could then finish the race, often in first place, and Erik came to be known as “Carlsson-on-the-roof”.
Today, almost 50 years later, many are saying that Saab is again in dire straits. But even if the outlook is dark, it is not as bleak as some might suggest.
Electric cars and solar cells
Lately, Saab has displayed several concept cars at the major auto shows: Cars running on 100 per cent bioethanol, hybrids powered by both bioethanol and electricity from lithium ion batteries,
and cars with solar cells.
It’s easy to dismiss these cars as oneoffs. There’s often a gap between concept and reality. But if there’s one thing that’s typically Saab, it’s the ability to make innovative ideas happen on the road.
We got our start as carmakers when a group of aircraft engineers realised their dream of building a car. In the 1970s, when the rest of the world saw the turbocharger as something for highend sports cars, our engineers made it possible to put the turbo into series production cars. And later, when most of the automotive industry didn’t want to look beyond petrol engines, we developed Saab BioPower.
So today, when we put so much effort into concept cars, it’s because we hope to use this know-how in regular cars in the future – just as we did with the turbocharger and BioPower.
Sweden’s most popular eco-cars
For some years now, the Saab 9-5 and Saab 9-3 BioPower have been among the best-selling eco-cars in Sweden. More and more people outside Sweden are also discovering them. But something tells us that it may take awhile before they’re as popular abroad as they are back home.
France, for example, has about 300 bioethanol pumps today, but there was only one bioethanol pump in the whole country as recently as 2006. No wonder the sales of bioethanolfuelled cars have been a bit slow.
In much of Europe today, the big demand is for diesel-powered cars – a trend that also favours Saab. In fact, our turbocharged diesels offer more power and better fuel efficiency, which in turn means lower CO2-emissions than with similar petrol engines.
New Saabs are coming
Soon we’ll be introducing the Saab 9-3X, the car that feels at home on every road condition thanks to our new crosswheel drive (XWD) system. And a bit further down the road, we’ll be launching the all-new Saab 9-5.
As you can well understand, we don’t want to reveal too much about these new models (after all, our competitors might be reading this too). But some things are a given: You’ll be able to drive more economically, no matter what type of fuel you’ve got in your tank.
And do so without sacrificing on either power or performance – even in high gears. “How very Saab,” you might say. “How very Saab Ecopower technology,” we say.
It might seem ridiculous to be talking about new models in these uncertain times. The financial crisis has clearly hit the car industry hard. Sales are plummeting, which is understandable. But
we’ve seen it before. Sales were even lower in the early 1990s. Both then and now, it’s largely due to factors beyond Saab’s control. The best thing for us to do is to keep developing and building safe, efficient cars that minimise impact on the environment and are fun to drive.
We remember when “Carlsson-onthe-roof” rolled over. People ran to help him. Together they turned the car over so he could continue. You see, even then, they knew something that’s just as true today: Never rule out Saab.
15 responses so far ↓
1 ctm
// Dec 24, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Even the Pommac (the brand of the bottle of soft drink “Carlsson-on-the-roof” hold in his hand) had a hard time. Sold to a foreign company, mismanaged, decision made to close it down, protest and petitions, and it’s still here today. Will the same happen to Saab?
2 Dippen
// Dec 24, 2008 at 9:19 pm
we have survived crises before and we will survive this one to.
3 Jörgen Trued
// Dec 24, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Carlsson-on-the-roof nickname for Erik was “invented” by rally driver Tom Trana coming to a special stage finish after having started the after Erik. Erik was not at the finish so Tom was asked if he had seen Erik Carlsson.
- Erik Carlsson? You must mean Karlsson-on-the-roof. Oh yes he has rolled on the stage, he will not come. Said Tom
To explain the story: Astrid Lindgren wrote the book Karlsson på taket (Karlsson-on-the-roof) on saturday evenings this book and others where read in public radio, rallies where often driven on saturdays.
Just a little trivia for christmas!
4 J
// Dec 25, 2008 at 12:18 am
How i WISH the text would have been written like this:
New Saabs are coming
Soon we’ll be introducing the Saab 9-3X, the car that feels at home on every road condition thanks to our new crosswheel drive (XWD) system. And a bit further down the road, we’ll introduce all new performance hatchback versions of the Saab 9-1, 9-3, and the 9-5.
5 MarkS
// Dec 25, 2008 at 1:14 am
Bless you folks at Saab, Sweden!
As bleak as things may seem, this could be Saab’s chance to escape the “collective” and thrive once again! Merry Christmas to you all……and happy Saabing for many years to come!
Mark
6 Karen
// Dec 25, 2008 at 3:04 am
Reminds me of the bad ice day in 1977 when I drove past my odd-yellow 99GL twin on the Hutchinson River Parkway. The twin’s front end was crushed flat-in, but the steel cage held up and you could see the driver had opened the door and walked away without a scratch.
And, MarkS, let’s hope our next Saabs have that rechargeable battery with an affordable adaptor kit so we can power our houses for every future New England ice storm. I would be even happier if that future Saab is flex-fuel to 85% ethanol. UMass-Amherst launched a cellulosic ethanol start-up based on a mold found in the nearby Quabbin Reservoir that eliminates the enzyme and heat steps. Full venture capital funding in place, and full-scale production scheduled for 2011.
Now if we could add an easy to add plow blade so I could plow my driveway with my Saab, and make my own ethanol from dandelion weeds, I would be in nirvana…may the future Saab welcome input from all Saabistas!
7 Troll96
// Dec 25, 2008 at 3:34 am
This story reminds me of the one often read at this time of year, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Christmas.”
http://www.zworks.com/christmas/yesvirg.html
Saabs grab you because of their thoughtful design. It’s easy to be impressed by a well executed car. Less easy when the car is only a concept. Saab’s association with GM has changed it from a maker of interesting cars to a displayer of interesting concepts. The sooner it gets back to its roots the better. We still all want to believe.
8 ehall1
// Dec 25, 2008 at 3:40 am
Fantastic writeup. It makes one think of the all the movies that have as their theme, the winning of something aginst all odds.
9 Karen
// Dec 25, 2008 at 10:04 am
ehall1 – what our future Saab needs is to STAR in a big movie. Did Mini sales get hot after “The Italian Job”?
Was just reading how the 900 turbo got a huge sales boost when the revived literary James Bond customized his personal “Silver Beast”. http://commanderbond.net/article/2284
Can Viggo Mortensen please trade in his Prius for a Saab? (he just seems the right celebrity for Saab)
A bit of research indicates my dream Saab will have the ‘BioHybrid powertrain dual-mode gas-electric with flex-fuel capacity’. add in the adaptor kit to power my house furnace during the next blackout…
10 PT
// Dec 25, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Great spirit & a nice sense of perspective. Best wishes for the new year to everyone at Saab.
11 Olav
// Dec 25, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Wishing you all, both here at Trollhattansaab.net and at SAAB Automobile, a Merry Christmas! I am confident that we can say the same next Christmas as well, SAAB will survive!
Kind regards
Olav – still on the longest way home
12 Robin Capper
// Dec 26, 2008 at 7:09 am
Perhaps the difference is it was engineering that got Saab through in the past. Unfortunately it’s current state and future is a result of corporate financial management…
I hope they get over this but I doubt it will happen with GM ownership
13 1985 Gripen
// Dec 27, 2008 at 4:27 am
@Karen
14 Karen
// Dec 27, 2008 at 11:57 am
Thanks 1985 Gripen – I know this is a tech-obsessed Saab blog, but what got my attention from the original article was how the revived literary James Bond made Saab 900 turbo the coolest car in the world:
http://commanderbond.net/article/2284
“At this same time [late 1981], Saab-Scania ran its own promotional campaign designed to capitalise on its 007 connection. “James Bond Has Just Traded His Bentley for a Saab 900 Turbo” ran the headline of a full page ads in all the major car magazines. Colourful posters and flyers were produced featuring original artwork from the novel along with the tagline, James Bond Is Back in Style in a Saab Turbo. At the Los Angeles Auto Show, attractive Bond Girl-like models extolled the virtues of the Saab, adding with a wink;
We all know Mr. Bond has excellent taste — at least in cars.
Did it work? Starting in 1982, Saab enjoyed five straight years of increased sales every month without fail. …”
The Saab 900s showed up in films for another decade, during which time, GM took cool to life support.
Bring back the shape of the 900. The 9-4X and 9-1 concept cars look like they’ve been cross-bred with a Chevy Blazer. Ugh.
15 tiPanda
// Dec 27, 2008 at 10:21 pm
“As you can well understand, we don’t want to reveal too much about these new models (after all, our competitors might be reading this too).”
COME ON! Saab is, thanks to GM, currently so far behind it’s self-designated competitors that they won’t even blink an eye at any announcement Saab makes.
And of course, part of what Saab is about is innovations, but most of it are original, *different* solutions. Which Saab’s competitors probably will not copy.