Saab History

I just received updated future product rollout details from an anonymous internal source today from Saab Automobile:

Here are some more elaborate details on existing as well as future product rollouts as briefly announced this past friday at the GM Press Conference.

Future Products:

Next Generation Saab 9-5

The Next Generation Saab 9-5 (saw pic, its ugly) is pushed back 3 months (until 1qtr 2010)

Saab 9-4x

The 9-4x is pushed back 12 months (until 4th qtr 2010).

Saab 9-3x

No Word Yet on the 9-3x.

———–

Existing Products:

Saab 9-5 (1998-2009)

The Saab 9-5 Griffin Edition will be the only 9-5 available for 2009

Saab 9-7x (2006-2009)

There are 260 9-7x units available in GM inventory worldwide.

Saab 9-3

The Saab 9-3 Convertible, Sport Sedan & Sport Combi will need to carry the brand in addition to the 9-3x until 2010.

At approximately 20 minutes into the General Motors today during their 3rd quarter press conference, I have found that GM will be officially delaying the launches of the next generation Saab 9-5 as well as the 9-4x until 2010. There were no other specific mentions of Saab at all, for the duration of the press conference.

However, in contrast to this official announcement, I received an unofficial announcement yesterday from Eric Geers, Director of Global Communications at Saab Automobile AB in Sweden, that the Saab 9-3X (Cross-Combi) as I am calling it, not to be confused with the 9-3X Concept back in 2002 is still on schedule.

11.6.2008

Eric Geers
Director of Global Communications
Saab Automobile AB
Trollhättan, Sweden

If we’re lucky, it now appears that the only vehicle that will be launched in 2009, may be the Saab 9-3X Cross-Combi as a continuation of the Cross-Wheel Drive (XWD) programs that are now ramping up globally.

The question is, will Saab Automobile AB and associated dealerships be able to survive with just a single model launch in the 9-3 range in 2009 along with an aging 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi & Convertible model alongside the final production years of the 9-5, 9-7x?

I leave you with their press release from the conference today, only mentioning the 9-4x in the release in comparison to mentioning both the 9-5 and 9-4x in the press conference.

GM Announces $5 billion in Additional Liquidity Enhancement Initiatives

* Operating actions announced July 15 remain on track, targeted at $10 billion in cash improvements through 2009
* Asset sales of $2-4 billion in process, including Hummer, ACDelco and Strasbourg facilities
* Additional actions targeted at further improving liquidity by $5 billion by end of 2009
o 2009 capital spending reduced by $2.5 billion; key product and technology programs on track
o Additional GMNA structural cost reductions of $1.5 billion
o Further working capital improvements of $500 million
o Further salaried employment cost reductions of $500 million
* Engaging the U.S. government to aid the domestic auto industry

Read more »

Today, Eric Geers of Saab Automobile AB, whom I’ve interviewed this past January in Detroit, has responded to my inquiry about the meetings that are taking place this week in Trollhättan, Sweden.

He has given me permission to publish his response here for us to see. While I thank him for his response, I am concerned about what he wrote in last sentence about “hoping to show some of the new products next year”. It appears to be implied that there is a chance that these new products (ie. 9-4x, 9-5 NG, and 9-3XC) won’t be shown next year, which is scary to think.

Well, there are always important meetings taking place but nothing that would stand out. Perhaps your source was referring to the GM Quarterly broadcast that is planned for tomorrow, but thats a global one that we will view here in Sweden.

Other than that we continue to focus on what we have ahead of us in terms of products and we hope to be able to show some of it next year!

Eric Geers
Director of Global Communications
Saab Automobile AB
Trollhättan, Sweden

The Saab 9-3 XC Cross-Combi as I am calling it, is supposed to be debuting sometime this fall, perhaps Paris this October, but the speculation continues. This vehicle stands out because of its underbody plastic surrounds, matt chrome trimwork underneath spoiler front & rear, new turbo-x inspired uniform alloy wheels and low profile matt chrome roof railes and raised riding height.

Since this news hit the wire about this model back on August 6th, there has been absolutely no word on this vehicle debut by Saab Automobile, and I am surprised, especially given that it was supposed to be released according to a Saab insider I talked to back in 2007, sometime during 2002, a year after Audi released their Quattro.

Given that this vehicle will be 6-years late to the game, why has it been completely secretive and significantly delayed when there is now a strong and developed competition thanks to Audi, Subaru and Volvo?

The only information I have found at this point involves a few domain names that seem to have used the nomenclature Saab 9-3x, but less not forget, this name was used back in 2002 for the concept car that debuted called the “Saab 9-3x” concept.

While the first domain expires in November of this year, the second one expires next year, so I am still uncertain if Saab 9-3x will be the name officially used based on this information.

In the meantime, Saab 9-3XC Cross-Combi will be used when referring to this raised & rugged Saab 9-3 SportCombi equipped with XWD.

WHOIS information for: saab9-3x.com:

[whois.melbourneit.com]

Domain Name………. saab9-3x.com
Creation Date…….. 2001-11-29
Registration Date…. 2001-11-29
Expiry Date………. 2008-11-29
Organisation Name…. Saab Automobile AB
Organisation Address. PO Box 1545
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. Gothenburg
Organisation Address. SE-401 50
Organisation Address. ..
Organisation Address. SWEDEN

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Photo Credit: Saab History

As a continuation of my series on “Saab Opportunities“, I have shared with you the big missed opportunity in the United States for Saab Automobile back in 2003, which was to partner with the Red Sox, but that’s now in the past.

In addition, I have also spent my own time and energy with the help of the folks at Okemo Mountain Resort in Okemo, Vermont this past March to emphasize their partnership opportunities at their resort, where Saab Automobile USA used to be a car sponsor.

This time around, while also emphasizing that critical opportunity at Okemo Mountain Resort, I am also seeing another opportunity, in addition to, with the Saab 9-3X Cross-Combi at L.L. Bean, headquarted in Freeport, Maine during a recent trip this past weekend.

This idea of mine has to do with Saab Automobile partnering with L.L. Bean as Subaru has been doing for the past 8 years, by not only making a special “L.L. Bean Edition” Saab 9-3X Cross-Combi model complete with Thule Box on top, but a full-on partnership. The timing is better than perfect, as the L.L. Bean & Subaru partnership has just ended in June this year which means they may be open to a new automobile sponsor.

Here’s some of the reasons why a partnership like this makes sense for Saab Automobile USA.

• The 9-3X Cross-Combi will be a direct competitor to the Subaru Outback AWD, which could be an easier partnership idea given L.L. Bean’s positive experiences with Subaru.
   
• The Saab 9-3X Cross-Combi has a much better system called Cross-Wheel Drive (XWD), and needs all of the exposure it can get in the home market (New England).
   
• The region in Freeport, Maine (L.L.Bean headquarters) is a major tourist attraction in the North Eastern New England region of the United States and would have a significant amount of annual traffic with numerous Saab dealerships nearby with product placement of the Saab 9-3 Cross-Combi.
   
• The “active” lifestyles in this geographic region would liken to a renewed entry to this adventurous outdoor market with a Saab that can outdo what their tired Subarus, Volvos and Audis can do, but more efficient, safer and less expensive and a lot more fun to drive!
   
• If that’s not enough, Saab used to advertise in this area during their “we don’t make compromises, we make saabs” campaign in 1991, so let’s bring Saab back, where a partnership with L.L.Bean would certainly be mutually beneficial and another logical step at renewing ties to the most signicant market in the United States.

 
Watch segments 1:24 and 3:49 to see the Saab 900 and 9000s promoted in front of the L.L. Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine in this 1991 promotional video for proof.

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Saab Automobile has been a leader in innovative thinking through their technologies ever since their early beginnings back in 1947.

Although things have been tough for them sales wise over the past few years, they will finally begin to see some strong new product introductions by the fall of 2009, but is it too late?

I want to begin with the idea of the Saab 9-1 / Saab 9-X BioHybrid because as Steve Shannon pointed out at the Saturday night dinner at the recent 2008 Saab Owners Convention, it was the first concept evidently built on a “compact premium” platform, so it can be produced as-is and is not a one-off like the prior concept cars, so why the delays and uncertainty? The need is certainly there so just build it!

Secondly, we have the Saab 9-3 XC or Cross-Combi, produced in Trollhättan, Sweden, that has been rumored to be debuting this fall as a direct competitor to the Audi Quattro, Volvo XC and Subaru Forrester. The interesting piece about this segment is that Saab should have had this back in 2002, but the project was halted due to GM at the time, stopping all product development in order to reel in costs.

The Saab 9-4x, the successor to the 9-7x, will be coming by the fall of 2009, produced in Mexico for the North American market as a cross-over as we’ve seen in the recent production photograph, very close to the concept vehicle shown in January this year, however that’s all we know at this point. I was specifically told at the 9-4x BioPower concept car’s launch in Detroit, that it will come with a turbocharged 4-cylinder and be touted as the halo vehicle for E-85 in North America. Although there’s been much speculation in the media of this vehicle coming in with a non turbo larger engine, I am optimistic that what I was told couldn’t be anything other than the truth and that we’ll see a 4-cylinder turbocharged crossover when it debuts. If anything other than that is actually produced, what’s the point, really?

Lastly, we have the new 9-5, shown as a rough design sketch also at the 2008 Saab Owners Convention, it also appears to be debuting just after the Saab 9-4x. It should be interesting to see what becomes of this launch because as old as the current 9-5 is, (10 years), this model to be produced at a GM Europe factory in Germany, must deliver as sales for the current 9-5 are totally flat. I worry that the idea of a larger premium sedan for Saab is another pointless exercise at this time as they should be focusing on smaller vehicles, which brings me to my last point.

There Saab Automobile is, with three out of four products set for launch by the fourth quarter of next year. So here’s the question, as Saab has traditionally been a company all about small “rightsized” vehicles, why wouldn’t the smaller premium compact segment be introduced prior to the 9-3 XC, 9-4X and New 9-5?

If GM is committed to seeing the Saab Automobile brand succeed, why not introduce a vehicle that is actually in demand? I question the need for more gas guzzling large vehicles such as crossovers and premium sedans.

I am also deeply concerned that these three vehicles although nice, won’t significantly contribute to turning the sales around for Saab Automobile as the 600 pound gorilla in the corner of the room (a small premium “rightsized” hatchback) would.

Having read this, what are your thoughts? I have included a poll below to see what you think Saab should focus on first, so let’s see what the results show over time.

Update: As of Saturday, September 6th, I am seeing the following votes:

I would like to ask those who have voted for the new 9-5, why did you choose this? Was it because you believe Saab really needs a new 9-5, or that you may own a 9-5 and would like to see and/or own the new version?

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The Saab 9-3x Cross-Combi, the vehicle that was significantly influenced by the design of the Saab 9-3X and Saab 9-3 Sport Hatch Concepts combined equipped with Cross-Wheel Drive, is planned to debut this fall claims Autoblog, as well as a Saab Automobile insider.

This new model launch for the Saab 9-3 range was originally planned to be produced in 2002, but as I heard from someone at Saab Automobile in Sweden, GM put a financial hold on any new product developments, effectively shelving this and other projects.

Today, GM is realizing the mistakes they made by placing this financial hold on research and development and now these projects are finally seeing the light of day, a whole five years later.

It is about time and it’s great to see, but the question is, is it too late? The Saab 9-3x Cross-Combi will be up against a model lineup that’s been around a number of years already that includes Volvo’s Cross-Country XC, Subaru’s Outback & Forrester and Audi’s Quattro Wago