“SAVE SAAB” campaigns are growing around the world at a rapid pace following the kick-off event in Detroit that used the original idea from our friends at the Saab Club of the Netherlands.

It looks like the over Saab Clubs worldwide are beginning to organize their own “SAVE SAAB” campaign, all on the 17th of January.

I still think we should have a global Saab club organization here between the clubs because this kind of global initiative to “SAVE SAAB” is unprecedented. However, these events will be taking place after the 15th, which means they will either be a showing of celebration or solitude.

If you are planning on having an event in your region of the world that is not listed or needs updating, please contact Saab History. If you need the “SAVE SAAB” artwork for your signs, please also let me know.

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Adelaid, Australia

Details as follows:

Date: Sunday 17th
Meeting place: IKEA (near Adelaide Airport)
Time: 10.00 am. Breakfast at IKEA
Plan: To drive from Ikea to General Motors Holden at Elizabeth.

This will be a peaceful rally to show solidarity with our overseas
counterparts and we don’t want to antagonize Holden workers, many of
whom are still working short shifts. We want to save Saab. We don’t want
to damage Holden.

More details at http://www.saabclub.org.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2513

Melbourne, Australia

The Date: 1.17.2010

Saab Club Members in Melbourne are planning on doing their own “Save Saab” convoy.

Please take a look at their website for more details:

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Bulgaria

After first advising that they wouldn’t be staging a gathering, the Saab fans in Bulgaria are now getting together on Sunday.

The administrator of the forum and founder of the club has posted a message which states that we will gather in front of the previous SAAB show room at 10:30 on Saturday the 16th. Then at 11:00 we’ll make a circle in front of the US embassy and head to the GM headquarter in Sofia. The convoy will be escorted by media representatives.

Details available here.

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Czech Republic

Prague (Czech Republic) – Saab enthusiasts will gather between 8:30 – 9:30 in front of IKEA Cerny Most. Then they will enjoy joint breakfast at the IKEA restaurant. At 11:00 the convoy will take off and will head to the center of Prague and then return back to the parking lot in front of IKEA.

Brno (Czech Republic) – Saab fans will gather between 8:30 – 9:30 in front of central IKEA. Then they will enjoy joint breakfast at the IKEA restaurant. At 11:00 the convoy will take off and will head to the city center and then return back to the parking lot in front of IKEA.

For more details, please visit this link.

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Beijing, China

Date: 1.17.2010

Approximately 50 vehicles are planned to attend this event which takes place on the 17th.

The Route: Please check the website for more details

Click here for more details:

Shanghai, China
.
Another event in China, unsure of the date.

Information is available here.

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Latvia

The Saab Club of Latvia is holding a “Save Saab” convoy.

Date: 1.17.2010

The Route: The convoy will stop at the U.S. Embassy, Riga Motor Museum and others as it attempts to attact the media.

http://www.saabclub.lv/

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The Netherlands

PRESS RELEASE

Saab Support Convoy Jan 17th, 2010, the Netherlands.

Dutch Saab-enthusiasts show Saab brand is very much alive. Saab Support Convoy intiative followed around the world.

Amsterdam, Jan 9th 2010. On January 17th 2010 over 350 Saab-owners in The Netherlands and Belgium will gather for the “Saab Support Convoy”. Within ten days, over 350 dedicated Saab drivers have joined the initiative of members of the fansite Saabforum.nl.

Even though the outcome of current negotiations is not clear, the participants of the Saab Support Convoy want to show their loyalty to the
brand and their support to employees of Saab. The initiative was quickly picked up internationally, with Saab Support Convoys now being organized in Great Britain, Sweden, Russia, Denmark and even several states in the USA.

The initiators of this event, Eric van Nimwegen and Sidney Polak, are quite amazed by the way this event has evolved. “The folks on the saabforum.nl are an enthusiastic lot, but we never could have guessed that so many of them want to make this statement,” says Eric. “It’s great to see that other countries are following our example.”

“Meanwhile, we’ve got over 35 volunteers in the organization of this event,” according to Sidney. “We want to make sure that this will be a safe and fun event, two characteristics that are usually found in Saab owners and their cars.”

The Saab Support Convoy will start from eight sublocations in the Netherlands and Belgium and gather on the Military Aviation Museum in
Soesterberg. From there on, the Convoy of 350+ Saab cars will drive to Muiden for an informal gathering.

More information about this event can be found on www.saab9k.nl/index_gb.htm and www.saabforum.nl (Dutch)

NOTE TO PRESS:
More information on www.saab9k.nl/index_gb.htm and www.twitter.com/SAABSAABSAAB
Pictures: www.pbase.com/paul_teixeira/saab (Hi-res material available on request with Lindy Dragstra).

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Norway

Date: 1.17.2010

The Norwegian Saab Turbo Club are gathering for a “SAVE SAAB” event.

For more details, please visit their club website here.

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Poland

Date: 1.17.2010

Press Release

Our plan is to gather at 11.00 o’clock on the 17th January at the parking near a Broadcasting Station in the Center of Warszawa. . At around 12.00/12.30 o’clock we will form a big Saab Convoy through the city of Warszawa, going to the USA Embassy , GM Head Quarter in Warszawa, the Swedish Embassy and ending aprox. 14 o’clock on the park lot near a TV-station. We had already contact with Polish media and hopefully the local media will be there.

You can find out more details at the Saab Club of Poland website and there is also a Facebook page for this event.

http://www.saabklub.pl/

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Ekaterinburg, Russia

Saabers of Ekaterinburg will gather on 17th at noon on Gorkogo Street to form a convoy to drive by the US Consulate.

Details available here and here.

Moscow, Russia

The Date: 1.17.2010

Russian Saab Owners 12:00 at Khodynka Airfield for meet and greet, then at about 1pm to form a convoy to drive by the US Embassy in Moscow. Discussion of the event is currently under way on Saabnet.ru Forum

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Slovakia

Bratislava

At 10:00am, Saab Enthusiasts will gather for a “SAVE SAAB” group photo in front of their dealer.

For more details, please visit this link.

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Sweden

Two Plans

Trollhattan:

Apparently at around 11am, they will arrive at the Saab Car Museum and then sometime at around 1:30pm (13:30), a huge convoy will drive around the Saab Factory, the Saab Technical Center and so forth.

Stockholm:

The run will begin with a meeting at IKEA parking in kungens kurva between 12 and 1pm. the drive will take in the Swedish parliament and GM’s Swedish headquarters.

The event website is here. http://forum.saabturboclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=272706

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Taiwan

1.10.2010

The Saab Club of Taiwan gathered this past weekend on the 10th and took some photographs. They even used the same looking signs as we had in Detroit!

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United Kingdom

Press statement Save Our Saab Support Convoy UK, 17th January 2010

Participants list: http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=51809
Individual Saab owners from various areas meet at :
· From Midlands, Northern areas –
8.30am-9.00am M1 Jct 15a – Northampton Services (Rotherthorpe)
· From London, Kent and Essex areas -
9.00am-9.30am M25 Jct 23 – South Mimms Services
· From West, South-West areas –
8.00am-8.30am M4 between Jct 12 and 11 – Reading Services
· Proceed to Luton via M1, Jct 10
· 10.00 – 11.00 – Meeting of Saab owner convoys CAR PARKING and line up of cars
· at Stockwood Park, Discovery Centre London Road LU1 4LX Luton
· 11.00 – 12.00 – Time for meet and greet, Car Show, photo shoots, etc.
· 12.00 – > – Depart of Cavalcade for Drive by to the Saab UK Headquarters,
Griffin House Osborne Road Luton Bedfordshire, LU1 3YT
· Proceed via A505 to Imperial War Museum, Duxford
· 13.00 onwards – Arrival at Duxford Museum and line-up of 50 cars
· Best examples of 62 years Saab car history in front of Wing Co Joe’s Café
· Raffle of Saab memorabilia

josephine.gatsonides@laposte.net
07738 470117
01582 894883

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United States

1.5.2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Saab Enthusiast Gathering Near GM Renn Center To Save Saab

On Thursday, January 7th, a deadline will expire and GM will ultimately need to decide the fate of Saab Automobile.

“Sell Opposed To Shutdown”. There are two known interested parties that have submitted bids to buy Saab, Spyker Cars & Merbanco.

As time is of the essence, Saab Enthusiasts have therefore decided to take an initiative by gathering near GM’s world headquarters in Detroit, in order to send a message to GM to “SELL SAAB”.

Saab owners and enthusiasts from the U.S. & Canada will gather near the GM Renaissance Center at approximately 1pm by showing their unwavering Saab spirit in lining up their Saabs, holding Signs, taking group photographs and speaking to the press about how important it is to sell Saab.

Since GM emerged from bankruptcy court this summer, they are now 60% owned by the U.S. Government. Saab owners, Saab dealers and U.S. taxpayers alike, all want to see Saab sold in order to preserve thousands of jobs and and nearly $500 million dollars from the 218 Saab dealerships, small business assets in the United States.

“If there are enough Saab owners and enthusiasts parked outside of the GM Renaissance center in Detroit, perhaps we could really show them how serious we are in wanting Saab Automobile to have a bright future and be sold.” says Ryan Emge, editor of SaabHistory.com, an independent promotional news site.

This timely event marks a final effort in the Saab Community to save a company that has historically seen the value in saving the lives of its customers.

What: Saab Enthusiast Gathering Near GM Renn Center To Save Saab

When: Meet On Tuesday, January 5th at noon. / Saab Car Gathering is at 1pm nearby. (Press To Attend)

Where: Lunch At GM Renn Cenn Food Court followed by Saab car gathering at the public lot at the corner of Atwater and St. Antoine alongside the bay behind GM Renn Center.

For more details, please visit: “SAVE SAAB” promotional coverage of event

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Times Square, New York City (NYC)

January 24th, 2010- 10am Tappan, NY
Meet @ 10am: Exit 5S of the Palisades Parkway
Leaving @ 11am to be in the middle of Times Square
@ noon.

Please join us and show your support that
The Saab Spirit still lives no matter what the final outcome of GM’s decision.

Check out the link and register @ www.saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=45392

Please e-mail: airsaab@aol.com

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Southern California

The Saab Club of Southern California are also doing a run in the United States following the kick-off event in Detroit.

Please contact: m.c.lawrence@gmail.com.