The Saab Stand At The Minneapolis Auto Show

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by in 2010-2019, 9-5 NG, Events

tn_9-5

Photo Credit: Matt G

Saab History frequenter, Matt G in Minnesota, managed to attend the Minneapolis Auto show recently where he took some good photos and provided us with a summary of his experience.

SAAB had an awesome floor spot – right at the main entrance when people walked in – you couldn’t miss them. The people at the booth were very nice.

I asked if they could open up the 9-5 or the 9-3X and unfortunately they could not. They said the 9-3X would be available later this spring and the 9-5 this summer.

The 9-5 in person is an awesome looking vehicle. Even my fiance said it was one of the best looking cars at the show. The interior looks really high-end in person. Even though I couldn’t get inside, I got the feeling that it has a real premium, high-quality feel, a big step up from the current 9-5. All in all, I was really impressed with their display, it was one of the nicest, if not the nicest, at the show.

The people seemed excited for the future, that’s for sure. BMW was not there, which was a surprise.

For more photos click here.

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3 Responses to “The Saab Stand At The Minneapolis Auto Show”

  1. Sten Helling

    15. Mar, 2010

    Great looking display….why does Saab Automobile, I assume they set the rule, have the cars locked. The purpose of showing your cars at an auto show, at great expense, should be to let people in to the cars, touch and feel and truly experience the machine. So you may have some scratches and stolen knobs, but it’s worth it!
    Used to have the same lock up rules at Mercedes when I joined them in 1991…..it was changed for good reasons!
    Sten Helling

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  2. Ryan

    15. Mar, 2010

    Sten,

    The cars were also locked at the Boston Auto show this December. At the show, I was told was that they were “pre-production” prototypes and therefore not entirely “finished” therefore were locked to the public & press.

    The situation Saab was in, when the auto circuit started was that, apparently there were no production ready vehicles at that time for the show circuit. In lieu of those, they provided pre-production prototypes instead.

    The idea apparently behind this was that they needed product to show, and when they mean show, they only mean from an exterior point of view with limited interior accessibility due to incompleteness as they are pre-production prototypes. They apparently did not want the press nor the public to believe what was available, would be 100% what one would be able to buy at a retail channel.

    What’s odd about the locking of the vehicles is that the press got the chance to get inside of the vehicles back in September of 2009 in Frankfurt and that was a while ago, so the same “prototype” reason couldn’t be valid if they allowed it at that show, but not at other shows. This was way before the U.S. auto show circuit, so clearly those vehicles were pre-production vehicles too, but perhaps the ones for that show had some more “work” done to them inside so that they would be more show ready?

    If that was the case in September at the Frankfurt show, then why didn’t Saab finish the pre-production vehicles for the U.S. auto show circuit as well? That would have been a good idea because most consumers are interested in more than just curb appeal, as that can be done online with photographs. It’s a different experience to get behind the wheel.

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    01. Apr, 2010

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