Saab History

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile Sweden

The First Saab 9-3 Turbo-X is a SportCombi as we see it rolling off of the assembly line at the Saab Factory in Trollhattan, Sweden.

A thanks goes out to Christer Nilsson of Saab Automobile Sweden. Thank you!

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile AB

Michael Mauer was born on July 28th, 1962 in the German town of Rotenburg/Fulda, but grew up in Höchenschwand, in the Black Forest. He studied automobile design from 1982 to 1986 at the Polytechnic in Pforzheim, and from there secured his first job in the Design area of Mercedes-Benz AG in Sindelfingen. In 1989 he was appointed Design Project Leader, and two years later oversaw design work for the first SLK model generation. In July 1995, the company appointed him Head of Department and entrusted him with design responsibility for the A-Class, SLK and SL models.

In 1998 Michael Mauer moved to the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Tokyo, Japan, as General Manager, and was intensively involved in advanced development work on various model lines. A year later, he was put in charge of Design at MCC Smart GmbH. This was where he met up with Anthony Lo, who together for a number of years in the Saab design center.

In June 2000 Michael Mauer took a position with Saab Automobile as Executive Director Design and worked at the Saab Design Center in Pixbo / Mölnlycke, Sweden. Since March of 2003,
Saab Automobile’s Board of Management appointed Michael Mauer as Chief Designer of Saab and Advanced Concept Center General Motors Europe.

In July of 2004, Michael Mauer left Saab Automobile and took a position with Porsche.

Since working with Saab, he was responsible for the design of the Saab 9-X, 9-3X, 9-3 Sport Hatch, concept cars and the wheels for the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, the production version of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi and MY2004-2007 Saab 9-3 Convertible design, and the 9-2X.

Image Credit: Saab History

As a follow-up to the posting I made back in November of 2006 on the logo history, it is about time that I compliment this information with the following on the correct capitalization and nomenclature of the models of the Saab Automobile brand. I hope this sheds some more light in our dialog about Saabs, SAABs and all of the great products that have been developed over the years.

I have provided a fairly well written piece already done on Wikipedia that I would like to articulate if I may regarding the correct capitalization and model nomenclature as a guide.

It is my hope that as a result of this posting, others will be able to better articulate their writing and speaking when referring to all of Saab’s products from 1947 until present. I also think that this posting will help to end search criteria that is typically entered in Google as follows: (SAAB 93 XWD, SAAB 92 ABS, Saab 94 Ski Rack, 2001 SAAB 95, 1999 93, etc.) If this search criteria was taken literally, as it should as google can only do just that, we would have had Cross Wheel Drive available in the late 1950’s, ABS in the late forties, and two long production runs for the SAAB Ninety Five and Ninety Three. Let’s hope that this clarifies this naming and model nomenclature once and for all.

1947-1969 (Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 1947 and 1969, it is proper to use SAAB in all capital letters to refer to these vehicles.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and pronounced as 92 (Pronounced: Ninety Two), 92 (Pronounced: Ninety Three), 94 (Pronounced: Ninety Four), 95 (Pronounced: Ninety Five), 96 (Pronounced: Ninety Six), 97 (Pronounced: Ninety Seven)

1970-2000 (Saab-Scania)

* Note: Although the merger took place in 1990, the original products continued. (excluding NG900, 9-3 & 9-5)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 1970 and 1990, it is proper & acceptable to refer to them as Saabs in lower case letters or Saab-Scania vehicles, also in lower case letters.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and produced as 97 (Pronounced: Ninety Seven), 98 (Pronounced: Ninety Eight), 99 (Pronounced: Ninety Nine), 90 (Pronounced: Ninety), 900 (Pronounced: Nine Hundred), 9000 (Pronounced: Nine Thousand), 9-5 (Pronounced: Nine Five), NG900 (Pronounced: New Generation 900), 9-3 (Pronounced: Nine Three).

2001 - Present (Saab Automobile / General Motors)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 2001 and the Present, it is proper & acceptable to refer to them as Saab in lower case letters and/or Saab Automobile / GM vehicles.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and produced as 9-X (Pronounced: Nine X), 9-2x (Pronounced: Nine Two X), 9-3x (Pronounced: Nine Three X), 9-3 (Pronounced: Nine Three), 9-4x (Pronounced: Nine Four X), 9-5 (Pronounced: Nine Five), 9-7x (Pronounced: Nine Seven X)

I leave you with a brief summary from Saab Automobile’s entry from Wikipedia.

Saab / SAAB Correct Capitalization and Model Nomenclature:

While Saab is in fact an acronym, and, as with many other manufacturers, the word “SAAB” appears in all-capitals within the corporate emblem and in on-vehicle badging, the current correct capitalization of Saab when in print is “Saab,” and not “SAAB.”[citation needed] Other manufacturers such as Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, Acura, and Chevrolet employ the use of all-capitalized vehicle badging, but they are still considered proper names and capitalized as such when written. Likewise, Saab is treated as a proper name and not an acronym, despite its origins..”[citation needed]

Furthermore, all current Saab vehicles are badged with a large 9 and a smaller 3, 5, or 7x following the 9, such as “9³”. However, the digits are considered separate, and are spoken as, for example, “nine three,” and written as “9-3.” Nearly every Saab model ever produced has begun with the number 9 (Saab 600 being an exception), and Saab’s two models became 9-3 and 9-5 in the late 1990s, which was likely a marketing attempt at positioning the vehicles as direct competitors to the BMW 3-series and 5-series, respectively.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile

Norwegian born, Einar Johan Hareide, began with Saab as a designer in 1985 and worked until 1989 before he decided take a job with Mercedes Benz briefly, then returned to Saab in 1991 as a designer until 1994. In 1994, he was appointed design director otherwise known as chief designer until 1999. It is important to note that Hareide worked alongside Björn Envall on the new generation 900 designs (Envall-Hareide era).

Einar Hareide was also responsible for the early introduction of the 9-5 until the first modification was made in 2002, the 9-3 which was the successor to the new generation 900, as well as the 9-3 Sport Sedan designs from 2003 until 2006, and exterior design until 2007.

Today, Einar Hareide has been running his own design business focusing on a variety of industries with offices in Moss, Norway and Gothenburg, Sweden called Hareide Designmill.

Photo Credit: Hareide Designmill

Work Experience:

1994 - 1999 Chief Designer, Saab Automobile
1991 - 1994 Designer, Saab Automobile
1985 - 1989 Designer, Saab Automobile

Education:

1985 - 1986 Transport Design, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan
1981 - 1985 Master of Design, HDK Gothenburg

As a native New Englander, I can’t help but be excited that the New England Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl yet again this year this Sunday, February 3rd.

I am even more excited that the Saab brand which originally began stateside in New England, is also making two appearances during this year’s Super Bowl XLII. The reach of having visibility in the Super Bowl is great, so this is a good start. I wonder if Saab Automobile USA will also be doing their own television ads as well? This would be a great opportunity to showcase the aforementioned 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo-X. How would that be for visibility?

Take a look at this press summary below and please enjoy these latest two television ads by Bridgestone that feature the 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero. Enjoy!

2008 Saab 9-3 Aero featured in Bridgestone Tire Super Bowl TV Spots

Watch for two new Bridgestone TV commercials to debut during Super Bowl XLII -Sunday, February 3rd - featuring a 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan.

The first spot, titled “The Scream,” also features a memorable cast of furry characters and will be the first commercial to air at the end of the first quarter.

The second spot, titled “Unexpected Obstacles,” takes some interesting twists and turns and features the likes of Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons. It will air in the third quarter of the game.

—

Here is the official press release from Bridgestone about these television commercials:

Halftime show and commercials will feature the Bridgestone tires

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 24, 2008) — What do Alice Cooper, Richard Simmons and an albino snake have in common? (Hint: They’re not in the latest reality show brought on by the writer’s strike in Hollywood.) They will appear together in a humorous new Bridgestone tire commercial from Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) that will debut during the FOX telecast of Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 from Glendale, Ariz.

For the first time ever, BFNT is advertising during the Super Bowl. The company will debut two 30-second commercials during Super Bowl XLII, one between the first and second quarters and one during the third quarter. The creative team needed 6,000 crew hours, 28 animals and two iconic celebrities to create humorous, compelling commercials that showcase the performance of Bridgestone tires and reinforce its key message that, “for drivers who want to get the most out of their cars… it’s Bridgestone or nothing.” The descriptions below offer a sneak peek at what viewers can expect to see from the Bridgestone commercials on Super Bowl Sunday.

“Scream”

More than 20 woodland friends exercise their lungs and count their blessings that a car passing through their home is riding on the world-class technology of Bridgestone tires.

“Unexpected Obstacles”

What happens when a fitness icon, a rock legend and his slithery companion confront a speeding car equipped with the precision technology of Bridgestone-brand tires? You’ll have to watch Super Bowl XLII to find out.

“The Super Bowl is America’s favorite sporting event with a huge television audience, so it is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness for the Bridgestone brand,” said Phil Pacsi, Vice President, North American Consumer Tire Marketing, BFNT. “These commercials use humor and surprise in a very effective way to both entertain and to showcase the performance of Bridgestone tires.”

The commercials, produced by Dallas, Texas-based The Richards Group, are just one piece of the extensive partnership between the Bridgestone brand and the NFL. The partnership also includes:

* the first “Official Tire of the NFL” designation;
* “Official Tire Sponsor” of Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLIII designation;
* title sponsorship of the Super Bowl XLII and XLIII “Bridgestone Super Bowl Halftime Show,” this year starring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers;
* strong presence at the NFL Experience, the interactive theme park in Arizona during Super Bowl week;
* designation as “Official Tire Sponsor of the Pro Bowl,” which is played the week after the Super Bowl in Hawaii; and
* Title sponsorship of the first-ever regular season NFL game played outside North America, the Bridgestone International Series, which took place in October at London’s Wembley Stadium featuring the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins.

Super Bowl XLII, to be held Feb. 3, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., will be televised by FOX. Watched by 140 million viewers in the U.S. last year, the Super Bowl is annually the nation’s highest-rated TV program and the most-watched single-day sporting event. Tampa, Fla., will host Super Bowl XLIII and that game’s “Bridgestone Super Bowl Halftime Show” in 2009.

In addition to its national partnership with the NFL, BFNT has a long tradition of high-profile sports sponsorships. For example, Bridgestone is the Official Tire of the PGA TOUR; the brand sponsors the World Golf Championships–Bridgestone Invitational played at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio; and Bridgestone is now the official tire of the GOLF CHANNEL. In motorports, Bridgestone is the official tire of the Champ Car World Series and Formula One. Firestone is the Official Tire of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race®, the IndyCar Series and IndyPro Series. BFNT also has local and regional sponsorships with properties such as the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators.

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:

Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.

Film Credit: Saab History

This evening, I covered the GM Style event. This event acts as the introduction of the 2008 North American International Auto Show and what an event it was. This celebrity & design inspired event featured music celebrities such as Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, as well as Kid Rock. If you get the chance to watch this footage of these celebrities talking, I think you will enjoy it. I was able to ask at least one question to Maroon 5 which was “If they write their music, do they think about how it would sound when driving and listening to it afterwards”? Check out their response! These celebrity discussions will be live on GM’s website shortly as a webcast, so please tune into that when you have time.

Here again is the snippet about the event:

GM Style will be held in a football field-size, climate-controlled pavilion on the Detroit River, just east of GM’s Global Headquarters at the Renaissance Center, and will be simulcast on gm.com. In addition to kicking off the world’s largest auto show, which opens to the media the following day, GM Style kicks off a series of activities, called GMnext, leading up to the start of GM’s next 100 years. The corporation turns 100 on Sept. 16, 2008.

At the GM Style Event, I managed to capture the 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo-X which was one of the vehicles showcased at the event. One thing I should point out in this video, for the first time, the Saab Turbo-X was showcased without the wheels indicated in the Turbo-X North American premiere back at the Boston Auto Show I filmed in November, why is that?

A thank you again goes to new site sponsor, Saab Colorado, Inc. of Denver, Colorado, I was able to film this and the rest of the NAIAS! Please enjoy the segment that featured the only Saab displayed amongst the other GM brand products, the 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo-X above.

It’s good to see everyone applause when the Saab Turbo-X came out onto the stage, I know I was excited!

Photo Credit: Saab History

In March of 2005, the Saab 9-3 SportCombi as it is called, not to be labeled as a “wagon”, made its first public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. This first public viewing of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi was the final production version which originally began as a concept car. By June of the same year, the Saab 9-3 SportCombi marked the four-million milestone of vehicles produced for Saab Automobile, which was celebrated at the 2005 Saab Festival in Sweden. This concept car that the SportCombi was designed from, actually debuted a whole two years earlier during the Frankfurt Auto Show in September of 2003 which is known today as the Saab 9-3 “Sport Hatch” concept. The Saab 9-3 Sport Hatch concept included many unique design elements thanks to the team of Saab designers such as Anthony Lo, Simon Padian and others whom were led by the then head of design, Michael Mauer. The execution of the Saab 9-3 Sport Hatch was also influenced by an earlier Saab concept car itself, known as the Saab 9-3X. The Saab 9-3X embodied many unique design elements but perhaps the most notable result of this design exercise was the C pillar “hockey stick” design, which became a unique design cue for the future Saab design language. This C pillar is now a recognizable design element, unique to the Saab 9-3 SportCombi.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of test driving a 2007 Saab 9-3 SportCombi 2.0T with special thanks to site sponsor, Garry Small Saab of Portland, Oregon. My test drive began as I drove out of Portland, Oregon heading North straight up the Oregon coast where some of the most demanding road conditions existed. The road conditions included rough and inconsistent pavement combined with a fierce and unyielding amount of rain that was not thought possible, having grown up in New England. Throughout this stretch of highway, the powerful Swedish developed reliable 2-liter 4-cylinder engine combined with the Saab first of an integrated turbocharger, allowed for passing questionable vehicles in the face of the torrential rain, a complete breeze and a comfortable overall experience.

When it comes to a comfortable yet extremely safe ride, there are numerous factors that influenced my decision in this regard. These factors begin immediately with how the driver (pilot) sits on the road, which is to say everything from the low center of gravity, to the proximity of the integrated equipment all within easy reach and also visibility, of not only the outside of the cabin but the inside as well. These aircraft inspired factors in the Saab 9-3 SportCombi significantly influenced my experience by stimulating many senses, physically, visually, and mentally thus enabling more confidence and coordination as an more situationally aware and connected operator of this high performance vehicle.

Piloting the SportCombi was a rewarding experience, especially from the ergonomic, two-tone leather heated seats that include larger side bolsters for comfort and stability. As a Saab enthusiast, I was especially happy to see the “SAAB” lettering embossed onto the seatback, this certainly pulled it off for me and my co-pilot. In the three hour drive, I never once had the slightest complication nor pain. Unlike earlier models from the Saab 9-3 range, these bi-level heated seats, furthered the safety argument by keeping me warm which kept me alert. It is important to know that the innovation of heated seats was first applied to automobiles in the 1972 model year by Saab Automobile. This first was actually borrowed by their aircraft subsidiary which was used as a way to keep pilots safe by keeping their blood flowing to their heart resulting in a more alert and safer pilot. Remember, these are no bum warmers, this is technology borrowed from jets that is as applicable to the safety of the driver as it is to the safety of the pilot.

Unlike the traditional design ethos of luxury carmakers, Saab Automobile continues to ensure that each and every Saab maintains a true and direct connection to the road, and that being said, the solid chassis and suspension system of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi maintained this connection. This connection between driver and the environment is so well executed that while driving the Saab 9-3 SportCombi, you actually feel like you could be driving the Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan. This utilitarian Sport Combi brings sedan-like driving characteristics without the tired traditional baggage that comes with a “wagon”.

When it comes to utility, you will find the trunk displacement at over 2,000 liters beating the competition from the likes of Subaru’s Legacy at 1,874 liters and Audi’s A4 Avant at 1,672. Just ask the new owners, Randy & Jenny Thatcher of California who took full advantage of the storage capacity of their Saab 9-3 SportCombi during their trip to IKEA this past may. I guess it makes sense that cargo capacity has always been a high priority with Saab, especially having designed, developed and manufactured three commercial aircraft over the years, the 90, 340 and 2000 respectfully. The trunk comes complete with an airplane designed handle for extra storage below. This confirms that personal storage capacity is a high priority on this aircraft inspired Saab 9-3 SportCombi.

This load lugging aerodynamic sportcombi has a friction coefficient of .33 which is not bad considering it is one hundreth higher in comparison to the first production model SAAB 92 that had .32 which was literally designed as a silhouette of an aircraft wing. This aerodynamic exterior body takes full advantage of its low drag coefficient by holding the new 2008 EPA highway mileage standards to 29 miles to the gallon. This figure is quite good considering this is a turbocharged automatic sentronic 5-speed transmission.

During some of the more treacherous roads of the test drive, I found that the ability to downshift on-demand thanks to this sentronic transmission in “manual mode” was a considerable advantage where the use of brakes was not the best option when it came to driving on washed out sections of roadway up, down and around sharp corners throughout the dense forests of the Northern Oregon coast. It is also noteworthy that the 17″ wheels that this vehicle were equipped with, which were first showcased on the 20th Anniversary 9-3 Convertible back in 2006, made a significant benefit to the safety and security of me and my passengers from the better handling characteristics I had. These wheels provided a significant difference to the driving characteristics in comparison to both my experience in the ice blue Saab 9-3 SportCombi Aero Anniversary Edition, I test drove in San Diego in February as well as the silver Saab 9-3 SportCombi 1.8t I drove in Sweden this past June while attending the 60th Anniversary Saab Festival.

Safety is ubiquitous on the Saab 9-3 SportCombi. The 9-3 SportCombi comes with driver’s, passenger’s and a complete line of side-curtain airbags as well as Saab’s innovation of their patented 2nd generation SAHR anti-whiplash head restraint system. The Insurance Instituted for Highway Safety rates the Saab 9-3 Sedan and SportCombi as “double” best pick four years in a row now, and for good reason. Take a look at how the Sport Sedan reacts in off-center frontal and side crashes in the videos I have provided back in 2004. Keep in mind the 9-3 continues the long standing tradition of the key between the seats which was pioneered as a safety innovation by Saab way back in 1969. It is extremely important to keep in mind that during most of my test drive, I encountered wash-out conditions of torrential downpours at highway speeds. These conditions are very prone to hydroplaning regardless of the type of vehicle, and the tires you are outfitted with. In a few circumstances the onboard electronic stability program that all 9-3 models are outfitted with (2003-2008), automatically corrected my driving by keeping me in control. This was Saab safety at its best.

This smaller 5-door segment model for Saab, now in it’s 4th year of production, has an easier point of entry for new buyers as opposed to larger Combi’s or “Wagons”. As it stands now, with the Saab Fly Home for the Holidays Event in the United States, you can purchase this 2007 Saab 9-3 2.0T SportCombi which comes with $4,500 Customer cash OR choose the 0% APR for certain qualified buyers. As always, Saab’s loyalty program offers $1,000 in what is called “Owner Loyalty Cash” on the purchase of this 2007 model or $500 towards the lease of a 2008 Saab 9-3 SportCombi. The Saab 9-3 SportCombi 2.0T being one trim level below the Aero model, is well positioned in terms of performance, practicality, fuel efficiency as well as price which is just over $28,000.