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UPDATES below
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Aussie Saab sales data has come in and like the major markets we’ve covered so far, the Aussies are having a very hard time.
Saab sales were down 59.4% and GM Premium Brands as a group were down 67.9%
There were only 3 Saab 9-5s sold during the month.
Saab 9-3 Sedan & Wagon 22 (-63.9%)
Saab 9-3 Convertible 14 (-46.2%)
The total number of Saabs sold was just 39 vehicles.
Other makes:
Audi Total 1,081 (5.5%)
BMW Total 1,031 (-25.3%)
Ford Total 6,020 (-21.6%)
Holden Total 8,762 (-14.5%)
Hummer Total 45 (-72.9%)
Hyundai Total 3,701 (16.7%)
Mercedes-Benz Total 937 (-42.1%)
Smart Total 35 (169.2%)
Toyota Total 13,427 (-24.8%)
All Total 67,079 (-18.5%)
Thanks Brendan!
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Zippy noted in comments that there were only 55 Saabs sold in Canada, which was a fall of 48% on the same month last year.
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Per noted that Saab and Opel sales combined fell by over 40% in Norway, in January. Opel sales were later disclosed as being down around 9%, which means Saab were down by a lot.
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UPDATE: a few more numbers have come in via comments and I thought I’d elevate them here to the post….
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Ireland
We reported earlier in the month that the Irish market was in trouble. Sales for the first 10 days were dismal. Saab in Ireland responded with a deep discount on both the Saab 9-3 and 9-5.
It may be too early to tell as orders relevant to those reduced prices might still be in the pipeline, but CAM reports via comments that Saab sales in Ireland during January were down by a massive – I know I’ve used that word a lot this month, but really, this is massive – 94%
There were 19 Saabs sold in Ireland during January, compared with 312 in the same month last year.
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Another comment that’s worth noting is one from Saabrep. He works at a US dealership that normally sells around 250 Saabs a year, so they should average just over 20 a month.
They sold 2 vehicles in January.
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UPDATE II
Saab actually saw a sales INCREASE in Latvia.
Unfortunately they sell less than 10 cars a month there, but still……
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If you’ve got your markets Saab sales, please fill us in via comments.
15 responses so far ↓
1 WooDz
// Feb 4, 2009 at 9:19 pm
It seems as if the reports on alleged comments from GM’s elite during the Detroit Motorshow has had the desired effect. Generally people in a position of authority say things for a reason. They DON’T get paid to handle a situation like a drunken deer hunter, who after many years of experience still manages to shoot himself in the foot. Only Bob Lutz knows what he was trying to achieve with his comments and I can only assume it was intended to alienate SAAB from GM. The media response has been immense as SAAB doesn’t normally get this much attention in year let alone a month. I think the public has decided SAAB just isn’t worth taking a risk with.
With SAAB now out on limb it will be up to them to regain stability. In 2 weeks time GM will deliver their master-plan, all we know is that SAAB will not be part of it. Unfortunately this means another month of public uncertainty and for the brand that means an increased sales slump. What the Swedish company needs is support, not from the SAAB faithful but from those who can deliver the right message, with enough conviction that public will have no delusions that SAAB is here to stay.
Saab will be launching their most sophisticated products to date. They will drive and handle like no other SAAB ever has before them and they will look absolutely stunning. The products will be there, the technology will be there but without the assurance of future stability those vehicles will not have their best chance of being a success.
The sooner SAAB can guarantee that commitment with the support from the Swedish government and any further independent bodies, the quicker they can start to recover from the aftermath of what was the NAIAS.
2 Richo
// Feb 4, 2009 at 11:40 pm
39 cars, that is pathetic. About 4% of the total Audi sales
3 Tompa
// Feb 5, 2009 at 12:24 am
39 cars is bad.. But Bubba the Clutz is “pathetic”.
4 Cam
// Feb 5, 2009 at 6:24 am
Sales data from Ireland is in too, 19 Saab`s were sold in January 2009 compared to 312 in January 2008, that`s a fall of 94%.
5 Dippen
// Feb 5, 2009 at 7:34 am
NAIAS really did it marks on the sales i must say.
Now the “only” way out of this unsecurity for potential customers and current owners is to market the brand as much as possible.
the presentation of 9-3X will be the begining of that process.
I do agree what Martin Sköld said in a interview in the swedish auto mag “Vi Bilägare” about Saab
“- They should do what they already do today. They should continue to communicate, tell us that they make good products. I have seen the new ads, which they describe that they have taken it through difficult situations before. It is a good message.” – Martin Sköld , Stockholm School of economics
6 Per
// Feb 5, 2009 at 8:29 am
Swade, those -40% numbers were for total in 08. Opel has started 09 with the insignia to ” lift ” sales to only -9% in January 09 compared to Jan 08.. No numbers on our brand. Can only read top ten brands
7 turbin
// Feb 5, 2009 at 9:10 am
39 cars means some dealers sold as much as 2 for the month, and others closed down.
8 Hawkeye
// Feb 5, 2009 at 11:15 am
Owning a new Saab sure does make you feel special!
9 vorlon
// Feb 5, 2009 at 11:42 am
January 2009 sales in Finland:
72 Saabs (market share 0,63%)
67 9-3
5 9-5
29 for personal use
43 for businesses and communities (0,78%)
No point comparing with January 2008, since a new car taxation system came in place then, and not much cars were sold in the last two months of 2007.
10 Joe Lobo
// Feb 5, 2009 at 11:46 am
Well, Saab at present seems to be in an enviable position after all. No bosses to answer/report to and no products to sell !!! When (if any time soon) are the XWD generation going to be rolled out ??? Is it really any wonder why amongst many other reasons sales are so poor ???
11 Aaron
// Feb 5, 2009 at 2:05 pm
They need good marketing. They need to get their adverts played on tv in ALL the countries they offer their products in, not just the main markets. I have not seen a Saab advert here in NZ for 2 years! Although I will always remember my last trip to Brisbane Australia in 2007. The first bill board we saw as we were coming out of the airport was a saab advert! “The new Grrreeen” with a picture of a beautiful 9-3 convertible on it!
12 WooDz
// Feb 6, 2009 at 6:51 am
TV adverts are a huge drain on funds… There are better ways to reach your customers.
13 Jo K
// Feb 6, 2009 at 1:16 pm
One of NZ’s 4 Saab dealerships has gone into receivership after 80 years in business. They also sell/sold Holdens and other “prestige” marques. I bet they weren’t selling many Saabs in the end. They have a Turbo X in stock – the only one I’ve seen advertised in NZ.
14 Martin
// Feb 6, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Sales Data Germany
January 2009
112
(- 60,7% to january 2008)
Market share 0,1 %
No one losses more …
Q.: http://www.kba.de/cln_005/nn_124384/DE/Presse/PressemitteilungenStatistiken/Fahrzeugzulassungen/n__01__09__pdf,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/n_01_09_pdf.pdf
15 NZSAAB
// Aug 5, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Hi Jo K, I saw that Turbo X advertised too, I wonder what they sold it for in the end! Wouldnt be suprised if its the only one in the country! Now we are stuck with only 2 dealers
. Schofeilds Saab in Auckland and Blackwells Saab Christchurch. There used to be a dealer in Hamilton called Ebbett Saab but now they only serivce Saab’s not sell new ones.