The State of Saab
Jay Spenchian
By Jay Spenchian
General Manager
Saab USA
If there’s one word that describes Saab owners best, it’s “passion.” As in, passion for the brand, passion for the product, and passion for our rich heritage.
I had the opportunity recently to experience that passion at the 23rd Saab Owners Convention at scenic Mount Stratton, Vermont. I delivered a “State of Saab” address to those owners, which I’ll present in boiled-down form here.
Saab has been, and will continue to be The Statement of Individuality. We will continue to deliver a distinctive interpretation of a premium European vehicle, with progressive design and driver-focused performance. At the same time, we’ll remain practical and safe. It’s no surprise that we attract the kind of independent-minded individuals that we do - mostly people who are not satisfied with the typical automobile.
Let me clarify that with a couple of examples.
Design? The Scandinavian school of minimalism rules here. Less is more, which is an excellent fit with our progressive buyer demographic - people who prefer to stand out of the crowd in a quiet, understated way.
Performance? We don’t chase after the highest horsepower ratings in our segment. We focus on low-end torque to provide power where the customer needs it - as in city driving and overtaking.
Functionality? Saab interiors draw from our aircraft experience, providing a comfortable and functional cockpit for the driver. Our engineers believe a comfortable driver is an alert driver and an alert driver is a safer driver.
Safety? We are certainly segment-leading in safety. Last fall, the 9-3 Sport Sedan was awarded an unprecedented “Double Best Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. No other passenger car has ever earned that distinction, notably with just standard equipment.
All of this contributes to the passion of our customers. It is the essence of Saab. Our task, here in 2005, is to leverage that passion and extend the brand into new segments. In that regard, we know darn well that we still have a lot of work to do.
First off, let’s keep in mind that Saab is a small company by any standards. We sell about 130,000 vehicles a year in over 50 countries around the world. The US represents almost 30% of Saab’s total volume, which makes us the largest single market for Saab.
So the challenge is, how do we meet the demands of so many markets - and the unique requirements of the big and highly diverse US market in particular?
How? Leverage. Saab has the unique opportunity to leverage the resources of General Motors, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
I know many Saab loyalists view GM ownership as the beginning of the end for Saab. However, the truth is that Saab’s long-term viability is dependent on GM ownership for investment in new products and marketing resources. And Saab is just as critical to GM’s success. Saab represents a unique position in the GM product portfolio because it’s GM’s only European premium brand, and it’s GM’s most recognizable global brand.
Because there is very little interaction with other GM makes, virtually all Saab business is plus business to General Motors.
For Saab globally and for Saab USA, being part of the GM family presents the best asset that we have for meeting our growth imperative. And as we have at every other critical point in our history, we will approach this opportunity with both innovation and intelligence.
As a start, we have outlined our mission by creating a Plan for Action that targets all our major challenges.
First item on our action plan: we need to grow our limited product portfolio into the ‘right’ segments. This means maximizing our product development investment and ability to conquest market share. This also means that we preserve and distill Saab’s brand essence.
Second, to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations, we must devise manufacturing strategies that support the brand and the necessary growth - for both the short term and the long term.
Next, to provide a clear competitive differentiation, it’s essential that we communicate a brand identity that is uniquely Saab, through thoughtful, aggressive marketing and advertising.
Fourth is to collaborate with Sweden’s global brand-building initiatives and provide guidance for how we can “localize” the Saab brand promise and value proposition to the US market.
Pulling all of this together for the customer is the fifth, and maybe most important item in our action plan. This means defining and sustaining a world-class dealer network and premium ownership experience.
By doing all of this well, we will maintain sustainable market credibility. That should give us a good shot at fulfilling Saab’s immense promise.
Now, these may all be nice plans - but what really matters is how we execute. On Friday, we’ll get down to some discussion of specific products.
- Posted in Cars & Trucks
Ryan M
That’s great to hear Jay! But I sure hope this means more completely unique cars on shared platforms (a ‘la 9-3) and less blatant “nameplate engineering.” (9-2x, 9-7x, and the ugly radio in the new 9-5).
I know Saab is going through a time of transition, but I hope that in the future they can remain a unique company funded by, and helping to fund, GM — and not just another logo to slap GM bits and pieces into to create something that might be different, but certainly isn’t unique.
Trollhattan Saab
Communication
He speaks. The Spench. The Jaymeister. Da Man.Response coming shortly. …
The Smartest Man in Canada
I own a 9-2x and it is fantastic. It looks better than the subaru inside and out, and is a much better ride.
I test drove the car you based it on and it is second rate. When you slam the doors on a WRX, it sounds like the door will come off its hinges. Driving the Subaru version sounds like the engine is inside the passenger compartment. Not to mention that you feel every freaking bump in the road.
The 9-2x keeps all the subaru strong points, and eliminates some of the major problems.
Jay, please explain why you can’t you sell this car …
Trollhattan Saab
The Trollhattan Weblog Response
Jay’s managed to pour quite a few fish into the Fastlane barrel today. Now where’s my gun? Firstly, I’ve got say how pleasing it is to finally hear from “The Pharmacist”. The link above is to Jay’s address on the Fastlane blog, but you can either click…
crsig
Glad to here ther is such “passion” and returning customers, Thats always good news from GM also the Fuel milage ad comming WAT TO GO GM.. YEAH
Steve G
You want Saab to make a comeback? How about the same thing that would save all of GM-
TEN YEAR WARRANTY!
I see GM upping the powertrain warranties on certain Buicks, the Chevy Aveo and Cobalt, etc. Who even knows about it and why do some cars get a better warranty than others?
Why are the warranties lower than Hyundia, Kia, and Suzuki? Would these companies actually still exist without the warranties?
GM, listen up, people don’t trust you. The only way to get that trust back and increase sales are 3 things:
1. LONG WARRANTY.
2. NO HAGGLE PRICING.
3. Sweat the details on the products.
Sorry to yell on the first 2 but there is no reason for GM not to realize that these 2 items will make or break the company.
Swade
Jay, it’s great to hear from you. I’ve posted my own manifesto response at the Trollhattan weblog.
You have a very strong Saab community behind you Jay. And only a few of them carry knives!!
Seriously, thanks for the communication and long may it continue. The next few years are crucial for the long term future of Saab and we’re eagerly awaiting the developments that have been mentioned around the Saabosphere.
I think most Saab enthusiasts would echo Ryan’s comments and I’m waiting in earnest for your next post in discussion of future products.
Cheers. SW.
Joseph J Manganiello
I can only hope that Jay does mean what he states in the first 8 paragraphs. I do not see those values in the SAAB 9-2 or the SAAB 9-7. I began driving in a 1987 900S at age 17 and in 2001 at 31 I procured a 2001 9-3. Today both SAAB are still in daily operation. Total my parents, my brother and I have purchased 8 SAABs we are brand loyal if the brand stays loyal to its roots. SAAB always understood quality, safety, value and style while GM only understands units sold. True SAABs will never be large volume sellers as the common person does not appreciate them.
Adam B.
“Next, to provide a clear competitive differentiation, it’s essential that we communicate a brand identity that is uniquely Saab, through thoughtful, aggressive marketing and advertising.”
Slapping a Saab front end on the tired Trailblazer is hardly “uniquely Saab”.
Tell me, have you ever held a ‘92 Saab 9000CDE brochure in your hands? Do you remember staring into deep green Saab hatchbacks as a kid? Do you know what an SPG is? How many copies of the Saab-Scania Story do you own?
I’m insulted, and I’m not even an owner.
You’re never, ever going to get it.
Dale
“The Statement of Individuality”
That was lost when the 9-2x went on sale.
I read recently that the Solstice development cost around $230-$260 million. Without going into detail, that has the potential to be money very well spent.
Now if only Saab could get that kind of investment. With backing like that, the 9-5 could really become a contender. Instead, we get yet another mid-mid cycle refresh of an eight year old design.
So, for 2006 model year Saab offers us this-
9-2X - with $8000 on the hood some will buy it.
9-3 - good vehicle in a sea of great competitors.
9-5 - refresh will not help sales much.
9-7X - the best of all the platform mates, but still not really a Saab.
Steve G
>Safety also continues to be a priority for the company, so the five-passenger 2006 Kia Rio is equipped with front-, side-, and side-curtain airbags; and three-point seatbelts for all passengers. Peace of mind is addressed by Kia’s popular five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, with five years of roadside assistance thrown in, too.
Steven
Great points Jay.
I give kudos to the Saab crew who worked on the new 9-3. The Aero convertible of this model may well be in my garage early next spring. I drove the 05 version and liked it a lot. For 06, I may like it even more with that potent V-6. I love the look and the ride was awesome on the 05, but it needed more power. I have always like Saabs “uniqueness and quirkiness” factors. I now like them even more in the 9-3. The other models need a lot of work however. The 9-2x and 9-7x don’t move me at all. And the 9-5 has lost its focus and is not competitive in the marketplace with the competition. That is sad, to me.
fred
Jay-sorry I missed you at the SOC as you would have had a first-hand look/drive of an obselete halo/concept distinctive impression of
the rarest Saab (03 9.3 TiD) on NA soil. Still getting 40mpg…at 120! Now I’m not sure what Rick and Bob have been tellin ya but…I would not be happy with small…130K…or 30% when you have at your fingertips a product/engine like this. Call Carl or Jan and have em wing ya some TiD’s ASAP and 1,2,3,4,and 5 will fall into place PDQ.
John
Tell us about the products first, then the business plan.
If the cars aren’t must-have items, then all the planning in the world won’t keep this from being a Saab story.
Seriously, with gas at $3+ a gallon, please don’t try to convince us that yet another sub-20mpg SUV is really what the Saab owner is currently longing for.
More Saab/Subaru collaboration would be good though. A Saab 9-3 with the Subaru Legacy AWD and 250HP engine would be pretty sweet.
Just don’t try to convince us that FWD is really what people want. It’s not true. People want RWD or AWD.
Realize that, and your sales might pick up.
I’m still waiting to hear about a sub $25k RWD 4 seater from any part of GM.
Markus Fors
Well, what I hear gives me hope for the brand Jay. For me the brand Saab stands for Courage. Courage to be something totally different.
Courage to fly to places no one been before. In design, in construction the people of Saab baldly go where no man has been before. Of cause everything does not go well when you are breaking new grounds, but hey, what I really think differce Saab from GM is that when no one takes responsibility for failure, or when responsibility is so broadly shared that individual accountability is ignored, then failure in the automotive world becomes acceptable. This is not the case in Saab tradition and culture.
In engineering and inovations the brave people of Saab often is the first one to get a new thing out.
Saab is passion, a lot of passion. You can feel it as soon as you step into the car.
Over the past 30 years, American culture has defined courage down. Saab people have attributed courage to all manner of actions that may indeed be admirable.
SAAB’s Courage is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. And what GM has to do is to exercise it and explore it. Failure it could be if GM tries to suck the brand dry.
If you are in search for courage you don’t have to look no more.
Eduard
I am very pleased to hear you, and to know that finally there is a plan an a intense implication of GM to make Saab a competitive brand on the premium segment.
But hearing and reading about thing like the internal fight between Saab and GM and how it makes to cancel many projects during years.
the lack of leadership and how that “independent” inspiration to apply his own engineering in some issues it makes that many Saab customers(remember that Saab has one of the most loyal customers in the industry) loose this passion, when see what is happening, for example the new 9-5 or the Cadillac BLS…
15 years of transition, and now another 3-4 years, its time for results.
The big fair about Saab is if in the future the Saab cars with the common development and the unknown of how many synergies will be in the future Saab and how many of that Saab functionality, easy to use tech, aircraft heritage, turbo engines, safety and so that makes saab a Saab, will be, and also if Cadillac is becoming global thanks to Saab….overlap and sales canibalization, two words that are flying over Saab future.
I don’t understand why if Saab/GM make contracts of colaboration with Swedish institutes and take advantage of the social responsability, ecofriendly management of Saab, why Saab hasn’t more relationship with the Saab Group, the tech/aircraft company that have a division to offer the aircraft and military technology to the society and enterprises to make stronger this relationship and Saab Aircraft heritage.
Saab has many opportunities and an incredibly engineering and know how to offer to GM, but also to its customers. Also thanks to GM it has the capability to expand, for example in diesel engines.
Taking a look at this speech and the passion that it seem to be applied to Saab since many years of uncertainty it seems that finally we will se the light, but the problem is and the fair of Saab customers is how will be this light.
greetings and thanks
Barry
It would interesting to see how much Saab does or doesn’t add to GM’s profitability. The numbers are a rounding error and I would be inclined to think Saab is nothing more than a detractor from GM getting its house in order.
The comments about cockpit design and aircraft is a little humorous since that relationship was severed many years ago. I guess since Sears used to build houses, they draw their in store design from that experience.
Listen, Saab is a very unique product with niche appeal. GM has been unsuccessful at taking the brand more mainstream — in a big way — with products that have greater mass appeal. Saab is GM’s Jaguar albatross. The recent introduction of the Saab sport ute based on a Chevy is about as unSaabish as you can get. And I would bet sales will be very weak to the traditional audience where brand dilution is already taking place. So, you had better hit your mark or you’ll lose both the traditionalists and new prospects.
While the autos produced by Saab are still fine autos, you are a listless ship, nowhere near market leadership in any segment and probably a cash drain if GM could really pinpoint the true cost of Saab. GM should consider selling Saab if a buyer could be found.
BuffaloPundit
In a nutshell:
Bring. The. Diesel. Saabs. To. The. USA.
Do. It. ASAP.
Fuel prices in the $3.50 range per gallon, and the introduction of low-sulfur diesel fuel by 2007 give Saab a unique opportunity for, well, uniqueness. Why leave diesel psgr vehicles in the US to Wolfsburg and D-C?
GM showed off the Opel Astra diesel-electric hybrid in Detroit in January. People gushed.
Saab (and, to a certain degree, Saturn) - GM’s “quirky” brands - are uniquely positioned to lead the diesel revolution in 2007 if they choose to do so.
Please, let us enjoy the torquey speed and fuel economy of a TiD stateside.
Ben
It’s nice to hear you speak about Saab, as its a break from the usual Cadillac, Chevy, Pontiac, etc.
But now lets talk about the CAMARO! You can only avoid us for so long!
BuffaloPundit
From Corporate Blogging to Diesel Engines
Corporations are letting their executives blog, most prominently (in my experience) GM.
I own a Saab, and Jay Spenchian, head of Saab USA, posted the “State of Saab” at GM’s FastLane Blog.
What’s so great about blogging & the internet is that …
jamie
It’s all about product Jay.
Make the right product and your plant in Trollhattan won’t be big enough to handle the demand. Saab should be manufacturing and selling 360,000 units annually.
Now if you upgraded Saab a wee bit but kept the quirkiness, and offered AWD plus extra power (V6 & V8) for America and Asia/Pacific you would get bigger results.
I recommend that GM merge Buick, Saab and Holden into a single unit producing similar vehicles on the same platforms worldwide.
9-3 and 9-5 need much refining to compete with BMW and Mercedes. That is where you should position yourself. A 9-7 is absolutely necessary.
Now as for the sport utes, I say YES to a 9-3X and a 9-5X. Oh, and let’s not forget a 9T sportscar. That completes an unbeatable line-up.
Saab in Trollhattan would have its hands full to ship all the orders for Europe and Africa. Buick could cover the Americas from Flint MI. And Holden would tackle the Asia/Pacific region from Elisabeth SA.
In all you would be looking at selling one million Saab/Buick/Holden luxury sport sedans, coupes, convertibles and sport utes annually. Everyone knows the profit margins are higher on luxury vehicles, so why not take advantage of it? Gawd knows GM needs the cash!
4wood
As a SAAB enthusiast ( I have owned two SAAB SPG’s) I am hoping that Jay will bring some of that style and performance back. SAAB were innovators…now they are copiers. It has been often said that the only true SAAB is the SPG. The rebranded Subarus and Chevrolets don’t cut it! When will GM figure it out that SAAB needs its own original product? Do they care - maybe not, but you should realize that the average SAAB buyer can remember the SPG. I sincerely doubt Jay knows what the SPG was or what it stood for - pity
Dennis Schrage
Have you ever thought about the CAMARO owners?
Patrick
I just saw the interior pics of the 9-5 refresh. So much for everything written above. They took the new corporate climate control, radio, and pasted it into the 9-5.
So much for the heritage, this thing looks awful. And so much for me aspiring to own one.
Mr. Spenchian, How can we believe a word you say when a move such as this goes against basically everything you wrote. Do that to the 9-3, and I won’t buy another one.
Some of us find the interior in the 9-3 one fo the best on the market, and what you’ve done to the 9-5 is exactly what we’re talking about. Instead of investing in a new face for the GM electronics, (leveraging) you just paste them in. Compare to the new Volvos. You won’t find the radio off the Ford Fusion in there.
andy
Good to here from you Jay. SAAB can share platforms and engines but exterior and interior design should be unique to SAAB I have owned many SAABs over the years and am about to buy the sportswagon I just hope brand dilution does not make this my last SAAB .
wildcat
When is GM going to talk about Buick? You know, the division that GM has starved for ideas, imagination, new product, and development money? Please don’t try to defend the warmed-over LaCrosse, a rebadged Rainier and Terraza, or the aging Rendezvous. What happened to that $3 billion that was supposed to fund a Buick revival?
Andy Posluszny
I wish he would’ve ended the article with, “Oh, and we aim to crush Ford’s Volvo!”
EchoVictor
Jay,
thanks for the update. I’m currently driving my first Saab, an ‘04 9-3 Linear, and I love the car as much today as the day I bought it.
I’m looking at the ‘06 models for when my lease expires and I have one big problem.
You said, “Design? The Scandinavian school of minimalism rules here. Less is more, which is an excellent fit with our progressive buyer demographic.”
If this is indeed true, then why are all the ‘06 9-3 models foisted with the button-happy radios and HVAC controls? If I could have a 9-3 SportCombi with clean simple dials and knobs, you’d have your next sale made.
Thanks,
EV
bill vankoughnet
Why is it Ok for VW to advertise “german engineering” while producing in Mexico and GM gets slammed for making a Saab in the U.S. Even GM-hating Car & Driver stated “Saab Snobs Stand Aside” Sep. 2005. The 9-7x is built on the solid, innovative GMT platform. My 04 Envoy is a fantstic vehicle. I think with its solid hydroformed frame, fuel efficient v-8 and unique Saab interior and body, the 9-7x deserves a look. I might trade the Envoy in on one in a few years. I like the european styling and suspension modifications. By the way, I bet there’s more folks of Swedish ancestry in Moraine Ohio screwing 9-7x’s together than Germans building Jettas in Mexico. I’ll take American quality and jobs any day, regardless of the badge. Anyway, can your SPG tow 3 tons? Save the miles on your classic 99 by towing it with a 9-7x. What a combo Saab enthusiasts!
Gene
I appreciate how GM is trying to expand the Saab brand to keep it relevant in today’s croweded luxury/performance market. However, I have a major issue with one of your examples of the Saab essence. Let me quote: “Performance? We don’t chase after the highest horsepower ratings in our segment. We focus on low-end torque to provide power where the customer needs it - as in city driving and overtaking.”
Is this your way of justifying putting a pushrod V8 engine in your newest product, the 9-7? The true essence of Saab performance is the high-strung, intercooled turbo 4 cylinder. The last generation 9-3 Viggen, now that was a true Saab. There is absolutely nothing unique or individual or Saab-like about focusing “on low-end torque to provide power where the customer needs it …” You could just as easily be describing a Chevrolet, or Buick, or Saturn, etc.
If you really want to avoid dumbing down Saab into just another sport-luxury brand, lose the pushrod engines and the “low-end torque” statements, and keep the turbos coming. Your passionate, highly educated, individualistic Saab customers can’t be fooled.
CodyS
Saab is a class act. Please don’t ***k it up by crossbreeding it with a Holden or some other non-descript line to save a few bucks.
Eric van Spelde
Jay,
To be bluntly honest, I feel that thwe remark of you seeming to be reading the 1992 Saab 9000 sales brochure out loud here is about spot on. Current Saab product either is the antithesis of the brand values in too many respects to list (9-7X) or just doesn’t stand out enough in any of the ‘key points’ listed (9-3. 9-5; I hope you’ll forgive me if I disregard the 9-2X here becuse as far as I see, there are no real future plans revolving around it).
The crux of the matter is, that what Saab needs patently is not a raft of ill thought out additions to the range in order to enter new segments, but world-beating products in its key segments. And this where ever since the heydays of the marque in the ’80s with the classic 900 turbo and the 9000 range, Saab has been stumbling.
Look, for instance, at the 9-3. At last, a Saab that handles, or that’s what we thought back in 2002 when it was introduced. We kuindly oversaw the fact that it was basically a 3-series lookalike where previous iterations at least carved their own market niche by being somewhat distinctive, and hoped for the best.
Shame the steering is lifeless, the low speed composure could bear some improvement and the interior quality NEEDS improvement ASAP. For the first three years, in a market dominated by diesels. we Europeans had to make do with the unrefined Opel 2.2 engine of mediocre performance before finally, it got the Fiat/Alfa JTD engines (AFTER the Opels got them). Problem is, its competitors aready offer diesel engines with 185-200 hp and 400+ Nm, at the same price level as the 150 hp Saab version.
It also took THREE years for Saab to put the Sport Estate version into production. OK, well, a good opportunity for a mid-term facelift to give the 9-3 series a most needed refreshment, given that it slowly seemed to be sinking inmidst of intense competition, and to upgrade the interior. Did they? Of course not…
The less said about the (lack of) development within the eight year old 9-5 range, the btter. I’m sceptical at least about the 2006 version, which is no more than a somewhat radical facelift at heart, being able to breathe some life in a model that’s been basically dead in the water for a few years now.
I could go on and on - the development and product planning of Saabs core model ranges since 1994 has been an endless stream of missed opportunities - apart from the underdeveloped and ill-fated Viggen, we haven’t seen anything remotely geared to cater for the crowd demanding excellent dynamics and driver appeal from a practical, everyday useable and classy package - a market segment saab practically invented with the original Turbo and that nowadays, the German premium marques seem to have all for themselves through their own subsidiaries (BMW Motorsport, quattro GMBH, AMG). The ‘Americanized’ V6 9-3 Aero (a six pot spoiling the balance of a compact FWD saloon whilst delivering no more power than the four cylinder units Saab has had for years - good show, GM!) misses the mark by a country mile. Give us hardcore driving dynamics, a driver (pilot?)-focused car so that get valuable column inches in publications like [i]Evo[i] and TV coverage in the hands of The Stig on BBC’s [i]Top Gear[/i] and Saab might get some brand awareness back again instead of having to compete against Opel, VW and Toyota.
Focus is what Saab needs. Twenty years ago, Saab products where different from anything else on the road, whilst being able to compete to BMW, Audi, Jaguar et al on thier own terms. The price tags were lofty - but they always are when a rare combination of individuality and ability is on offer, and no one seems to mind. Excellence is not achieved with dividing an already barely sufficient prodcut development budget over a multitude of models - hence Saab should concentrate on their core model ranges again.
The chance Saab has lies in the focus of its brand values - ‘jet fighter for the road’ just about covers it. Ultimate dynamics and ergonomics in a rugged, practical, ‘engineered’ rather than styled package is where it’s at. The only thing needed is one outstanding product to deliver on the brand’s promise.
Eric van Spelde
Oh - and another thing: TECHNOLOGY. Saab was a technology leader during the ’80s as a small, independent company, yet as part of the world’s largest automotive conglomerate (still) it trails behind its premium brand competitors, and partly behind European bread and butter makes.
Saab lead the way for forced induction on petrol engines. But exactly now where this is getting relevant, other brands have taken the gauntlet by combining turbo’s with direct fuel injection, supercharging or both (VW 1.4 TSI engine). Saab engines should have had direct petrol injection and variable valve/lift timing strategies by now, as shown in the SCC concept of several years ago.
Saab had a HUGE chance to become engine technology leaders again with the Saab Variable Compression engine that Per Gillbrand dreamed up and brought to an (almost) production rife stage, yet it was shelved by GM, citing ‘the corporate powertrain strategy was geared towards Displacement on Demand’. All good and well when applied to 5.7 litre Yank V8’s (which don’t get particularly efficient with it, either) but somewhat useless as a tdchology for engines that have no more than four cylinders and roughly two liters displacement anyways, wouldn’t you agree?
And that’s just talking about engines. Overall, whilst a 1980 Saab Trubo was in a different galaxy from say, an Opel Ascona, there’s nothing really to positively identify a 2005 Saab as a premium product against an Opel Vectra. In a market driven by innovation from VAG, BMW and Mercedes, that’s never going to be good enough.
GM has often thought it could get away with offering ‘premium’ products from humdrum ingredients and origins. Invariably, the marketplace has proven them wrong. Isn’t it time you folks either concede you don’t do a very good job at making and marketing premium cars (as opposed to trucks) for a global market and pass Saab (what’s left of it, which is barely any more than a nameplate and totally GM-ified production facilities that aren’t worth a lot to anyone else) to more deserving hands, or go to town at achieving excellence with exciting and desirable product that I wouldn’t have to make excuses for when put against a BMW, and gives me a compelling reason to buy *instead* of one by way of originality/authenticity?
Craig
Jay,
I hate to be negative but I see no good reason to buy a Saab (anymore). The 9-5 is painfully out of date. The 9-3 can be readily duplicated by the G6/Epsilons. The 92x is a cute little car for the under $20k crowd. The 9-7? Why pay for that when the Buick is “on sale” regularly?? If Saab is to compete, they need fresh innovative new products that are priced where their GM counerparts are priced. THis brand is really a diluted mess. GM should save the Saab money, sell the brand and put it all on Saturn. This would be more bang for the buck. I have driven every Saab since 1994 and have never been impressed enough to even lease one. This is bad! The last true Saab was the mid 1990’s 9000.
Gordon
To someone at GM,
I’m sorry to say, but it appears that Saab’s name as “…GM’s only European premium brand…” is being used to make a quick buck without regard for the future. I am not saying that the current lineup is not “okay”. It’s just that everything GM is doing with Saab smells like “Cimarron” to those of us over 35/40 yrs of age.
Can someone answer me this?
What’s up with the lack of fuel effecient naturally aspirated/90 horsepower per litre 6 and 8 cylinder engines for the current Saab 9-5. Where is the awd option? Didn’t they have the foresight to know that this portion of the marketplace would expect these things in the 21st century?
Are we to believe GM doesn’t have the resources to prepare a 9-5 for both the North American and European markets? Everything about this situation seems to have been poorly thought out. I’m mean come on, a tiny turbocharged 4 cylinder (working its ass off) to power a potential 5-series, A6, S80, RL, competitor? So what…is this car equiped as such just to proove they can do it with a turbo 4?
The “…distinctive interpretation of a premium European vehicle…” should have appeared when the current 9-3 premiered a couple of years ago. I mean common, get real. Is this more of that “hatchbacks don’t sell in North America” nonsense?
B******T! Or is that BLS (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. By the way, don’t bring the BLS to North America unless you can give it a proper Cadillac CTS, STS, or 16 Concept roofline. It’s all about the C pillar…)
Who cares if it’s a hatchback, coupe, sedan or wagon? An ugly design is an ugly design, NO MATTER WHAT BODY CONFIGURATION!!!
Uh, yeah, hatchbacks don’t sell. Definately…they are NOT DESIRABLE?!
I mean really, everyone really hated the Volvo P1800…didn’t they?
Hatchbacks are not wanted by North Americans. You mean like the Mazda 3 Sportback?
Won’t sell like what…the numerous leather lined 9000 Turbos that I’d seen flying around Toronto in the 80’s?
Oh yeah, no one wanted to be seen nor enjoyed driving the last generation Honda CRX Si. I can’t imagine why a hatchback would become a cult car.
I’m sure no one wants to be seen in the “cheap” and “downmarket” Nissan 350Z hatchback.
Gee whiz, what do you imagine Porsche is going to do with all those decidedly downmarket “hatchback” Caymans cluttering up their dealer lots?
True or False. Volvo and Audi made a mistake by designing and marketing gorgeous station wagons in the mid to late `80’s…
Look at late `80’s/early `90’s Toyota Celicas and tell me that hatchbacks have “no appeal” when compared to a coupe.
And now, because of someone’s lack of vision (or sense) they bring a “hatchback” 9-3 to the marketplace as a “me too” wagon in a segment Saab already owned. All this after lowering public perception of the “premium” 9-3 by blabbing all over town that the same bones underpin the most vulgar (common) Chevy/Pontiac.
Ever notice how all those supposedly “redundant” end of line Oldsmobile products still look good after all these years? So what, they couldn’t have worked the bugs out of the (Cadillac) Oldsmoblile’s small 8 cylinder and put it in a version of the 9-5?
What is going on with GM? Who is resposible for killing Cadillac’s momentum with that pathetic looking DTS? Fire the person responsible! After looking at the stunning Cadillac 16 concept again, the DTS looks even worse. (I’m not even going to comment on that PT Cruiser Clone).
GM (aside of the CTS, SRX,XLR, and Solstice/Sky twins) isn’t doing much to inspire my confidence.
I hope something happens for them soon. IT’S NOT LIKE THEY DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET IT TOGETHER…
…and that’s what makes all of this so very frustrating.
Waiting to come home,
Gordon
weirving
bill vankoughnet wrote:
“Why is it Ok for VW to advertise “german engineering” while producing in Mexico and GM gets slammed for making a Saab in the U.S.”
I don’t have any problem with the idea of Saabs built in the U.S.A. But the comparison is false. Here is why. VW is building, in a long-established, recently renovated VW plant in Puebla, Mexico, German-engineered Jettas, New Beetles and Golfs for the North American market. Regardless of who is doing the screwing and the gluing, Volkswagens still look and drive like German cars - like Volkswagens - with their unique identity and character intact.
But Saab 9-3’s are just rebadged and tweaked GM corporate Epsilon bodies, the same used for the Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6, Opel Vectra and Saturn Aura. Saab grilles and floor-mounted ignitions notwithstanding, these are NOT Saabs.
The 9-7X is just a GMT-360 - the self-same GM uses for the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Chevrolet SSR, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender. It doesn’t even use a Saab engine, but instead the venerable and ubiquitous GM small-block V-8.
And the 9-2 is not a Saab nor even a GM rebadge, but a SUBARU IMPREZA! GM tried to disguise its origins, but they didn’t try very hard. I easily recognize that distinctly Asian-looking roofline and the typically lumpish and cancerous growth on the hood that Subaru likes to call a hood scoop. It may be a good car, maybe - as one poster implied - the best Subaru Impreza yet, but it is NOT a Saab.
It may be true, as Jay Spenchian says, that “Saab’s long-term viability is dependent on GM ownership for investment in new products and marketing resources.” Translation: Saab needed GM’s deep pockets to keep afloat.
But in return for their continued survival, Saab made a pact with the devil - they sold their soul. In the past, the British industry did the same. Honda started selling cars in Britain with the “Triumph” badge. Yes, it kept the Triumph name alive a little longer as an automaker, but the Brits were not fooled, or impressed, by rebadged Honda Civics with Triumph grilles and badges. Imagine! Triumphs which didn’t drip oil! Triumphs with electrics that worked - bye-bye to “The Prince of Darkness!” These were likely the best cars to ever wear the Triumph logo. But Triumphs these were NOT! The name said, “Steak and Kidney Pie,” but get into the car and what you got was “Sushi and Miso soup.”
I like sushi and miso just fine, I just don’t like things that pretend to be what they aren’t.
Some product yahoo decided that Saab needed an SUV, despite the fact that SUVs, at their base, are totally anti-Saab. IF a free and independent Saab had decided to build a SUV, theirs would have been a very different type of SUV than anything else in its class, very much like the VW Touareg is, in its very Germanic way, a unique interpretation of the genre - very unlike anything else on the market. A true Saab SUV, like this VW Touareg, would be an iconoclast, a proud niche product for people who otherwise wouldn’t be caught DEAD in a SUV.
But the Saab 9-7x is (YAWN!!) nothing but a rehash stamped from an American mold. To extend the food metaphor, the name and grille say “Lefsa and Lutefisk, but what you really have here is “Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie.” American SUVs are fine, if you like crude, blunt instruments that are overweight, overpriced, under-engineered and profligate rolling ingots. But this kind of product is not something Saab - of its own free will - would ever have built.
The name “SAAB” is an acronym, which stands for “Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget” - or “Swedish Airplane Company.” The significance of the name is in the aeronautical influence informing all true Saab products from their very first automotive venture onward. Long before it was the norm, Saab employed aircraft-style unitized monocoque contruction. Now, most all cars use this type of construction and even some trucks, like the new and highly praised Honda Highlander. But in the late 1940’s Saab was way ahead of their time.
Any chimpanzee can make a car stiff and strong by putting lots of excess metal into it. But Saabs have always been very strong as well as very light weight cars. Saab was pioneering finite element modeling back when GM cars were about bank-vault doors, stovebolt sixes, perimeter frames and oxcart springs.
And with all this heritage of aircraft-inspired, forward-thinking engineering, we now have this ladder-framed, solid-axled, Chevy-small-block-powered, wheeled blunderbuss masquerading as a Saab while shamelessly doing “fuel bongs” between gas stops. The gullible may be fooled, but I know a Chevy Trailblazer in drag when I see one. And if I really wanted a Chevy Trailblazer, I would just buy one. There is such a thing as product integrity. To be blunt, I’ll take a real Chevy over a phony Saab.
If GM was sincere about allowing Saab to retain their “Saab-ness,” and it was determined that the market really needed a Saab SUV, GM would have given them the serious cash necessary and turned the “trolls” of Trollhaten loose to develop the unique and special product the 9-7x could have been. But trotting out this rebadged Chevy, just so Saab dealers could say they sell an SUV, is just a callow, lame and cynical marketing ploy. Face it. Saab is (or at least WAS) a technology-driven company. GM is a MARKETING-driven one. Saab and GM are just not a natural fit.
If you really want to help Saab, and you really want Saab to help YOU, just let Saab be Saab. Think of them as a technology think-tank, not a profit center. YOU just write the checks and leave them alone so you can reap the technological fruits later on.
As it is going now, you are RUINING a once-great car company. Like Apple Computer in the PC world, Saab’s footprint on the world auto industry has been greatly out of proportion to its small market share.
[Here is an example of GM blowing a chance to reap some technology benefit from Saab. The new Pontiac Solstice is lugging around over 2800 pounds with a paltry (by sports car standards) 177 horsepower, 166 lb/ft of torque from a goosed and juiced 2.4 liter Ecotec - a SATURN motor! In a sports car? Meanwhile, in the Saab inventory is a refined and just FABULOUS 2.3 liter turbo with 250 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque! And all of this lag-free power and torque are available from just 1900 RPM. This engine BEGS to be in a car like the Solstice and the Solstice BEGS for a motor like this. But it seems GM never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity...]
Anthony Frausto
Jay,
I like very much what you said, but I just don’t understand how the new 9-5 interior got in there. I was so dissappointed. I was expecting something like my 9-3 interior — which is really great! The new 9-5 looks like parts from another car, and one hardly Scandinavian at that.
Look! I don’t care if you use platform XYZ, but any SAAB I buy absolutely must hold together and feel integral to the brand. You just can’t mix parts like that in a visiable way and expect to fool your highly educated SAAB customer base.
Tim
Jay,
How come we can’t use our GM Card points on a new Saab?
Since Saab is part of the GM family I don’t understand why I can’t use GM points.
-Tim
Chris
I agree with the sentiment that weirving was traying to convey. Though I feel i must point out that the Highlander is actually a Toyota, and Honda shared platforms (not bodies) with Rover group, and most of the current MG and Rover cars are based on those old Honda platforms. Though only the early Rover 75, known here in the states as the Sterling 875, were sold with honda engines. The rest got the venerable old Rover K series four cylinder engines.
The 9-3 is I think the closest to what it would have been if SAAB could have developed the car on it’s own. Though they would all have een hatchbacks with turbo four cylinder engines in true Saab fashion. The V6 might work in the larger 9-5, but it has no place in the smaller Saab.
What really worries me is the lack of direction that most of GM has in the US. There was once a division, once an independant car company with a long history that was coming in to a new rennisance. It’s products were actually what people wanted to buy. Bold, different, but not ugly to most eyes. Yes, they used corporate engines and platforms, but that didn’t mean people didn’t want them. This division had found it’s direction and was moving forward decisivly. Sales were higher than they had been in quite a while for them. Life was looking good. Then they were delivered the news that they would soon be no more. They were the oldest nameplate of any american car company. for 100 years their name had been on a variety of cars. some were awesome, some weren’t all that great, but it was a storied history. Nobody outside of GM really knows why Oldsmobile was killed at the beginning of it’s well deserved resurgence. I’m not even sure most people inside GM know why. It was a mistake though, and one that GM needs to be very careful not to make again. Saab has it’s own colorful history. They need to be able to Use the recources at GM to design their own vehicles. The 9-3 is a good example of what can be done. It feels like a Saab when you drive it, and most people would never guess that it shares it’s basic platform with lesser cars. So please, give control of Saab back to the people in Sweeden, and let the people who know Saab best make the decisions on what will or will not be the next car to wear the nameplate.
Mats
I am a SAAB driver. I have a company car, a SAAB 9-5 estate 2.0t. A fairly OK car. I could carry 2 golf bags (like in a BMW 3-series) and I don’t even play golf. Otherwise it is a great long distance cruiser. But what I fear nowadays is that the guys at GM will eventually f-k up the brand with some stupid badge-engineering. To make a Saabaru or to make the TrailBlazer in some transvestite SAAB will not be the future. Look at Vauxhall. It is just a badged Opel. I will never drive anything like that. So I have to say, like a lot of other SAAB drivers probably, rest in peace SAAB spirit. I will never drive a Saabized Opel.
Mark
That’s really great news to hear Jay. But after being a Saab owner for a very long time. Having my first Saab being the first year for the 900 convertible and also I purchased one of the first 1986 production cars of the 9000 series hatchback. Why don’t you put more into supporting your current Saab owners? I currently have a 9-3 and I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I feel when I need service support from my local dealer. I would go to another dealer but there isn’t one close to me. So please strengthen your dealer support and extend you warranty because BMW keeps looking better every time I visit my local Saab dealer.
felipe
Saab here is a reasonable suggestion, how about you attempt to reach the public with something new,and fresh; an afforadable rear-wheel-drive coupe/hatchback.
Mazda attempted this with the new Kabura concept they presented at the Detroit Auto show, an affordable RWD car aimed toward the younger generation to compete with Scion, and the response they recieved was better than expected. When that car or future cars based on the Kabura are released into the market it will be the only affordable RWD coupe/hatch on the market. No competition. When buyers are looking at the different classes of cars mazda will have a class no other manufactuer will offer.
Here is your key to success:
Lightweight, affordable, rwd
coupe/hatchback (hatchback 3 doors) aimed toward the younger car buyers.
Why is it the key to your success?
Because to make a practical rwd hatchback/coupe is hard, and the harder the struggle the better the reward. No one will be able to argue with results.
Mark S.
Hi Jay, thanks for the feedback. I’m a long term Saab enthusiast who’s still (or at least REALLY trying to be)optimistic about the future of Saab. I’ve driven “classic” 900’s for the past 18 years and just recently purchased a 9-3, which is also a sensational car. I must say that the original 900 (and the 99) had all of the qualities that made Saab really special. The driving position. The spacious cabin (behind that curved windscreen). The no nonsense and functional ergonomics. The high quality feel of the switches, steering wheel, etc. And those seats…God I miss those seats! Not to mention the handling, versatility, and the exterior style. One of the most attractive/distinctive Saab design cues was the “inset” a-pillar. As you will recall, the hood wrapped around the a-pillars in one unbroken plane, which some might say gave the cars a more “aeronautic” appearance. It’s a shame that aspect of Saab design has been lost…it really gave the 900 a unique and attractive appearance. Of course there is much more than just that (safety, handling, functionality, durability), but my point is that all you need to know about the Saab identity is righ in those designs, and I’m begging you to revisit them, and to take them to the next level! We Saab loyalists have had our hearts broken repeatedly in recent years, with the passing of some exciting design concepts from Saab, Sweden (the 9-X, 9-3X). Please…no more experiments like the 9-2X (I hear people using the term “Saaburu” and it just kills me). You may have picked up a few customers with the 9-2X on the low end, but how do you measure the damage done to Saabs brand image, or the number of potential buyers who drove right past their local Saab dealership as a result, right over to Audi or BMW? While I don’t agree with it, there is a growing perception out there which views Audi and BMW as the only “uncompromising” European brands left (apart from Porsche perhaps). Saab has so much to offer…as long as the homogenization process stops. Thanks for listening Jay!
Mark
John
Jay,
I’m not sure if you read this page or not, but I feel I can offer a unique perspective in this discussion. I am not a long time SAAB owner (I just purchased my first SAAB in 05 a 9-5 Aero wagon) and I am probably very young for a SAAB owner at 28.
What drew me to the brand was how different and individual everything about the brand is. The four cyl. turbo that has the power of a six, the torque, the key placement between the seats, the incredibly comfortable seats, great ergonomics, folding cupholder, even how the air vents are positioned with a knob is completely different than almost anything out there, and in most cases better. Most people are just sheep who will follow the heard, but SAAB owners are different and like it that way. Unfortunately I see this individuality of the brand being lost.
No one is fooled that the 9-7x is a trailblazer, the 9-2x interior is not up to SAAB standards, and sadly some interior pieces in the 06 9-5 are straight out of a Chevy HHR (the stereo head unit). Even someone who is new to the brand realizes that SAAB needs to be different, and diluting the brand with GM product badge jobs will not cut it.
As someone who has the potential to purchase many more vehicles in my lifetime I truly hope that a SAAB will remain a SAAB and I will be a happy owner of one for a very long time.
RDW
I would first like to start out by saying that I have never owned a Saab, and that I’m a little skeptical with regard to ‘The State of Saab’ address given by Jay Spenchian.
As an under-funded 29 year old graduate student, I hope that I get the chance to own a Saab 9-5 in the near future. However, I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to experience the true “Saab-ness” that so many longtime, loyal owners reminisce about.
Recent updates to the overall interior and exterior of the 2006 9-5 leave me with a not-so positive impression. (Was a Chevy HHR/Impala radio unit the best you could find for use in a Saab?!?) I am hopeful that when the 9-5 gets a full-revamp in the next year or two, that it reconnect to its original Scandinavian heritage.
So Jay, if you’re listening: PLEASE DIG DEEP into the GM money pot so that when a completely new 9-5 comes around, that it will actually be able to compete successfully against BMW, Mercedes, and Jaguar. The current version is somewhat embarrassing when compared to others premium sedans, but I’m hopeful that better things will come.
RDW - Chicago, Illinois
Travis
While Saabs attempt to woo the general public with the 9-7x and the 9-2x were understandable, Saab needs to go ahead and grasp the fact that they do not sale cars to the general public. I see that saab is aiming its new 9-5 at the BMW 5 and Audi A-8, but come on saab, get real. They buyer of a BMW 5 is not the same. Saab is not a monetary icon and we all know this. First saab needs a real into car. Ok, if platform sharing is the only way, atleast put the ignition on the floor (9-2x)! Saab people buy Saabs because they are not BMW and M-B. First Saab needs to focus in on its market and then think about designing cars.