As I’ve mentioned several times, I travel quite a bit. As I mentioned in my last post, I visited Ohio. On the way back home via Southwest Airlines (I love Southwest), I happened to pick up their monthly magazine, Spirit. I like to do the crossword puzzles in the back — I rarely read the articles.

That’s where things got interesting.

As I was close to finishing the Hex Files, a word puzzle in this month’s edition of Spirit, I came across the following clue:

12: A luxury se(*)ardly the type of car I’d expect to come from a Scandinavian country.

The object of this particular puzzle is to find the six-letter word (hence the word “hex” in the title) that fits into the (*), both completing the sentence and fitting into the spaces on the puzzle board.

In this case, the answer to the clue is the word Danish. Thus, the completed sentence is as follows:

12: A luxury sedan is hardly the type of car I’d expect to come from a Scandinavian country.

So, the question is this: Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If luxury means the luxo-cruiser with overstuffed pillow-like leather and a vanity mirror on the visor, it a good thing for Saab. If luxury sedan means a premium, high-quality car, then it’s bad.

So, which one is it? I think since this is an American magazine it means the Lincoln/Caddilac luxury car, so I’m good with it.

Complete puzzle and solution after the break.

The Hex Files

Answers:

Not to turn this into a foodie blog, I’ve enjoyed another regional delicacy here in Dayton, Ohio: Cincinnati-style chili. No side-trip needed for this little treat — there are chili restaurants all over Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. I tend to be a Skyline Chili man, but the others are good, too. Four way with onions, please!

Onto the Saabs.

First up, AutoWeek.com has a short mention of the Saab TurboX, most notable because the author criticizes automatic sport shift for having “terrible, very slow shift response”. For any other car, I’d wholeheartedly agree. However, this the TurboX. As you may recall, in my experience with the 2008 Saab TurboX the automatic transmission performed admirably in manual shift mode. Perhaps Swade’s recent drive will settle the disagreement.

Jalopnik is having a little fun speculating on the next generation 9-3. Their reasoning is sound: the Opel Insignia will be out late this year, and the model that it replaces, the Opel Vectra, is the current 9-3′s platform mate. Speculating that the new 9-3 will follow, they’ve based this Photoshop on the Insignia.

Not bad. Speculation is just that — speculation.

Finally, Saabrobz has a great set of pics from the Kak Midnattssolsrallyt 2008 on Flickr. Here’s a sample:

TTELA are saying that since Russelsheim is getting the Opel Astra to build (on Delta) in a sort-of exchange for Trollhattan getting the Saab 9-3 to build (on Delta), that means that the Trollhattan plant is probably going to have a whole heap of excess capacity. TTELA are saying that that excess capacity will go towards building a Saab 9-1 at Trollhattan.

All that is great in theory, but remember that the Saab 9-1 is yet to be given the green light from GM Europe. Unless TTELA have some great inside scoop story here, we’re still going to have to wait on that one.

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So why hasn’t the 9-1 been given the go-ahead yet?

Small cars mean lower prices and therefore, lower margins for car companies. Take a look at GM’s current financial situation and you might understand why they’re gunshy about new low-margin models for a low-selling Swedish subsidiary (I ain’t saying it’s right, it’s just how it is).

CNN Money are reporting that GM stock is at a 33-year low and it’s now on negative watchlists meaning that there’s an even chance that their ratings will be lowered in the next few months. Fortune are forecasting that sales will be down by more than 25% in June for GM.

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All this bad news is hiking up the chatter about GM closing the doors on one or more brands. That CNN Money report (linked above) cites Saab and Hummer as being on the block.

Hummer, yes. Saab, no.

I don’t believe they’d be announcing production allocations for various factories if they were selling Saab. Or new vehicle development. Some might say it beefs up the sale prospects, but I’m not so sure on that and I’m pretty sure that any prospective suitors would see through it if it’s just window dressing anyway.

GM have apparently appointed Citibank to investigate the possible futures for HUMMER.

LaNeve said Citibank would “evaluate, solicit and review any offers we may have for the brand or any other offers we might have such as a revamp of the brand, partnerships or licensing. We’re looking at all options.”

They should do the same for Cadillac in Europe. Seriously.

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In other GM News, they’ve announced a price rise for 2009 of 3.5% (on average). I’ll let you known Saab consequences are fully understood, but combine this with the reported cancellation of GM employee pricing for the Saab 9-3 in 2009 and it means they’re going to have to be working very hard to establish Saab as premium in the people’s minds.

They’ve also announced a 0% finance offer that’s going to be held between the 24th and 30th June. The Saab range is included in that sale. For those who like to buy instead of leasing, there’ll be a $500 offer on the hood instead.

Check with your dealers.

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In non-GM news, the finalists for the 2009 European Car of the Year competition have been announced. Not surprsingly, there’s no Saab amongst the 25 or so finalists.

As a matter fact, I just did a review of the top three placegetters for the award since 1964 and there’s never been a Saab place in the top three for the award. Not one, ever. Not the revolutionary 99 Turbo, nor the Saab 900 Cabriolet or the 900 T16 Aero. The 9000? Nup. Saab 9-5? Never.

I know I’d be crowing about it if Saab were nominated or actually won, but when a Nissan Micra can win the bloody thing (1993) and Saab’s never even placed in it, well it shows what the thing is really worth, doesn’t it?

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Today will be a very interesting day for former Viggen owners here in Hobart. My new car gets inspected today prior to being registered, but more importantly, my old car goes up for auction. Go Drew, Go!

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Finally, there’s a collection of truly awesome Saab photos here on Flickr.

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Whatever the origin, though, it can’t be ignored that Saab were pioneers in turbocharging, getting more from less and providing exceedingly utilitarian vehicles in the process. In 2008, that last sentence describes what most car-makers are aiming for, so is it now Saab’s time?

It should be. But with a corporate parent like GM, who knows?

Steve Shannon gave a state-of-Saab presentation to various interested parties at a Saab dealership in Los Angeles last week. Motor Trend provided some coverage of that event and now seems as good a time as any to tease out what they discovered and what would be ideal for Saab, and for the GM mothership, moving forward into the future.

For as long as this site’s been on the air I’ve been saying that GM should pour more investment money into Saab to grow the brand, especially in Europe where there’s so much unrealised potential. The brand has a history of small-but-powerful engines. Given that the price of fuel is only going up, it makes complete sense.

I remember reading one individual at SaabCentral some time ago saying that Saab should be GM’s primary focus due to the nature of the brand and the capability they had for growth. Whilst I was definitely cheering from the sidelines, we all knew that that wasn’t going to happen.

I still don’t think it’s going to happen, but it appears to be more logical than ever in 2008. GM’s current circumstances and actions might just be showing that it’s coming to fruition, too.

A few dot points first, then we can draw it all together.

1) Alberta shows the way

In Alberta, Canada, they’re extracting oil from sands that were left dormant for years because the cost of extraction was too expensive. Now that the price of OPEC oil has gone up so much, the cost of refining the oil sands is much less prohibitive and the Canadians have a viable oil industry on their hands.

Where’s the connection?

When oil was cheap, GM tied itself to the high-margin SUV cash cow. I’ve not looked into it, but they probably had more trucks in their range than cars at some point. I wouldn’t be surprised. That was then, this is now.

GM can’t use that model anymore and they know it. They’ve recently annouced a slow-down in SUV production and stated quite clearly that the future of the HUMMER brand is being reconsidered. There’s rumours about GM shutting down another brand like they did with Oldsmobile some years ago and whilst some are nervous that that brand might be Saab, I’ll lay odds that it’s most likely GMC that’s threatened. Maybe Pontiac.

The point of all this? Now that oil and fuel efficiency are at a premium, Saab has some real currency with GM. They’ve been allowed to dwindle and they don’t have the range topping efficiency that Saabs used to have, but they have pretty good numbers and plenty of great experience to draw on.

2) Learn from the past, work for the future*

Motor Trend’s article starts with the following:

After unsuccessful attempts by its GM masters to repackage vehicles in the form of the 9-7X (upscale Chevy TrailBlazer) and 9-2X (Subaru WRX clone), Saab is attempting to re-focus its brand’s cachet by drawing on its core principles of quirky yet attractive styling, highly efficient turbocharged powertrains, and its distinct aerospace heritage.

GM tried to do the GM thing with Saab twice already and hopefully they’ve realised that it didn’t work. They’ve admitted as much about the 9-2x in recent times, but the 9-7x is still selling, so I’m sure we won’t hear anything about that any time soon. As good as these vehicles were (and technically, they are/were great motor vehicles) they just weren’t Saabs in the purist sense.

If GM want to get the best value out their Swedish brand, they’ve got to build real Swedish Saabs with Saab brand values designed into the core of the vehicle. Being a Saab should be a point of difference, not just a point of identity.

3) It’s time to go to college

Whenever I’ve talked about my dislike for Cadillac in Europe with one of SaabUSA’s staffers, he always uses the college analogy. It goes like this: GM has a bunch of kids and all of them will get to college eventually, but it costs money and time and they can’t all benefit from it at once.

Whilst I understand the analogy, I’ve always maintained that the career path GM was choosing for its kids was misguided. They were putting too much into Fredo and ignoring Michael (I get the feeling that Sonny’s HUMMER brand is pulling up to the toll booth right about….. now).

GM have a cash-burn problem and to pour heaps of cash into an inefficient brand (Caddy) to expand it into a market that doesn’t like it, nor accept it (Europe) is just plain ludicrous. Even more so when you consider that GM have a premium brand with some market acceptance in Europe, one that’s been withering on the vine for years.

GM’s financial injection into Cadillac for Europe is something you do when things are going really, really well. It’s gravy. It’s not the foundation for what they should be doing in Europe, it’s the icing on the cake (should the cake ever get made).

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Tying these things together….

Saab have a new 9-5 on the way. They have a 9-4x SUV on the way. They have a revolutionary all-wheel-drive system coming online right now. They have a brilliant twin-turbo diesel in Europe. They have a decision to make the next generation Saab 9-3 in Sweden on a smaller architecture. We’ve been told that they also have hybrid technology on the way, too.

Seeing all of that in one paragraph, it looks like maybe Saab are starting their college education, finally.

GM need to develop more fuel efficient vehicles and they also need to bring a refined European brand to market and promote the daylights out of it so that they can build margins that make it sustainable. Saab can fit the bill on both counts – fuel economy and premium European. All they need is continued investment and the promotional support that GM have given to all their other brands over the years.

It is very, very possible that Saab could become a beacon for GM, if only they allow it to happen. Distinctive design, great use of technology and sustainable development for increasingly fuel conscious times.

There’d be no better vehicle for that than a Saab 9-1, by they way, and that vehicle is yet to receive the green light.

If GM are looking to build on potential – as opposed to building despite a heap of inherent baggage – then it’s time for them to cast aside their US-centric vision of what Saab should look like (the 9-2x and 9-7x experiment, subservience to Cadillac in Europe, etc) and allow it to spread its wings.

Here’s hoping.

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* And if you know the early-80s rap song from which the title to point 2 is taken, then kudos to you. Hint: the line appears in the title track to a movie soundtrack.

A few years ago we all thought that production was lost to Opel’s plant in Russelsheim, Germany. When it was recently discovered that the 9-3 would be built on GM’s Delta architecture instead of Epsilon, there was a great deal of hope that 9-3 production could be retained in Trollhattan (as the T-hat plant is being tooled for Delta in the next few years).

Today, we’re back to Russelsheim.

Automobilewoche are citing a labor official who’s claiming it’s a done deal that the next Saab 9-3 will be made in Russelsheim (a brief story from another source, here).

Again, I’ve got to remind you that the Saab 9-1 is not yet confirmed for production. If it were, then there’s a high likelihood that it would be made in Sweden at the Trollhattan plant. If this report about the 9-3 is accurate and it’s going to be made in Germany, this means that with the confirmed model line that we have right now, there will be no Saabs manufactured in Sweden in 2012 (9-3 snd 9-5 in Germany, 9-4x in Mexico).

The vast bulk of Saab design is now done in Germany. Saab’s presence in Sweden will be down to Simon Padian’s skeleton crew at Pixbo (how long will that remain?) and a few executives who get together now and then for the Saab Brand Center. Essentially, if there’s no 9-1 in Saab’s future, then the Saab’s link to Sweden is confined to some engineering that’s shared with all of GM (and mostly debuted by others within GM) and the Saab Brand Center meetings, comprising executives from Sweden and other parts of Europe.

Saab have to maintain a design and manufacturing presence in Sweden. The Saab Brand Center is valuable in the right context, but it’s just window dressing if they want to pass it off as Saab’s claim to Scandinavianinity (yes, I just made that word up).

Thanks again, Albert, who’s been keeping a keen eye on this subject

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GM’s NA sales have fallen through the floor and are progressing south towards the earth’s crust, thanks to a combination of poor economic conditions and a poor vehicle lineup. GM are looking to squeeze out some extra sales without apearing too desparate and have launched a military discount campaign.

All GM vehicles except the Corvette are included so if you’re in the services, you can check out GM Military Discounts and see what you can get off your next Saab.

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A very appreciative supporter of Saab Central. And a nice 9000, too.

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TS-frequenter and San Antonian, Dan S, has recently started a blog I’ll be checking in with. It’s called RacingReady and will chronicle him dipping his toes into the world of Autocross.

It’s something I’m contemplating as well, so I’ll be keeping a keen eye on it.

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I loved the video from MotorWeek that Eggs linked up to over the weekend. A great lesson indeed. We live in times when it’s the bells, whistles and general razzmatazz that get the attention rather than substance. Hence the Paris Hiltons of this world.

Saab build great cars for real-world drivers to enjoy. It’s not an effective marketing hook, but it’s that simple.

And the red 9000 in that video – superb!

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Lance, as many of you will know, is a UK based journalist and writer, and the author of Saab 99 and 900: The Complete Story.

Today he’s writing about a model that’s very close to my heart – the Saab 9-5. It’s a model that gets a lot of flack, but has never failed to bring a smile to my face with some great performance and some of the best seats in the business.

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Life in the old dog yet…..Or fine wine and a long finish…
Lance Cole on the approaching sunset days of Saab’s still-brilliant 9-5 range.

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Some say that when Saab stopped making the classic, boat tailed, beetle browed, original model 900, Saab died with it.

Those people have the right to their opinion but neither I, nor Saab, happen to agree with them. They are wrong. And as a former 900 Classic owner – one who would take a 900 classic hatch to my desert island -just to stare at it, please don’t tell me I am not a Saabist for believing in life after that first 900.

So, Saab lived on – albeit the New Generation 900 was not totally on target first time out, it soon became the 9-3 and that was spot on as a Saab and had the spirit of Saab within it. And then there was the 9000 – again a Saab that was revised and grew into a great car of great character. Ok, so it was a Saab-Fiat hybrid type cousin of a car, but it was a superb tool.

Then came the 9-5 – and the whingers whinged once again – for it shared parts with a Vauxhall/Opel car. But history has shown that the 9-5 was a better than brilliant Saab: It remains so.

Yes, there were some early quality glitches which disappointed me, you, and some other people – glitches that really should not have been there. But all these years on, the 9-5 soldiers on beside newer equipment.

The current fashion for 9-5 knocking is partly based on age rather than ability, although we should admit that some things have moved on….

The media and in consequence, some of their readers, have become conditioned into knocking the 9-5. And alongside the new Opels, the new Audis’ even the new Volvos, the Saab 9-5 is indeed an old stager. And I love it.

The clamshell bonnet, the roof turret, the swept rear end, it’s all aero style Saab stuff and it is all a unique down-the-road-graphic in design terms.

The cabin design has that rare thing – a sense of occasion, which is what we are told supercars deliver. This is premium class travel, open the door and you know you have been upgraded from the norm. Think, front of the plane, on Lufthansa, American Airlines or Qantas. This is cocoon land.

I guess I think of the current 9-5 as a 40-something year old brunette (or hazel blonde if I have to): The first proper lines are showing, things maybe beginning to slip slightly, and the handling is sometimes affected by the ravages of time – but (and it’s a huge but (butt?)), put her in lightly applied make up, remove the spectacles, choose the right colour for the silk dress attire, and you have a very classy lady.

And yes, the 9-5 needs charming and caressing to deliver of her best. But a bit like a really good red wine, it’s all about time to breathe and the right temperature (65-68 degrees for the wine), which makes all the difference. So think of winemaker J. Lohr’s Paso Robles red wine, Ravenswood vineyard old vines Zinfandel or an Australian Wolf Blass reserve red that is not over oaked – or a single estate, property bottled, Australian or French red – and you have the 9-5 in a bottle: Class, with a long finish.

Do you remember Swade’s recent post about how Saab UK are selling off new 9-5 wagons loaded with kit for under £20,000? And I asked if even the value for money could tempt you over a V70 new model or a 93 wagon -or an Audi?

Who would buy a decade old car design instead of something new model made?

The answer is, that the 9-5 a decade on, still ranks as safe as safe can be, still has the best seats ever, in any car. The styling, the wheels, the trims, the colours, the superb range of accessories – all rate. Surely the 9-5 still has that special, reserve blend that says, SAAB.

Ok, the handling can get scrabbly, the plastics in the cabin could be better, and the residual values are not good. But I can think of some 2008 design cars that qualify for those demerits too.

But this car is a whole product – do not take it apart by its less than good parts. See it has a whole. See it as what Saabs once were to many – a long term investment – part of the family. An amalgm of good, solid engineering and design.

Elegant understatement – that’s what the 9-5 is – especially as a wagon. It is class. This is not a Chav car – not a lottery winners flash in the pan.

Imagine a new 9-5 wagon in a nice metallic hue such as blue-grey, or a taupe-silver perhaps? Or even devil’s bread van black? Stick on some of those Saab alloys – alloy wheel design from Saab ranking up there as the best in the world along with Audi interiors, in my view.

On my new 9-5 Turbo wagon test drive, I snuggled down into that brilliant cockpit, tilted the front of the seat up (a must have option), lowered the steering wheel and pulled it back towards me, and launched the Aero badged thing into V1 and climb out; 250bhp and petrol power still works for me.

The gearbox is neither bad nor brilliant, but the effects of stirring the shift are welcome.

There was some roll on the bends that a newer car would avoid, but would a newer car have that balance between damping and spring rate that the 9-5 delivers? I doubt it, and good as Audis are, their ride on anything other than smooth motorway tarmac, is too firm, too jiggly: Avoid Audi’s S-line sport pack if you wish to keep your fillings in place and make sure you don’t do the same thing to a Saab with aftermarket fettling/fiddling.

Yes the 9-5 understeers, yes there is some torque steer, but only if you thrash it. It still handles, it can still swoop through Z bends with no threat of switching ends via the scenery. It remains a supreme long distance cruiser too. Just watch out for the big wheel/low profile tyre combos – in the case of long term ownership, ultimately compromising in my view.

9-5 essentials inlcude, a ‘yes’ for the Hirsch satin front trim kit, tick for the rear wing, two tone leather sports seats, carbon fibre dash trim, the full Aero cabin, and argue amongst yourselves over diesel or petrol power. What of strut braces, power chips and lowered suspension, I hear you ask – well, that’s all options in the mind, let’s stick with the factory car.

Upgrade the stereo speakers for sure , Hirsch the thing up if you wish, but get the wagon, put your loved ones in it, set the standard Sat Nav, and sail your Saab 9-5 off into a Saab sunset before the new dawn brings a new car that really will be genetically modified – however good it is.

Ageing, made-over, wearing silly glasses, and not a BMW. Every reason why this old swinger of a Saab is a sexy woman at the prime of her life. Oh and the dog in the title of this article is in the back of the 9-5 wagon – behind the dog guard, smiling…

This is a proper Saab and don’t let anyone tell you it is not.

The 9-5 will be around for a bit longer. Try one, for the world may never be like this again…

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I believe that some of these initial sessions are to get various GM staff and dealers familiar with XWD and what it will mean for Saab in terms of performance etc. I believe our own professori, Tedjs, might be getting a seat shortly (or am I mixed up on that one?) As you can see from the image below, Saab 9000 builder extraordinaire and Saab dealership rep, Kaylan, is already there.

If I get some reports through soon I’ll be sure to post them. Enjoy yourselves, folks. That’s one heck of a training session!!

Kaylan and Steve Shannon: click.

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Tedjs, our GM professori, emailed me a few photos of a modern Mass Air Flow sensor. He uses these shots for his automotive class at Tri-C in Ohio. I’ll attach his comments from my original post as well, as I think they’re quite relevant for anyone looking at a faulty AMM/MAF.

In these shots, you can clearly see the filament I was talking about. The object of the game is to keep that filament at a constant set temperature using an electrical current (think light bulbs). Air rushing past it cools the filament and the change in voltage required to keep it at temperature tells the computer how much air is rushing past, and therefore how much fuel to pump in.

Whilst my old 900 sensor had an adjustment screw, it seems that modern MAF’s don’t. A possible solution for a malfunctioning MAF, in the absence of an adjustment, is to clean it. Following are some comments Ted wrote about cleaning the sensor:

We would let the sensor cool off for a bit and hit the sensing wire with a quick shot of cleaner which is a key point here – a very small amount would clean the sensor if it was contaminated. I only say this because I watched someone use half a can on a sensor and I think it damaged the sensor as brake parts cleaner is a strong solvent. Unfortunately some people live with the adage if a little is good – a lot must be better. Don’t get me wrong – it was entertaining watching him, but that was kind of his method of operation. The guy could not fix a sandwich.

Sometimes if you would clean them the problem would come back and the sensor would have to be replaced. The sensor wire generally gets about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.78 degrees Celsius) higher than ambient air temperature so I think things would get cooked on it occasionally.

CRC recently introduced a mass air flow cleaner here in the USA that is for sale at most auto parts stores. It is less caustic than brake clean and is less likely to damage the sensor housing and attack the electronics. I know some shops are selling it as a maintenance service as newer cars are so reliable they have little to do in terms of routine maintenance, but I have mixed feelings about that. That sensor is expensive and cleaning a clean one might damage the filament. Sort of a ‘if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it’ approach if you know what I mean.

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Inspired by my successful venture yesterday and a desire to learn more, I’ve just ordered a Bentley manual for the Saab 900 16V to go with my Haynes manual that’s already on it’s way from Elkparts.

The Bentley manual seems to be pretty well regarded, so I’m sure it won’t hurt to have it on the shelf as well. There’s probably areas of the car that one manual handles better than the other.

I don’t think I’m going to be replacing timing chains or anything like that, any time soon. But it’s fun to learn, especially with our young bloke hitting 17 and looking for a car to buy too (He’s scoping out Honda Preludes).

He’s got a natural aptitude for this sort of thing so I’ve got to keep up!!

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I can confirm that the 9-4x information agreed with info I’d previously heard from a completely independant and very authoritative source. After I published the 9-4x information last night, I received further confirmation that the numbers were accurate from another person in a position to know.

Given that both the 9-4x info and the 9-5 info has come from the same source, and the 9-4x info has been verified by several others, we should be able to trust the 9-5 info in terms of accuracy.

Whilst it might be taken as accurate, we don’t know yet whether or not the info is complete. I can’t believe that there’s plans to top-out the new 9-5 at 260hp, especially when the two cars ‘below’ it would make 280hp and 300hp respectively.

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David Kiley from Business Week treads on an old path:

Eventually, though, I predict that by 2020, GM will probably be lighter by at least two brands—either Buick or Pontiac will be gone, and Saab will be gone. It will happen as dealers go out of business, and then GM can kill off what’s left of the channels…when…hopefully…financial times are better.

It’s actually an interesting read on the brand challenges that various car companies face. It raises that old spectre of Caddy in Europe once again, but I’ll leave that alone.

And imagine how pleased I was to scroll down and see a comment from Kroum in response to the article. Go get ‘em, Tiger!!

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The Truth About Cars are bleating once again about GM buying bloggers with drive experiences etc, and the bloggers obligingly withholding from critique as a quid pro quo. The possibility that the cars could actually be good (as Eggs just found with the Turbo X – a trip sponsored by GM) doesn’t bear thinking about.

RF recalls the time he snuck into a Q&A with Bob Lutz and how astounded he was that everyone there seemed to just lap up what Bob was saying. Given that RF has it in for GM so bad, and that Lutz is one of his main targets, you’d think that he would have peppered Lutz with all the hard questions during that session.

Nah. He asked one lousy question about pensions.

The only reason TTAC doesn’t go on GM-sponsored trips to test drive cars is because they’re not invited. It ain’t that hard.

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The driver floored it when the light turned green and the turbo sounded great!