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34.7% is the final, tragic magic number.
That’s the percentage by which Saab’s new vehicle sales fell during 2008, a year that started with a fair bit of optimism with a newly refreshed 9-3 and a new all wheel drive system. That end result is due to a combination of factors, but the biggest of those factors, of course, is a recession in the US that few saw coming and it’s certainly bitten hard.
Monthly sales
Saab dealers in the US sold 1,179 vehicles in December, a figure that was 57.1% down on the 2,748 vehicles sold in the same month in 2007.
Saab 9-3: There were 684 units of the Saab 9-3 sold in December. This was down by 61.4% from the 1,773 sold in December 2007. Is this just the recession? Or did the “strategic review” talk scare more buyers away?
Saab 9-5: There just 120 units of the Saab 9-5 sold during the month, a fall of 68.7% from the 383 sold in the same month in 2007.
Saab 9-7x: There were 375 units of the 9-7x sold during the month, a mere 36.7% drop from the 592 vehicles sold in the same month in 2007.
Annual sales
There were 21,368 new Saab vehicles sold for the entire year. This is a 34.7% fall from the 32,711 vehicles sold in 2007. Total sales of individual models for the entire year were as follows:
Saab 9-2x: There were 3 new vehicles sales of the 9-2x in 2008. The annualised rate of the decline isn’t really important here, but there were 118 sold in 2007.
Saab 9-3: Sales of the Saab 9-3 for 2008 totalled 15,167 vehicles, which was a 34% drop from the 22,979 vehicles sold in 2007.
Saab 9-5: Sales of the Saab 9-5 for 2008 totalled 2,538 vehicles, which was a 41.7% drop from the 4,357 vehicles sold in 2007.
Saab 9-7x: Sales of the Saab 9-7x for 2008 totalled 3,660 vehicles, which was a 30.4% drop from the 5,257 vehicles sold in 2007.
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Notes:
Sales of Saab’s certified pre-owned vehicles in the US were up 6% for the year, finishing at 7,705 for 2008. Something to celebrate.
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The Saab 9-7x posted the smallest sales drop in percentage terms for 2008. That’s right, the SUV that few people seem to like was the one that was least abandoned by customers. If that makes sense.
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The US Congress might want to take a look at GM’s total vehicle sales breakdown, too. All those efficient vehicles they say the public wants to buy were thrown under the bus in December because petrol prices were so low. GM delivered 221,983 vehicles for the month. Of this amount, 87,506 were cars, and 134,477 were trucks.
Only 2,555 were hybrids.
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10 responses so far ↓
1 ctm
// Jan 6, 2009 at 7:10 am
Sweden and US combined accounts for just 41,239 cars 2008. For 2006 that number was almost 62,000…
2 jchan2
// Jan 6, 2009 at 7:42 am
where are these 9-2Xs coming from? I find it peculiar that 3 of them were still untitled and unsold in 2008, a full 2 years after the 9-2X ceased production…
3 Paul Guinnessy
// Jan 6, 2009 at 8:23 am
If you bought one that had 6000 miles on the clock because Saab had been using it, the car was given with its warranty starting from the point you bought it, e.g. in 2008 not in 2006 when Saab staff were using it. Hence despite having mileage it would be treated as a new car sale. I quite liked our 2005 9-2X except for the seats which were so painful we had to sell it.
4 Mag-X
// Jan 6, 2009 at 8:27 am
Hybrids are a joke. They cost too much, and I’m not at all impressed with thier mileage.
5 vagabond
// Jan 6, 2009 at 9:11 am
Subaru sales are up.
That’s because they sell a lot of awd cars in snow belt states. The old Subarus are being replaced because the winters are becoming harsher,colder and snowier.
Saab should come out with a 9-1 now.
6 Nevitz
// Jan 6, 2009 at 9:54 am
“Saab 9-2x: There were 3 new vehicles sales of the 9-2x in 2008.”
Where can I buy a NEW one, again?!?!?!
7 Joe Lobo
// Jan 6, 2009 at 11:31 am
I’ve stated/made this fact before and will have to do it again: the handling of the release of the 08 range and the XWD supply absolutely killed off the momentum that was built around the AWD models that has contributed to the appalling sales levels we are seeing. No point in blaming this or that as the recession is impacting well after these models should have been delivered. Subaru indeed grew 0.3 % despite the economic woes. I was patient, focused and loyal to the brand to wait for the Turbo X to be handed over to me. Anyone else seriously looking for the XWD line up gave up and went elsewhere. Clearly, Saab botched the delivery timing of their heavily heralded Haladex XWD generation vehicles very badly and we are paying the consequences. The figures in hand are the run of the mill sales, had the XWDs been ready to supply as they should have in July-August the sales would have been double. Right now no one can buy these at least Down Under. No wonder the sales are in nowhere land.
8 zippy
// Jan 6, 2009 at 1:16 pm
These figures show one thing…..Saab needs a new 9-5 but as Joe Lobo points out taking about something doesnt sell it unless you have the actual product to back it up.
Saab totally dropped the ball with XWD.
9 Bruce
// Jan 6, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Overall in the USA GM was down 31% in 2008. Ford 34%. Chrysler 53%. Toyota 37%. –reported several times on NPR today.
We have been traveling in the USA over the holidays and have seen several GM ” Red Tag Promotion” TV ads including a set for Saab (and one for Saturn, essentially also GME these days).
10 1985 Gripen
// Jan 8, 2009 at 7:32 am
LOL! When I consider my 401(k) portfolio dropped 36.4% on the year that 34.7% USA sales drop doesn’t look so bad!