Excuse the home French in the headline.

The following is a lightly edited press release from Saab France.

It’s good to hear some positive news coming out of Europe. France, Germany and Spain could all use a lift.

——

Saab is the market leader in flex-fuel in France

* Saab is positioned as the top Flex-Fuel brand in the French market with its BioPower models in 2008
* The Saab 9-3 is the best selling Flex-Fuel car
* Saab sets record for sales of convertibles in France

After a Christmas marked by removing the penalty on BioPower, the year began well for Saab with a cascade of good news.

The most important first: the Saab brand ranks first in the French market for flex-fuel vehicles, with 1028 cars sold during the year 2008, divided between 9-3 and 9-5. It is a just reward for the Swedish manufacturer with an emphasis on responsible performance through the use of bioethanol. Saab now offers its entire range with BioPower engine running on E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), a fuel with a much less heavy footprint on the environment…..

[Read the rest of this entry →]

There are a lot of incentives to drive vehicles classified as “Green” in Sweden. I don’t think that’s the official title, by the way, but that’s what I’ll call them for now.

Drivers of these vehicles, including best-sellers like Saab’s BioPower range, enjoy a bunch of benefits that others don’t. They are exempt from Stockholm’s congestion charge, get free parking in various places, enjoy lower annual vehicle taxes and because there’s only 15% gasoline in the fuel they also see more stable fuel prices.

Up until now, the primary way to get a “Green” vehicle was to buy one new from the manufacturer. Whilst many companies have offered E85 conversions so that people could enjoy the lower fuel price, the converted car wasn’t registered as “Green” and didn’t get the other benefits.

That situation is about to change for some people.

Swedish tuning company, BSR, has just had their E85 tuning kit for the Saab 9-5 approved by the Swedish government. Owners of Saab 9-5 models from 2002 onwards can now purchase the BSR E85C tune and have their car officially re-registered as “Green” and get all the aforementioned goodies on top of the increased performance the tune will deliver.

The certification is the end result of 12 years of work on BSR’s part. Their first ethanol conversion was back in 1996 and they’ve been working on the methodology ever since. It’s only been very recently that the ability to have it government certified has become available. BSR submitted their software to the testing regimen and passed all controlled tests. The E85C tune is available for both 2.0T and 2.3T engines in various forms of the Saab 9-5 range from 2002 to 2007. Check the BSR link, above, for details as to whether your Saab 9-5 is covered.

BSR are now working on certified E85 tuning kits for other makes and I’m sure the Saab 9-3 will be high on their list of prioirities.

–

Congratulations to BSR and all the Swedes who look to benefit from this. I wonder if the cars that are retro-converted to E85 could be added to Saab’s BioPower sales?

–

I still wonder about the durability of parts like fuel lines, tanks and valve seats in cars that are converted. Saab BioPower cars have these changes to suit the nature of E85. I still haven’t been able to get a definitive answer on this.

–

This video’s been doing the rounds of the automotive blogosphere today and I just had to share it here, too, for those who haven’t seen it yet.

It’s a corporate propaganda video from Mercedes Benz called “That’s how we beat them all” – and it’s so incredibly tacky and bad bad BAD that you’ll want to watch it again and again and again.

OK, maybe just watching it once is more than enough…..

Something inside me is curious to see how a Saab version of something like this could turn out, though naturally I wouldn’t want the negative consequences for the brand that Mercedes are seeing today. But the thought of a Eurovision-like song praising the merits of a 10-year-old 9-5 and a five year old 9-3 are too much to resist in a self-flagellating sort of way.

——

You know I hate Cadillac, right?

So imagine how well the news that Caddy will consider a turbocharged four cylinder for future models is going down here at TS-central this morning.

GM are pimps and they will whore out whatever configurations they please to keep Caddy alive in market segments where it shouldn’t be seen. If it’s the peak of high-end luxury then set it up that way and leave the premium turbo four segment to the brand that started it all.

(I can hear the execs now: …and what brand is that? Saab? Who are they?)

A pox on them all!!!

——

To some happier news….

Here are your first pictures of a Saab 9-3 SportCombi fitted with BioPower – and in Aero specification. As you can see it’s got the full Aero trim with the deep bumpers, the foglight surrounds, dual exhaust and some fantastic new wheels to roll on, too.

These images have come from Germany, where it seems Saab is making a concerted effort to lift a drastically fallen market share. There’s been a lot of press release and marketing activity in Germany (from what I can tell) and with the release of XWD there, I hope it pays dividends for them. It’s a market that Saab definitely need to improve in.

-

The guys at Herb Chambers Saab fire up the Turbo X so we can all have a listen:

Mmmmmm. Nice.

——

One of the guys at VW Vortex poses an interesting question:

Getting a craving for a Saab 9-2x… Am I nuts?

A very interesting question in light of my own recent experiences with a 2008 Subaru WRX. It begs the theoretical question, should Saab have tried to maintain a 9-2x based on the current WRX model.

One to contemplate. And the 9-2x Aero from a few years ago is still the best looking WRX that’s ever been.

——

The Sexy Green Car Show is on again this year in the UK. the show will be on from Friday 23 – Saturday 31 May at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Saab will be showing it’s BioPower range there once again.

——

An interesting occurence that I’ve not mentioned here just yet: The car-hating “Red” Ken Livingstone, who was the former mayor of London, is notable because he is now referred to as the former Mayor of London.

The winner in the recent mayoral elections was Boris Johnston, who’s apparently much more car-friendly. Could this mean that Saab GB’s petitions for BioPower exemption from London’s congestion charge could receive a friendly hearing?

One hopes so.

——

One more matter concerning the Brits – if you live anywhere near a spot called Bridlington and have an older Saab that’s an automatic, then your car could be a star!

A FILM crew who are shooting a comedy drama in Bridlington are looking for help with locations and props. The team behind comedy drama Hammerhead will be in the town over the next week, filming at a number of locations…..

….”We need an MG for one afternoon or early evening at the Deep (it won’t be driven, only for a backdrop) and also an old automatic Saab that can be driven on the Humber Bridge and parked on North Bay for two weekdays.”

Budding film stars should call Mr Patel on 07804 268419 or email him at gambitproductions@gmail.com

-

One of my mates in Sydney going by the name of Hawkeye, has just taken delivery of his 2008 Saab 9-3 BioPower. He picked it up last Friday and I don’t think he’s stopped smiling since.

I first met Hawkeye over dinner last year when I went to pick up my 900 Aero in Sydney. At the time he had a pristine OG9-3 auto in white with barely any miles on the clock. He was telling me all about how he’d just configured his future 9-3 and his order could have been one of the first in Australia.

That car finally arrived last week and Hawkeye couldn’t help but take it to one of the few E85 filling stations in Sydney to fill it up.

I picked up my 93 on Friday afternoon and let me tell you, this is one hell of a car! Am very, very happy.

The first 04/ 2008 model, built date (Jan 08) on the road in Australia I believe.

I couldn’t resist filling up with ethanol yesterday afternoon on my way to SaabTech to show them my new 93 BioPower. Note: Aus ethanol is made in Australia. I am the first Saab 93 to fill up there. They have a 95 that comes in also.

They tell me at the service station that they have everything from a Hyundai to a Ford Territory fueling up on the stuff. All private conversions. The word must be spreading.

Here’s the new ride, looking resplendant in Snow Silver in a fledgling Sydney sunset, or is that smog filtering the light? I can never tell with Sydney

The ethanol price is agreeable. I haven’t seen a fuel price that close to $1 for some time now.

And of course, wearing its night-vision goggles.

I understand why Saab are into BioPower. I believe that it’s got more substance to it than just taking advantage of favourable tax conditions in the Swedish market.

I believe that climate change, whatever the cause, is real and I believe that we’ve got a moral obligation to do everything we can to minimise the harmful effects of the way we live. I don’t always live up to those lofty ideals, but i believe them.

I believe that ethanol and the way Saab use it make sense on paper and I believe that engines specifically designed and tuned for E85 – rather than a petrol engine adapted to use it – will be even smarter and more efficient.

But right now I have to wonder if BioPower is a sustainable product.

Cellulosic ethanol is still a few sleeps away from being more than just a dream or a press release. The promise it brings is substantial, but at the moment it’s still just a promise.

The reason I’m writing all this is the latest news on food prices and the problems these are causing in developing countries around the world. There was talk of burrito riots in Mexico last year, which I believe were somewhat exaggerated. There’s little denying the current price rises and civil unrest in places like Haiti right now, however.

That image is from The Age here in Australia. A few lines from that story:

Anger over food prices led to last week’s riots in Haiti, in which at least five people were killed and the country’s prime minister was ousted.

Developing countries claim that rich countries, in their rush to tackle global warming, are helping to drive up food prices by encouraging the use of crops to produce biofuels rather than to feed people.

Now it should be said that ethanol is probably a minor protagonist here. The demand for biodiesel is huge and there’s a lot of land clearing going on for plantations to make diesel rather than ethanol.

But whatever the fuel being produced, this issue of food vs fuel is going to have to be addressed somehow. I just wonder if Saab will be able to continue the BioPower push in the face of such opposition.

——

For some further reading on the topic, I can highly recommend this recent article in Time Magazine. 1985 Gripen sent it to me last week and whilst I think there’s a number of flaws in it, the basic premise is correct.

I don’t think Biofuel is a scam at all, but the food vs fuel argument should be won with a moral imperative. Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be won by the party with the deepest pockets.

And yes, I feel like a total hypocrite on this issue given my own addiction to driving.

So…… solutions?

Saab France have let out a few BioPower press releases today to further push the Lynx Yellow convertible that’s available with BioPower there. It’s a recent release and as the number of E85 outlets stands at over 200 and is growing, Saab see some opportunities there.

It certainly looks tres chic! with accompanying cyclists on the Saab Everywhere Bikes.

——

Where many of you consider Anthony Lo gave us lemons in the recent chat session, Edmunds has tried to make some lemonade.

Anthony’s replies in the chat session weren’t anything new to those who’ve been following Saab news for a while now, but Edmunds considers them news now, firstly because Anthony said it, and secondly because they wrote it.

They write about diesels in the US as if it’s almost imminent based on Anthony’s answer, where we know that “we’re still looking at it” has been the pat answer about US diesels for a few years now.

I think Saab coverage there is going to go downhill now that Karl’s sold his Sonett…..

——

SaabHistory filmed part of a bloggers session with Brian Nesbitt from GMNA design. He was in Europe, of course, when the 9-X BioHybrid began its journey and it shares the “Nesbitt Nose” that first appeared on a Saab with the Aero-X.

It’s worth a watch and as Ryan notes in the intro, it spurs some interesting thoughts about US vs Europe. There might be a post in that.

——

Dan S sent me a link through on this new brake lighting system yesterday, but I didn’t have time to write it up. Jalopnik have now done the job for me, so I won’t replicate it here.

It does seem quite Saaby in some ways.

——

Some great black and white shots from Holland starting here.

It seems Saab Australia aren’t the only national body getting a rap over the knuckles with regard to BioPower advertising.

Saab Great Britain are in hot water over advertising claims made in a recent BioPower ad. This from BusinessGreen:

Saab has become the latest firm to fall foul of the Advertising Standard Authority’s crackdown on misleading green ads…..

The national press ad showed two parallel horseshoe prints and tyre marks accompanied by the slogan “More horsepower. And a smaller carbon footprint.” The ad went on to claim that Saab’s BioPower range used a flex-fuel engine that allows it to run on bioethanol E85, petrol, or a mixture of the two.

The ad attracted three complaints regarding the claim that bioethanol reduces CO2 emissions by up to 70 per cent and two further complaints against the claim that “bioethanol consumption does not significantly raise atmospheric levels of CO2″.

The ASA rejected the first complaint, noting that Saab had substantiated the claim…

However, it upheld the second complaint, ruling that the ad was “misleading” on the grounds readers were “likely to infer that bioethanol did not add a significant amount of CO2 to the atmosphere”, when in fact it still resulted in a 30 per cent net addition to atmospheric CO2.

It seems you can try and do something environmentally responsible, just so long as you don’t talk about it.

Saab Australia’s punishment is yet to be determined. As I understand it, they’ve been trying to discuss the matter with the ACCC here in Australia, but are getting nowhere as the ACCC seem somewhat determined to make an example of them.

So what would be an acceptible way to advertise BioPower?

UPDATE – Here’s a copy of the ad, with thanks to Robin M, the unofficial Saab Ambassador for the UK. Click to enlarge. The offending statement seems to be in the fine print.