This is the final live entry for Trollhattan Saab. For the record, it’s entry #5,431 and there have been 50,962 comments thus far in the life of this blog.

Whilst this is the end of the road for Trollhattan Saab (yes, city of Trollhattan, you can have your Google rank back soon!) it is NOT the end of our collective journey with Saab blogging.

Please bookmark www.saabsunited.com – TS’s little baby and successor.

Trollhattan Saab will still exist indefinitely an archive, but from this post onwards, all new posts will be published at Saabs United.

I will give TS a week or so as it is, so that you can finish your conversations in comments here. As of next weekend the front page of Trollhattan Saab will automatically redirect visitors to Saabs United.

The reasons for the change are many but hopefully only noticeable to me. Your experience should be largely the same as it has been here at TS. There’s a nice fat welcome post over at SU that explains nearly everything (I’ve left the meaning of life to others).

UPDATE: Some facts have been checked and corrected.

Well, at least I know what the problem is with the convertible. And it has a lot to do with this picture of my (former) jumper cables.

Read on for the explaination.

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Wow, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here, and it’s been strictly due to the workload forced upon many of us with the weird and wooly business climate that exists at the moment.

On Saab (not) in the news

I’ve not heard much about Saab in the mainsteam news here in the US, period. Of course, the GM news always includes Saab as an aside, and there was that splash about the Swedish government backing Saab and Volvo to keep them viable. Other than that, Saab is under the radar, which I feel is a good thing in the long run. Saab will not be seen with the same taint that the big three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) will wear once things begin to roll again. Just as it was back in the 1980’s when the Chrysler Corporation was bailed out by the feds, the bail-out cars will be austere almost to a fault — the burden of massive debt does that to a company. Saab, being viewed in a somewhat different category, will hopefully side step that issue to remain somewhat on track as a premium brand.

On Saab as the Apple of Car Brands

I’m not sure that I want to wear the “Apple of car brands” badge, either. Apple certainly makes exquisite hardware that seems so “right”. However, they are pricey and proprietary. Apple tends to be very protective of their proprietary nature, almost to the point of arrogance. I hope that Saab doesn’t go there. The Saab legacy is as good design accessible to the everyman. I hope that isn’t lost in the translation.

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This has sort of become a bit of an Australia-watch segment in the last few weeks. Sorry if it bores some, but mainland Australia is going through some dangerous times.

Richo, our former-Viggen-owning mate was at Philip Island in Victoria indulging in his new brand:

And the temperature at one point in the afternoon:

That’s seriously hot. I hope the Bimmers didn’t melt in the sun.

Melbourne (the capital city in Victoria) had it’s hottest day on record today and fires are sweeping across the state. There have been many, many homes destroyed and 14 confirmed deaths so far with a fear the number might go as high as 40.

Serious business.

500km away in Tasmania it’s like another world. We had rain this morning and a top in the mid-high 20s.

It’s a long weekend! Woohoo!

Automotive jobs here at TS include the removal exchange of my Monte Carlo’s woodgrain dashboard for the plain dash in one of Drew B’s cars. I’ll then be able to fit my new carbon fibre dash kit.

Website jobs here at TS include the changeover to the new website, which will take place some time tomorrow. I’ll redirect the TS homepage automatically so you’ll go straight there, but if you’d like a quick look around now, go and visit Saabs United.

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The drums of war are beating softly in the Swedish press.

Some of you may know that a GM board member named Percy Barnevik retired during the week. It was rather sudden and unexpected. Barnevik is Swedish and ctm tells me that the sudden nature of Barnevik’s departure has the Swedish motoring press wondering if Saab’s negotiations with the government are failing and Barnevik’s quit to avoid blame.

I don’t think this is true. The reason why is because this very train of through was posted on The Truth About Cars during the week as a “Wild Ass Rumour of the Day”. Those rumours have around a 2% success rate.

And aside from that, I think Saab’s doing OK with the government. It’s the market that’s kicking their backside.

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Swedish tuning company, BSR, recently announced a price reduction on it’s PPC tuning products. Not they’re going the next step and reducing the prices of their chip-tuned products as well.

PPC products plug-in to your car and download the new tuning information. Chip-tuned products require a new chip to be installed in your ECU. The Saab products affected by this price reduction include the Saab 900, 9000 and Trionic5 Saabs.

Hit the BSR website for more info.

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Another dealership selling Saabs closes, in Beaverton, Oregon.

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Look at what Dippen found:

MONTE CARLO, MONACO – FEBRUARY 01: Salvador Albinana and Jose Diaz-Tejeiro of Spain drive a Saab 96 V4 (1973) on the first stage from Monaco to Revest les Roches during the 12th Monte Carlo Historical Rally on February 1, 2009 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Over three hundred cars are entered in four different age categories, all having competed in at least one of the Monte Carlo rallies. The cars compete in sixteen stages over four days in the south-east region of France.

What a way to spend a week, huh?

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I’m going to be pretty tied up with driving lessons in the young fella’s new Subaru and putting the final polish on the new site.

Things may be slow around here as a result.

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Posting will be light tonight as I’m off to the cinema (Gold Class – yes!) to see Gran Torino.

Should be good.

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I think I’ve found a solution to my dilemma as to whether I sell my Alfa 33 or my 1985 Saab 900: I’ll let the market decide.

In short – put them both up for sale at the same time and see which one sells first!

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Is it just me….

I can’t get any of the Saab Sweden, Saab International, SaabUSA, Saab GB or Saab Australia websites to load.

*gulp*

UPDATE – it’s all OK. Loading now. I was worried.

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Dear Swedish politicians.

Saab is important to us. Saab is important to you, too, though for different reasons, of course. Saab is important to us because we love driving their products and we’d like to see them get the chance to return to continue making the kind of products that no other company in the world makes.

Saab is important to you because the automotive industry is a significant sector in the country that you’re charged with governing. They’re also important to you because these are tough times, and voters get restless in tough times. Saab employees are voters. So are the members of their respective families. Saab suppliers are comprised of voters. That’s a lot of people to annoy for the sake of looking all tough and overly diligent.

I am quite convinced that both Saab and General Motors are not taking your interest in the automotive sector for granted. We’ve all been reading recent reports that members with industrial portfolio responsibilities are not satisfied with the proposals for the future as presented by Saab and General Motors. You want more details. You want more downside scenarios.

Swedish automotive sales figures for January 2009 were released yesterday and showed that sales of both the Saab 9-3 and Saab 9-5 were down by more than 60% for the month. This has been a fairly sudden and sharp decline.

For most of 2008, sales crept along at a level that was below 2007, but within reach of those figures for most of the year. In the last quarter of 2008, things started to get really nasty. We are now five months or so into the real dark age for the automotive sector and haven’t heard much from you except demands for more jumps through your governmental hoops.

Saab’s model lineup has not changed in that time. They have no fresh new model to help stir interest. They are trying to sell the same cars now as they were this time last year. They’re good cars, but they’re the same cars. Saab are totally vulnerable to the conditions around them. Conditions that you can influence.

Ministers, et al, my point is this:

You are demanding more downside scenarios from Saab and saying nothing yourselves about how you can improve conditions in the marketplace – not only for Saab but for the entire Swedish automotive sector. If you demand downside scenarios that plan for sustained periods of sales at more than 60% below normal levels, then you are failing in your jobs just as much as Saab and GM have failed in theirs.

Give Saab a chance.

As seen somewhere near Trollhattan today…..

Hmmmm.

Ill-fitting panels and a sooty rear end.

It could be anything, I suppose. But I bet it’s not just anything…..

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