A Quick Update from Geneva
Bob Lutz and Saab Aero X designer Anthony Lo
by Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
I had fun last night here in Geneva when Saab unveiled its new jetfighter-inspired Aero X concept car.
Many design cues of the Aero X will find their way into production in Saab’s future models. The front end, for example, or the very unique all-glass wraparound windscreen.
The media just loved it, and rightly interpreted it as a statement that GM strongly believes in a strong future for Saab.
It has taken a while, but we’re solidly on track now with a strong and extended future product portfolio for our Swedish brand. All based on GM architectures, these products will be more “Saab” than ever before.
Today, the show goes on with the new Opel GT, a close relative of Saturn’s new SKY which will be exported from the U.S. to Europe, and the world premiere of the Chevrolet Captiva, a great looking new 7-seater compact crossover SUV for international markets.
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Is This Your Next Saab?
Concept X is powered by a 400 horsepower V-6 that runs on ethanol. The interior features no conventional switchgear. Instead of the usual buttons and rocker switches, the Concept X displays all control functions behind glass acrylic “clear zones” wit…
The Captiva interior is amazing.. The dashboard looks inviting to touch. In other words.. it does not look like plastic.
Bring some of that here.
Great move Bob!
I really like the front end and I hope we will see that on the next gen Saabs. It is very very important that Saabs have AWD or RWD to be competitive. I think the current FWD only is one of the biggest issues hurting Saab today. If its AWD make sure it a state of the art AWD system will electronic differential controls and that the handling is neutral to rear biased. I like current Saab interiors but they need to be brightened up a bit with some metal accents or black laquer and some extra colour as well. I like the home stero look myself. If there is any wood options, make sure its real wood. I hope the great Saab seats continue. Lets see a solid turbo diesal that makes it to NA. Looks like a great start.
Looks desirable. The details like the headlamps, the wheels and the interior dashboard lines are very DESIRABLE. Cut and paste some of these features onto currnent Saabs would add some much-needed caché to the brand.
Also, kudos for the Aero X web site. It’s the best GM web site I’ve ever seen and is up to par with some of your competitors’
Yahoo!
Finally Saab returns to life. I am really glad to hear that you are reinventing the wheel here.
Keep Saab forever SAAB.
It’s the uniqueness and individuality that counts bigtime with this brand.
Keep building them in Trollhattan.
We don’t want Opel-aabs or Saab-illacs thankyou.
FWD
AWD
Turbocharged 4’s, 6’s & 8’s!!!
5 doors please! (or 3 door hatchbacks)
Make a personal statement; buy a Saab.
Saab’s volume is so low it is almost a pimple. And the management of the brand has been truly Americanized. You tried the same thing that Ford tried with Jag. Increase the volume by slapping a Saab name on an American platform. The SUV gonna turn a profit? Worth the resource investment? Are you even selling more than a few hundred a month?
Great concepts but you are still way too slow to monetize these ideas. You know Bob, last year you had an Opel diesel/hybrid on the show car circuit. Where is it? In production? It was beautifully designed and functional. In America whe get garbage because we have different tastes. But, indeed our tastes are for German and Japanese cars. Design is international in appeal. We don’t want Lucernes, G6s, Lacrosses, Malibus, Azteks and Impalas. We want Solstices, Escalades, V-Series Cadillacs, Corvettes and similarly successful foreign cars in all segments.
I’ll say something that many people will not agree with but is very true. Toyota, Honda and Nissan are vulnerable. Are they great companies with great product and great management? Better on all fronts than GM by any measure. Fact.
Another fact. The auto industry is one of the most conservative industries on the globe. And product innovation is nearly nonexistent. I mean true innovation. Risk would be rewarded with bold, innovative solutions and bold, innovative designs. The whole “hole” of opportunity is so big you could drive a Mack truck through it. But, GM is the laggard in every sense of the word. You have a tremendous opportunity but your organization is so paralyzing that you end up with the same ole same ole.
If the best you can do is an Impala or a Lucerne or a Malibu, you just are not trying hard enough. It’s gut check time.
Its cool that you’re releasing a new Opel GT. I used to have a 1970 Opel GT, which with the addition of sway bars, Koni shocks, and wider wheels and tires made a great little sports car for autocrosses. You brought back some great memories with that bit of news.
Mr. Lutz
Why not make the product more international? I know that the GTO was an attempt, and honestly having driven one, it was a good one, but why not bring some of the smaller european cars into the USA and some of the US cars there? I ask this because GM has some really great and relevant product that we don’t see. Saab is a niche market car, always was, it didn’t take to the GM’ing well because the customers are a breed unto themselves. We need to have B segment cars now, not in 3 years. Look at the Fit, the Scion, The Versa…all B segment cars that GM does very well in europe with…small diesels, c’mon, stop emphasizing the dino utes and bring what you have to the table, change the view of the buyer with these great products! Vauxhall, Opel…there are some great cars there!! look at the vx220, perhaps one of the best sports cars ever!, yet you guys don’t sell themm here. The holden line, there is your rwd, so what if it is RHD, GM is a huge company and it takes commitment to change, I don’t see that. I went to buy a Solistice and the sales people were on me before I opened the door of my car in the lot! The product can be great but with the low class of the dealer body in general(not just GM, been to a domestic dealer lately? appalling) it drove me off. No way was I going to another, I bought a Toyota. I have owned GM a long time, Grand Nationals, F bodies and a few s10’s and the quality was good. Now the combination of bad press, worse dealers and knowledge of the product we could have gotten if we tried upsets me. I will give GM another try, but when the product is there. Take some of that Nascar blood money and invest in product…you are preaching to the choir with that when you could be taking Toyota and Nissan customers with the product you designed with that money. If you think that bankrolling that sport the way it has been is gaining you customers, you deserve what you get. The typical fan is a domestic traditional buyer…do a study, you will see, the days of win on sunday and sell on monday there went extinct when they made all the cars identical. I can’t tell any of them apart save their sponsors and as a bankroller, you should’t stand for that, Citibank wouldn’t.
You should build this as a halo car for Saab to show in commercials and enhance the overall image of Saab. It’s probably not practical, but it’s a thought.
You should revamp the lineup of Saab with models as innovative and creative as this. Great job on the concept, and give designer Brian Nesbitt a raise!
Congrats about the styling!
After seen the first pict on trollhattansaab.net, i was rather disappointed, just the look of a way-over-the-top designed muscle-car, but after seeing more picts and now visiting the microsite, i must admit it looks superb.
OK, deja-vu, that’s what i tought already before, when the 9X and the 9-3X came on show. Sadly those never came in to production. Now potential saab-drivers must hear the same, no production plans. If it’s just ment as a prototype to give styling elements for later saab-models it’s a loss of energy, in my opinion. Well if it’s ment to give a ‘halo’-effect for the existing saab-range, it should not be restricted to a prototype (and if 2 extra seats are added and even power is restricted to a sensible 200hp people would actually by, well, i would consider one).
I’m in shock. The Aero-X is absolutely stunning. You must build it and you must sell it for under 40k. I’ll buy one for sure. That instrument panel, gear shift, and other interior features are amazing. Amazingly beautiful. You blew me away with the solstice, but knocked me over with this. Build it. It doesn’t even need 400 HP when it looks like that.
The question I have is this: I am sure the Saab is important, but you have displayed the most beautiful Chevrolet sedan in Geneva, and yet seemingly withour fanfair to the US market. WHY? Autobuffs follow these shows,etc. yet the public are unaware of future offerings – you need to make aware and even show peoduction dates when some of these cars will appear. I could go on and on about my feelings as to the failures of the past – that is not important as we look to the future – Get this vehicle in production – post haste!
Good Vibrations
Bob Lutz is taller than Anthony Lo. That’s the main thing we learn in today’s Fastlane blog entry. Okay, that’s a little unkind – GM’s apparently behind Saab 110% and the Aero-X has arrived to save the world too, but the photo of Bob and An…
Bob, I would really like to see a vehicle like this be a halo for Saab… people would stop wondering what direction Saab is going with such a vehicle… it makes a bold presence, while I feel it could fetch a 60-70 thousand price tag with the 400 hp you speak of. I really enjoy the wrap around front glass…
Although its a long shot I hope much of this concept can make production with other models…
7 passanger SUV for international markets? The reason mini-vans and SUVs are popular is this. Family of 4, 2 kids -have friends, friends call and need a favor pick up my 2 kids after school will ya? Mom plus 2 kids plus 2 friends, all four kids are under the age of 10 so, they can’t sit in the front seat. What are you going to drive? Come on GM think about the real world. Build good looking, flexable cars that seat 7 or 8 people. That’s why I have a Honda Odyssey and am looking at the Volvo xc90 or new Audi Q7.
EMPOWERMENT
Bob said that the most influential aspect of automotive design is management. In other words, if management says K-car you get K-car. If management says “look, you do what do, just give me the best you got.” Well you get…
Camaro, HHR, Solstice, Opel GT, Aura, Enclave, Escalade, H3, Aero X and Efigy.
Now is anybody else seeing a pattern here? I am seeing a pattern of greatness.
That’s why I don’t care what GM design looked like the last century.
What I see is an unmistakable invisible corporate hand that gets cars like the Efigy and Aero X. Two cars as different as night and day, yet from the same company.
Now somebody is still going to be complaining about yesterday but I see a new design era of independant, intelligent, distinct, brand identifying design coming.
This is why GM design is working now, it’s called empowerment. Each designer, each studio, each brand is free to explore their heritage, soul and direction because the corporate hand of management is invisible.
Therein is the lesson. Big management never works, think of FEMA. Nobody is empowered. Organization too big. No singluar mission. Red tape. Who do I ask I am not in charge of that. Wait I gotta ask the person in charge. FEMA lost its power under the strong hand of management.
But the strongest management hand is an invisible one.
That is why GM’s management team will prove to be successful.
The pattern I see in all these vehicles is the invisible hand of Lutz,
No if’s and’s or butz.
(It does sound like I work for GM doesn’t it?)
Bob you got a photo shoot with GQ in an hour, they said bring the Efigy.
I rescheduled Cigar Aficionado.
I notice that only the complimentary comments were allowed here, I mean anyone who visits here really care about GM, why delete these who give genuine feedback to GM?
I’m a former BMW 3-series owner, and a long time GM fan. I definitely agree w/Talonsaab about making Saabs RWD/AWD. I love the current 9-3 for the style and size of the car, as well as a very nice interior design that doesn’t look like every other car on the road. But FWD has no place in a car that has performance or sporting intentions! Make the next 9-3 the same size, with a good V6 turbo, and RWD or AWD, and give BMW and Audi a run for their money!
I’ve been dreaming of a SAAB with styling as beautiful and modern as this for a long time, well done. Let Mr. Lo do a large four door/estate for your sigma platform and you’ve got a serious infiniti Lexus Acura fighter. With SAAB and CTS paying for Sigma maybe you could convince GM that it’s time for a real S-class, 7-Series platform for GM, a platform that must be far more advanced than a fancy australian piece. Flagship Cadillacs, Buicks, and SAABs must have an architecture that can compete with an S-Class with Active Body Control in terms of ride and handling. You should design this car to incorporate your dual mode hybrid system and a V8 with Active Fuel Management for the Buick and a V12 for the Cadillac. Hybrid tech and a V12 mated together in a flasgship Cadillac styled by Kip Wasenko (just tell him to blend the Cien and a Sixteen together)and you’d have a true S550 competitor. A platform of this calibur would provide GM with Buicks that would rival the LS430 and SC430 and Cadillacs that would rival the S-Class, 7-Series, A8L, 6-Series, Jag XJ8L and XK and even new Aston Martins and Bentleys. Perhaps a shortened version for the Cadillac and Buick coupes and cabriolets would provide SAAB a sedan to go against the 750i, XJ, and A8.
Could you design this car to later on accomodate and unveil hydrogen fuel cell technology for GM? Just a thought that might help create buzz for these cars.
I know I’m preaching to the Choir here Bob but America needs to build a car that the world truly respects and oohs and aaahs at and nothing Sigma or Zeta based will do that. Thanks for all your hard work at America’s greatest car company and have a great time in Geneva! -Tom
P.S. Tell Anthony Lo and Kip Wasenko to make their doors slide forward and aft and your engineers to make it happen on production models. GM would at least be known for puting an end to the unnecessary twisting and bending of our bodies and blood boiling door dings.
>>All based on GM architectures, these products will be more “Saab” than ever before.
Huh?
Top-line Opels are (to put it mildy) mid-range products. Giving them GM’s notorious “Cimarron treatment” will not transform Opels into “more SAAB than ever before.”
I’m not one of those “a real SAAB has to have a hatchback and key in the console” guys, but c’mon, peddling an Opel as a SAAB – which theoretically is supposed to compete with Volvo and BMW – would be like, well, bolting a SAAB grill on a Chevy and trying to peddle it as a competitor with XC90’s and X5’s. Oh wait, you guys did that …
Methinks that this illustrates the real problem with GM. Uninformed and unsophisticated buyers might be fooled into purchasing an “SAOpel” after being told it is “more SAAB than ever before.” Sophisticated buyers will not. And therein lies the crux – obviously GM designs its products for the unsophisticated and gullible.
Unfortunately for GM, thanks to Consumer Reports and the internet, the number of unsophisticated and gullible consumers keeps shrinking.
Whatever you do with Saab Bob, do not forget two things.. that a Saab must have. Including a 9-7X Saab
A turbo and AWD..
Why AWD?.. to take Subaru head on and to counter Audi.
Why Turbo? Because its a Saab!
Hey Mr. Lutz! When are you going to show Buick as much respect as you do to Saab? You remember Buick, one of the cornerstones of GM… until the corporation harvested Buick’s profit year after year, but ignored giving it much product investment.
How about these rankings? 2005 J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Study: 4. Buick; 5. Cadillac; 10. Hummer; 13. GMC; 20. Chevrolet; 23. Pontiac; 27. Saab; 28. Saturn
2005 J.D. Power and Associates’ Vehicle Dependability Study: 4. Buick; 5. Cadillac; 13. Chevrolet; 15. Saturn; 16. Oldsmobile; 17. GMC; 18. Pontiac
2005 J.D. Power and Associates’ Sales Satisfaction Index: 3. Buick; 5. Cadillac; 9. Saturn; 13. GMC; 15. Chevrolet; 16. Pontiac; 17. Saab; 26. Hummer
Other, trailing or yet-to-be profitable GM brands get investment, so B U I C K, a leader in quality and longtime and presently profitable brand, should be a higher priority for GM!
At last, some sense of direction for Saab. Well done.
Now, will you [i]please[/i] start driving things forward instead of waiting for the momentum created to ebb away – which is what happened with the former spate of concept cars? Time is running out and if you’re serious about the brand, you don’t want to waste any more of it.
Bob,
I agree with Barry said: Toyota and Co. are vulnerable. I saw a new Camry here in Tokyo two days ago, and my first thought was “It looks like a Hyundai”.
That tells me something.
Great work Bob. Now how about some of that high gas mileage stuff overseas showing up here?
Let’s be fair here! The Japanese automakers are the least innovative on the planet. Regenerative braking that makes hybrids possible? GM. Minivan? Chrysler. Retractable hardtop? Ford…in the 1950’s! Infrared Nightvision? GM. All things being equal, innovation is not GM’s problem. Electric starter, airbags, automatic transmission, tilt wheel, Nightvision, Onstar, power windows, etc.!
GM’s problem is in the details and in public perception. Seems to me that Mr. Lutz and his team are going after the details like interior feel, eye-catching design, quality improvement, etc. Are the changes fast enough? I hope so but I don’t know. But give credit where credit is due. Please.
Why didn’t the Malibu look like the Epica? Wow it would have been a stunner instead of a bottom feeder. The guy who styled the Epica needs a big raise, fast!
is it true?…in 08 we see a new more “merican” looking dara i say it….GTO!
all i can say is GM is certanly putting up a fight! as far as the rumors of uncertiany about the RWD version of the impala; if you do go that route and its as bold looking as the rumors suggest, media wise, hype it like the second comming of christ!
in 55 chevy virtually reinvented it self on the small block and the all new 55 chevy. if the impala goes back to it’s roots, with grand presence and style, high quality with value pricing, and practicality and performance rolled all into one, so much of what was wrong with GM will finaly be rectified, symbolicly and physically in one product!
Bob: Blogging is an interactive medium
Bob Lutz appears from Geneva today. He’s talking about the Saab Aero-X. Fine. But, almost two weeks ago, he reached out to the readers of this post to ask for suggestions about how GM could communicate better with the market:…but
Bravo mon cher Bob (je sais que vous parlez tr√®s bien le fran√ßais), but I will write this in English in case others on this blog are interested. Although I appreciate the gesture and the positive buzz this striking concept will provide for Saab – which has produced the only cars worthy of my attention and ownership for the last 20 years – but this is not going to save Saab. I am sure you guys know how the 9-5, the flagship of the brand, no less, has grown long in the tooth. Saab is in the very same situation it was in 1999 – 2001 when the 9-5 was driving sales and 9-3 sales fell next to nothing because the car was so old. Now we have the opposite and don’t give me any bs about the revamped 2006 9-5. I just hope you are buying time for a good reason. IE, build a true Merc- BMW – Volvo – Audi – Infinity – Lexus beater. Let’s hope the next Epsilon platform will (finally) deliver the goods and the next 9-5 will not be overweight as some are already impliing. Mind you, if the extra weight is needed to continue building one of the safest cars on the road (one of the industries’ best kept secret and shame on you for that), go for it ! The next 9-5 simply needs to be a better 9-5, c’est √† dire, safe, comfortable, practical, economical, powerful and fun to drive. If you needed to shop for a family car, you would realize how such a car is rare, even on today’s market – I did hear good words from you a few years back on the Aero which you were driving back then – and by the way, it has to be more reliable. To drift briefly on your previous blog on how to improve perception of GM cars (and I hope you pass this one on to Jay Spenchian), you could start by a very simple and inexpensive gesture as far as Saab is concerned. Offer free replacement to all Saab owners of the worn out Saab logos on every Saab out there. What a bad message you are sending out when every Saab which are approximately more than three years old, wear battered logos. Merci and keep up the good work, although you have to speed up the process because as we all know, specially on Wall Street, at this rate, GM is going to run out of cash soon. By the way, the new animated transformer TV adds for Chevrolet, broadcasted in Canada, are very dynamic and catchy. Good work IMHO.
To Steve Jobs…..
Only complimentary? Have you read any of the blogs here? Most of the posts are critical. Just go back to the last one by Lutz “Stop Me if You Heard This Before….
The Aero X is fantastic, although a little underpowered. I’d like mine with a 650 horse option!
Bob, great job on the Saab. On the new CTS make sure it has direct injection engines,E85,and the 2.8L 400HP engine from the saab aero x could not hurt. The CTS should have the best GM engines. The 260hp engine thats in the Opel GT,Saturn Sky must be in the CTS and should also be in the Hummer H3. All of the Hummers,Saabs, and Cads should have E85,direct injection, and six or more speed trans.
What did I tell you about Buick?
You know GM can end all of this struggle and hardship before this decade is out.
GM can get to the top of the automotive near luxury, family segment and add a million high profit family sedans to its sales in a relatively short period of time.
How do you do it?
You let Buick design a sedan that benchmarks its most successful style and design heritage from its best years. Build the best Buick high roof sedan ever.
Benchmark meaning don’t skimp on the height of the roof, seat, floor, hood or trunk. Use the exact measurments from the most beautiful Buicks anywhere from the 20’s to the 50’s. You know when Buick was the #3 automaker?
I think we are closer. We see the Efigy, HHR and Imperial which point to consumer interest in heritage. We see the crossover market explode which points to consumer’s interest in utility, height and spaciousness.
Now we have the people in place that might just have gutz enouph to try it.
I will bet anybody that a high roof Buick sedan done right is the missing pillar that can hold up GM’s march to the future.
There is a pent up demand for high comfortable and stylish heritage vehicles in the Buick size and price range.
The family car industry; the whole car industry in America is out of joint until we all sit down in Buick class and learn again to do the family sedan right.
If we forgot what great cars look like lets go to Cuba
One thing I would like to say about things I have heard in the media and in blogs (esspecially this one) is waaayyy high expectations! Come on people! GM will not, as would not Ford, DCX, Porsche, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, or Honda, GIVE AWAY PRODUCTS.
For example, the “build the Aero X….for under $40,000! I would just like to have some of the people sit down and think about what they write and what a reasonable expectation is for any company, and strongly consider what the competition offers, and is considering doing in the future before writing crap like this.
Also, consider this. If you want a lower price point you are going to have to settle for a little less. No company can sell gold at a silver price and expect to make money. Remember, this is a discussion on how to make the company profitable again, just as much as it is a place to bounce ideas off of us.
I have no problem with most of you who are sharing what you believe are ways to dig GM out of this mess, and are voicing complaints too. GM needs to hear the bad story, too.
GM_Enthusiast
Bob,
Well done with the design.
I’m glad to hear that SAAB will get some design elements from this concept.
If it’s possible GM should see if they can make this great concept into a great halo car for SAAB. Keep up the great work showing the world that GM is here to stay.
Also I really like the look of the new chinese Buick Lacrosse ,I think it would really fly off of Buick lots if sold here in the USA.
Totally disagree with the guy who praised the Epica styling. Please do not bring that to the U.S.! It’s overall bland and the grille is terrible. I like the current Malibu much better. The mid-size market needs a GM home run to follow that base hit of the Malibu, and the Epica sure ain’t it!
Bob,
I’m going to try to be as clear and terse as possible here, as I know you are a busy guy.
I’m sorry to say this, but the greatest kindness that one human can offer to another is the truth, so I am going to be brutally honest here.
1. LED lights on the SAAB X Aero look great. Put them in ALL GM cars immediately to differentiate the brand from everyone else. Be a feature leader, not a laggard. Beat Toyota to the punch here. LED lighting in a concept car is pretty, but LED lighting in production cars is smart thinking. Customers need to see this feature in REAL cars, not just on a prototype car. Take some REAL risks in your strategy, not lame minor changes that you then herald as real changes.
2. Chevy is seen as boring in the US. There is little you can do now to change a perception that took decades to build. Chevy is boring and there is nothing you can do to change it in the timeframe needed. Unlike underlying product build quality, which can change quickly, changing customer perceptions takes time and GM does not have that luxury right now. Instead, be bold, for once please be bold….Bring the Opel logo back to the US market. New, cool looking cars should have the Opel logo on them, not the Chevy logo. I never met anyone who bought a Chevrolet because they thought the name implied fun and cool new technology. Please leverage the Opel name in the US. Chevy should be the brand of boring cars and Opel should be the new exciting side of GM. You are wasting your time trying to change people’s perception of the Chevrolet name.
3. Make small cars that look sporty. The Cobalt looks boring, just like the Cavalier and the Sunfire did. I question why GM can make nice looking and MODERN looking Vauxhall and Opel and Saab cars in Europe, but your American cars just ooze of boredom and fear of change.
4. Stop wasting time on foolish changes such as putting a GM badge on all GM cars. People don’t care. They know that their new Colbalt is a GM car and putting a little badge on it to say so is just plain wasteful and useless. How about putting some storage space on the inside roof of the cars instead…How about more real NEW and HIGHLY visible features?
Be bold Bob, please be bold. The Titantic is sinking and you and others at GM are talking about bailing it out using a tea cup or a cereal bowl.
I like you Bob, I really do. I know you are trying really hard, but being brought up in a corporate culture, you have lost touch with what REAL risk-reward is all about. Its not about winning industry awards, its about making cars that catch people’s eye, that are fun to drive and that offer real technology features that your competitors don’t have….
You have such a gem with Opel (yes-pun intended) Be bold, bring it back to the US. You don’t need multi million market studies that take 3 years to complete to tell you what to do. You are the leader, people put you there for a reason, because you can lead! You have the power to make bold moves and right now that is the only way that GM will survive.
Nick
cow@chartermi.net
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It may still be platform sharing but, now the Motor Trends of the world will write that the new Chevy, Pontiac, Saturn, etc. are built off of the SAAB (perception). And more sharing should be done with Cadillac not the others. People who shop for SAAB’s high end vehicles cross shop them with Audis, BMWs and Benzs.
I am a 3x SAAb owner so, I know you want to know what we think. I love it. I think the outside holes for the grill are too small but, i would buy any SAAB with that front.
***But, here’s my problem:
I am a GM lover since I was 12 (I am 34) and was glad(unlike too many SAAB lovers)when SAAB was bought out. GM saved SAAb from certain death but, I think it may still die with what is being done. Stop treating SAAB like an after-thought. If you are going to platform-share, let SAAB’s model be first to be released. You are fighting preception here. Yes Toyota releases the Camry then the Lexus ES but they are top dog right now. You can’t have a “premium” car built from a regular car but, you can have a premium car that filters down technology and build quality.
Also if GM really cares for SAAB then let this be SAAB’s Evoq, Solstice, Sky, or Camaro… build it!
dummy it down to a BMW 6 class level but price it just below; BMW has the advantage right now to justify their price.
Imagine people saying, “it looks better than the BMW and it handles just as well and it costs less.”
PLEASE JUST BUILD THE CAR(I guarantee you at least one sale – me
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“Uninformed and unsophisticated buyers might be fooled into purchasing an “SAOpel” after being told it is “more SAAB than ever before.” Sophisticated buyers will not”.
Hey,Tom. Which sophisticated buyers were you referring to ? Would that be the same ones who buy a Toyota when they slap a Lexus tag and some fake wood on them ?
Barry,
Those in awe of all that’s Japanese should take the time read this fascinating article. It might change your perspective.
http://www.iankitching.me.uk/articles/japanyes-3rd.html
CVH said…”7 passanger SUV for international markets? The reason mini-vans and SUVs are popular is this. Family of 4, 2 kids -have friends, friends call and need a favor pick up my 2 kids after school will ya? Mom plus 2 kids plus 2 friends, all four kids are under the age of 10 so, they can’t sit in the front seat. What are you going to drive? Come on GM think about the real world. Build good looking, flexable cars that seat 7 or 8 people. That’s why I have a Honda Odyssey and am looking at the Volvo xc90 or new Audi Q7.”
Have you heard of the Cadillac SRX?
YTD sales figures on many of GM’s models was up from 2005. Maybe some of America is starting to wake up.
For now, the key to selling cars is to make the best looking ones! You can’t change the perception of quality overnight, but you can get more traffic in the showrooms with great looking cars.
I don’t want to sound cynical, but haven’t we seen enough amazing prototypes from GM?
I mean, anyone in the world can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a prototype car that promises to be THE MUST HAVE CAR in the future.
Making promises and prototypes are easy.
Getting benchmark cars on sale at GM dealerships is the tricky part.
Don’t promise us the future, provide us the now.
And a Solstice XL that we larger framed types could fit into wouldn’t hurt either.
David,
You won’t see that Chevy in the US. Chevy has been tapped as an international brand. The cars shown in Europe will never see the US and won’t be built in the US.
We have different tastes. We like Cimmarons, Azteks, Chevettes, LeSabres, Fleetwoods, Malibus and Grand Prixs. Or so I’m told
Bob,
I really like & respect you – Perhaps the Greatest Car Guy that Ever Lived!
GM’s vehicles have taken a 180 degree turn for the better since you’ve joined them. Continue to do what you can to cut through the red tape to bring bold, unique, class-leading designs to every GM product.
That will sell and leave the import-loving media with their shoes in their mouths.
I own a 1983 Buick LeSabre. In my opinion, that car has the nicest interior that GM ever built, right next to the Lucerne. The generous use of wood trim is beautiful!
RIP Saab :’(
A genuinely different, innovative and counter-cultural auto maker has been lost. I was an optimist to begin with. I even shrugged off that SUV you chucked out for the US market. But now I know for sure. Saab was swallowed into a behemoth that creates the same cars with different badges. Nice concept, Bob. But with a bit of aesthetic switches it could have been a concept of any of your ‘brands’. A concept isn’t going to save Saab. A commitment to allowing a Swedish subsiduary of GM to design and produce vehicles of their own just might. The accountants won’t like it, but the folks aren’t going to buy ‘em if they know they’re just badge engineered Opels/Chevrolets/etc.
The twentieth century was the era of the product: more innovation, more availability and more variety. Now we live in the post-globalization era of the brand. Q. How do you devalue a brand? By refering to it as a brand and not a product. People buy products, not brands. Brand association is a worthless measure… I associate with my car because I’ll be driving it for ten years.
The day Saab died was the day it stopping being a car company and started being a brand. We don’t want marketing and branding, we want cars that offer choice and variety. And by choice and variety I mean different cars produced by different people in different countries. Changing the colour of the grille and renaming it the 2007 model is not enough to arouse interest.
I drive a 1993 Saab 900. Arguably the beginning of the end; a Saab based on an Opel platform. I only bought it second hand (for about GBP¬£600) because I couldn’t afford an older ‘real’ Saab. Yes, it’s practically a Vectra, and yes, it wasn’t 100% Trollhatten. But I look at that car parked next to other 1993 vehicles and just cry… it’s the last cry of a dying company. It doesn’t just look different, it is different. You can’t compare it to any other contemporary cars because no-one sold a sporty, compact luxury fastback.
Less than twenty years ago there was a group of people who designed cars not because they thought people would like them, but because they believed that what they were making was better than anything else. Putting the ignition by the gearstick wasn’t a way of telling people the car was a Saab… it was a way of saving someone from being knee-capped in a heavy front on collision, and a way of deadlocking the transmission when the car was parked.
Is there better proof that bigger isn’t better? Size will be GM’s downfall. Buying up auto companies doesn’t increase revenue, it decreases it. Shaving economies left right and centre by sharing parts and development reduces variety and therefore desirability. Last year you re-launched Chevrolet in the UK. Except everyone here knows they’re new models of older Daewoo products. Chevrolaewoos.
Conclusion of this rant? Downsize. Spin off (and maybe sell) the companies that aren’t working for you. Go into any bar in Sweden and you’ll find another twenty people ready to tell you how to build a Saab.
I’ll drive my Saab until the day it falls apart. And when it does, I’ll buy a car, not a GM ‘brand’.
*j*
Mr. Lutz:
AutoWeek quoted you that there will be a new car called the Buick Statesman. Can you re-think that name? Use Buick’s heritage as a plus! Why not call it Invicta or Roadmaster or Wildcat, or even Velite? But not Statesman (ZZZZ! It’s not a political message, and the cold war is over! ZZZZ-!)
Geneva 2007: Saab Aero X Concept
With its Live Green Go Yellow campaign well underway here in the States, I wondered how GM would market its new “green” campaign in Europe.
Well, now we know. However, in the case of the Saab Aero X Concept, maybe they should change the slogan to …
Dear Mr. Lutz,
like I already wrote to Your representatives in Europe, I once more would like to suggest urgently the sale of Opel-vehicles in North-America. Referring to the latest surveys, in the meanwhile Opel is Germany’s number one, as far as quality is concerned. Many Americans You’ll never prevent from buying European (especially German) cars, for different reasons. Consequently there is no need to leave that market-share to Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes or Audi. I could imagine You are not ready to increase the number of Your car-brands within the US-market. In this case You could consider to replace Saturn by Opel. As I heard several times at a visit in Florida last year, the reputation of Saturn isn’t that strong anyway. Contrary to this Opel has a more than 100 years old history as one of the world’s most traditional carmakers.
Last but not least Opel-vehicles in general are very fuel-efficient, what should be an additional key to success. In my opinion the start of Opel-sales in America even could improve the ranking of this brand within Europe.
I think, You shouldn’t miss those great chances for GM and Opel, either. At least You should start an attempt. Thank You for paying attention.
Thanks for deciding to build the new Camaro and GTO in the USA! I realize it’s the exchange rates that caused this decision rather than any enthusiasm for making iconic American cars in America, but still, it’s exciting.
Any news on when they’ll actually be available?
Any plans to move the Zeta program over to the states to show that it’s the focus of GM’s future?
The “AERO X” is a very nice concept car! By the way, Mr. Lutz it’s been quite a long time that I haven’t heard anymore about the “XV8″ powertrain. What’s the latest on that powertrain?
good
just Stunning!
Bob,
If you want to knock out the foreign competition, just build something for uppermiddle class males who are 5′10″ and who are turned on by Civics and Accord which get high feature media bias, and half truth add campaigns, these cars are light weight, with over rated hp, and make wind up car noises like whizz and whirr that sound like a kitchen appliances. Put little jelly bean headlights on them and line the tail lights with some of that cheap Japanese white plastic around the edges. These are the cars that the media say people want.
Bob,
I love Saabs. I own two now and have owned others in the past but …my heart sank when I saw the Aero X. Not because it’s not stunning – which it is – but because it makes abundantly clear that Saab has no idea where it’s going right now. When did Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or closer to home Cadillac show a car that didn’t have some basis on a future production car? In this case is it blue sky thinking or a complete lack of direction? And that old fighter-jet chestnut has been visited a few times too many. As a fighter-jet pilot Bob you know its wearing thin by now.
Even Volvo shows concepts and then builds them. Of course Saab has shown concepts and with the notable exception of the 9-3 Estate they have all come to nothing for several years now.
The 9-2x and other planned Subaru based derivative are both dead now too. I for one was not outraged at those attempts and even found the 9-7 to be not too bad. I can add and subtract and understood their relevance. The Saab DNA purists need to get a life.
But now we are staring at a 9-5 that is way past its prime and a 9-3 that is a little better each year while Audi, BMW and others raise their game considerably. In fact, they are pulling away. And that depresses me. I want Saab not to be a participant, but a player.
I’m an American, living in the UK who really wants to see Saab succeed – but I have no idea where its headed. I drove a 9-3 (Fiat) diesel the other day while my 9-5 was being serviced. It felt crude and the interior plastics felt cheap. It’s wasn’t horrible, the design was okay, but it’s just really not good enough. Couple that with steep depreciation and the ownership proposition is pretty sobering.
I don’t think Saab needs an Aero X as a halo car. Maybe that’s because I know it won’t be built. But would a Saab Sonnett instead of a Vauxhall VX 220 (which used a Saab engine!) have been nice? Or a Saab version of the Solstice? You bet. And it would have made more sense than as a Vauxhall!
I really want Saab to flourish but I don’t see it. And walk through a Saab dealership; talk about low morale and real fear. Go visit them. See for yourself. An exciting concept will create a boost. But a pipeline of exciting product that will actually be built is what we all need.
It really irks me when posters lament the building of a SAAB (I am on my second) on a “GM” platform while ignoring the fact that more than 50% of Lexus’ volume comes from Camry-based vehicles (ES, RX), Volvo’s “new” V-8 is a rehashed Yamaha/Ford Taurus SHO engine, the Volvo S40 is based on the Mazda 3 platform, and Audi utilizes VW platforms and engines for such cars as the TT, A3 and A4, among others.
Cadillac should utilize only proprietary RWD architectures and engines not shared with other GM divisions. This equates them with M-B and BMW. (The BRX, is a VERY bad idea, as is the BLS. They will only dilute the brand).
SAAB and Buick should be based upon FWD platforms with AWD optional on all SAABs and standard on all Buicks. SAABs should be powered by small displacement, turbocharged versions of GM engines producing no less than 120 hp/liter (the new 2.8T with only 250 hp is a joke). Every SAAB and Cadillac engine should be equipped with direct injection. Cadillac engines must all make substantially more power than competitive engines of similar displacement. Buicks should be powered by either different displacement versions of Cadillac engines (perhaps a 4.4 liter NorthStar and a 3.2 liter DOHC V-6) or engines with the same displacement but lacking direct injection that make competitive power (275 hp in the Lucerne from a 4.6 liter V-8 when Lexus is making 300 from 4.3 in order to “protect” Cadillac is disgusting. If the Cadillac made sufficient power, the 300 hp Northstar would have been a no-brainer for the Lucerne).
A couple of other thoughts:
Move Cadillac UPMARKET, not down. Reach from the CTS (which should be a direct 3-series competitor) up the the Bentley Continental. DO NOT move down. That is what other GM divisions are for! Also, if you have to require premium fuel in Cadillacs to make real power, do it!
All SAABs must be FWD based, must have an AWD option, and must be turbocharged. How about an Astra-based 9-1, Epsilon based 9-3, 9-4 (BMW X3 competitor), 9-5, 9-6 (BMW X5 competitor), and 9-C (coupe)and a new 9-7 based on a new FWD/AWD architecture to be shared with Buick and sized to compete directly with the S-Class and 7-series. Power it with a turbocharged 4.0 liter NorthStar. If Epsilon II can not support SUV derivatives, use Theta for the 9-4 and Lambda for the 9-6.
Buick should mirror Lexus (stop comparing the Lucerne to the ES, that will never work). There should only be one version of each Buick. Drop the base versions. How about a V-8 Lucerne (LS), V-6 (DOHC) LaCrosse (GS,ES), A small Epsilon derivative to compete with the IS, and a four passenger convertible hardtop. The Enclave is very nice. I would also add a theta based SUV and a luxury minivan. And develop a cohesive design language, as Cadillac has done. Where Cadillac is all vertical and edgy, Buick should be horizontal, flowing and curvaceous.
By having so many divisions, GM can cater to the widest possible market. Don’t waste that advantage.
Mr. Lutz
I have owned several GM auto’s over the years, from Pontiac, Chevy, Saturn and Opel. I am the current owner of 2 cars a 1970 Opel GT, which I will probably never get rid of, and a Mazda 6. I see the cars that you have available in Europe, the Opel Speedster, Vectra and others in the line and would like you to produce something like that for the USA. We get Buicks – Nice boring cars. Chevy’s Nice cars – lots of cheap plastic. Pontiacs, they used to have a character and performance – now they look like someone took a piece of clay and slammed it onto the table and then rounded the corners off. Saturn, nice reliable car. That’s just it, I can get a nice car that will get me from point A to point B just about anywhere. I want something that is more than just Nice and I Don’t want landbarge handling, I want something like what I found in the Mazda 6. I gave GM first shot but the only one that looked interesting at the time was the Saturn Aura, but that one is at least a year away and it should have been in the showroom LAST YEAR.
Former GM owner
Dear Mr. Lutz,
GM is not exploiting the Saab brand cleverly enough and that is leading to low volumes and inability to cover overheads. Here’s a few volume builders to help lure those import buyers who otherwise would not consider your products.
1. Sell a lower feature content 9-3 to introduce buyers to the brand. This should be priced at $23,500 to compete with the new Passat 2.0T. I.e. eliminate leather seating, aluminum wheels, fancy stereo, auto AC and other niceties. Consider it the value model that focuses on performance value the way the 900 series used to ten years ago. The current entry model is too expensive for most potential buyers.
2.Rebrand the Cadillac SRX as a Saab SUV, not the Trailblazer. That way it is a competitive and performance oriented product to start with so that you can compete with vehicles such as the Toureag, Cayene, Lexus RX300 and Acura MDX. Buyers may buy the vehicle in Saab guise but not Cadillac.
-Paul
Ditto, but more to the point – fix the steering and the interior (especially *that* handbrake handle and the stereo) on the 9-3 NOW. It just hurts to read about the 9-3 Aero V6 having ‘the worst steering I experienced in a new car over the past ten years – vague, imprecise and with intolerable drive influences’ as the basics are there – agile, grippy FWD handling.
And don’t even TRY to saddle the next generation Epsilon platform with struts up front; all your upmarket FWD competitors -Audi, Alfa Romeo, even a humdrum Peugeot have more sophisticated solutions which allow a better balance of steering, refinement and traction – which in terms of dynamic aptitude has been Saabs downfall ever since the departure of the double unequal length wishbone layout in the classic 900.
Heck, ask Fiat if you can have the use of the Premium platform back that started as a joint GM/Fiat project under Saab’s supervision but -of course- was rejected by GM on cost grounds, if you don’t know how to figure it out yourselves. In todays, let alone tomorrows entry level executive market, you will need it!
Wow this sure rides like the wind. i can imagine my adrenalin rush if ever i get the chance to drive superfast sporty car. What a nice streamlining, it must had been designed with windtunnel simulation. Hope to see more good articles from your site.
I’m graduate in BS Computer Engineering and presently working as a Computer Instructor in the Philippines. I like to read about scientific breakthroughs. If you want to read about Alternative Fuels and Energy Conservation, feel free to visit http://greenfuelpower.blogspot.com