Saab History

Site Sponsor New Salem Saab of Albany, New York has recently received their first 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero with XWD in “Snow Silver”. A thank you to New Salem Saab for providing some wonderful photos to share Saab History!

I would be curious just how noticeable the driving differences would be with the Saab 9-3 Aero that comes with Cross-Wheel drive in comparison to the Saab 9-3 Turbo-X that also comes with Cross-Wheel Drive. Will Saab Automobile have an Aero-XWD on hand during the Turbo-X Test drive in Boston, Massachusetts later this month for a side-by-side comparison as well?

If you find yourself near Albany, New York, stop by and let them know you are interested in test driving the Aero XWD. We would both be interested in your immediate thoughts!

To find out more information on Cross Wheel Drive “XWD”, check out New Salem Saab’s information sheet and downloadable official Saab Automobile XWD brochure in PDF!

I leave you with a brief introduction on XWD:

The Saab 9-3 XWD has arrived and is ready for test flights.

Just like Turbocharging was the next best step for the 4-Cylinder Engine. XWD is the next step for All-wheel drive. Saab’s exclusive cross-wheel drive takes advantage of already installed sensors used for Anti-lock Braking (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), and Traction Control and adds Electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD) in the rear end to give the car the utmost in traction flexibility. Able to instantly transfer up to 85% torque to one wheel, this is a fully dynamic system that enhances the overall performance and safety of the Saab 9-3.

This state-of-the-art system includes two innovative features: pre-emptive engagement of the rear wheels to optimize traction at take-off; and an active rear limited-slip differential (eLSD), allowing variable torque transfer between the rear wheels. This pre-emptive function is a valuable improvement in current technology, which requires the detection of wheel slip before being activated. For the driver, the enhanced functionality gives maximum traction immediately for smooth, strong acceleration from rest without the possibility of any initial hesitation.

Photo Credits: Saab Of Hunterdon

Saab History site sponsor, Saab of Hunterdon has received their first delivery of one of 600 destined for North America out of 2000 that will be built of a 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo-X.

I suspect this will be the first of many Turbo-X delieries will now begin to start showing up in the United States as time moves on.

A thank you to Saab of Hunterdon who have been happy to share with us, the photographs of this vehicle in front of their facility.

I leave you with a quote from Scot Orzillo of Saab Of Hunterdon, who sold this Turbo-X to their customer.

“We finally received the Turbo X my customer ordered during the initial order period which I think was back in November. The pictures of this car by no means do it justice. It is absolutely gorgeous.

The one pictured is a 6 speed with navigation and touring package. The customer should be taking delivery by week’s end.”

Photo Credit: JMK Saab

Saab History welcomes JMK Saab as a site sponsor! JMK Saab, located in Springfield, New Jersey has recently signed up as a site sponsor of Saab History and is automatically included in the new Site Sponsor Map Listing as well.

It is important to know that JMK Saab, was one of the top 6 GM Dealers of the Year for 2007 for all of General Motors dealerships and has also received a “Mark of Excellence” within the Saab brand. It goes to show that their sales, service, parts, customer service and just about every other facet of their organization raises the bar. Furthermore, this is not the first time JMK received this accolade, in fact, JMK SAAB was recognized as the nation’s number one SAAB dealer back in 1996!

These achievements were quite hard to obtain and we should all recognize JMK Saab for their committment to the Saab brand, their staff, and their customers for a job well done!

Some of you may recognize JMK Saab as they took the initiative to co-sponsor Saab History’s video coverage of the 9-X BioHybrid North American Launch at the New York Auto Show this past March. At this event, thanks to JMK, I managed to cover both the Saab Reflective, the interview of both Saab USA & Saab Global Presidents, Steve Shannon and Jan-Ake Jonsson as well as the group discussion with Saab’s Designer, Bryan Nesbitt.

A warm welcome to JMK Saab for signing up with Saab History as a site sponsor!

Here is a brief history of the JMK Saab dealership, now celebrating their 30th Anniversary as a Saab dealer!

JMK’s beginnings date back to 1965 when they opened as an automobile body shop in Union, New Jersey. In an industry that hasn’t always enjoyed the very best reputation, JMK was committed to offering honest service and honest prices. That dedication to superior service paid off. In July, 1971, JMK became an authorized dealer of a premium German automaker and that continues until today.

SAAB became part of the JMK family in the Fall of 1978. The year 1982 also was noteworthy as the dealership moved its bodyshop operation out of the main building and opened it at another site. This move allowed JMK to enlarge the service department at its existing facility.

The growth didn’t end there. Due to increasing customer volume, the dealership expanded its showroom again in 1984. All this growth, the direct result of the original commitment to superior service that was made back in 1965, culminated in JMK becoming the nation’s top SAAB dealer. And, to our customers, we say — THANK YOU!

“Enjoy Your Flight”

JMK Saab

JMK Saab
345 Route 22 East
Springfield, NJ 07081

Phone: 888-500-9021

Web: http://www.jmksaab.com/

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Photo Credit: Saab of Hunterdon

Saab of Hunterdon, a site sponsor of Saab History, has recently taken the “Born From Jets” ad slogan to a whole new meaning by showcasing a SAAB JA37 VIGGEN fighter jet for service in their “hangar”.

This goes to show you that Saab of Hunterdon’s service department has more than enough training to work on their jets on the ground, they are now reaching to new heights by servicing those jets in the air.

If you find yourself an owner of a SAAB jet whether on the ground or in the air, and need servicing, please give them a call, I am sure they will be more than happy to take care of your SAAB service needs.

By the way, will your service department be in need of a SAAB JA37 VIGGEN Haynes workshop manual anytime soon to repair that $45 million dollar SAAB?

For more information on Saab Service at Saab of Hunterdon, please visit their website directly. http://www.hunterdonsaab.com/

Cherry Hill Saab of New Jersey, a site sponsor of Saab History, has their own Blog! They titled their blog the “Cherry Hill Classic Cars Insider”. With their recent support of Saab History they even wrote about it on their blog, how nice!

Here is their snippet in their own words:

Cherry Hill Classic Joins the Saab History Family

We are excited to annouce our sponsorship of Saabhistory.com . It is a great source of information for every Saab Owner or Enthusiast. It gives you a history of Saab Cars as well as a connection to other Saab Devotees. Learn more about Saabhistory. Enjoy

To check out their blog and subscribe to their RSS feed, please visit their blog directly here at Cherry Hill Saab Blog.

Photo Credit: Saab History (Caption: New Salem Saab, Albany, New York)

There has been a lot of dialog lately about our Saab dealerships, and even more specifically, those 235-238 Saab dealerships in the United States. Each dealership that contacts Saab History tells me that, “we’d be doing even better if we had more product to sell and not more volume on the existing model lineup, but separate and disctintive models in addition to the current lineup.”

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and, especially after reading a piece from Business Week titled “Engineering a Saab Turnaround”

I am hoping this snippet below is not a true indicator that the end of 2009 is the earliest that Saab dealerships in the United States will see a new product. I should clarify that when I mean a new product, I am not talking the XWD technology for the 2008 9-3, but a completely new product in addition to the 9-3, 9-5 (10-years) and 9-7x.

Still, the company faces an uphill battle. Economic malaise in the U.S. is only likely to continue shrinking a tightening automobile market. If the designs are a hit, the company will still have to strike a delicate balance between gaining back the trust and enthusiasm of loyalists while also expanding the nameplate with new models — something it failed to do with the 9-7X and 9-2X. And the company’s rollout plans will still leave dealers waiting for new product until the end of 2009.

So the question for you the reader is, when do you think that the new products in production form, will be in dealership showrooms that may include the Saab 9-4x BioPower, 9-X BioHybrid and new 9-5, etc?

I look forward to the results of your voting in the poll below and please feel free to post your comments in this thread to let us know why you chose what you did.

Update: Many of you have e-mailed me lately and the poll below is certainly starting to show, that you want more months to be added to the list, as if 20 months is too little timeframe for new Saabs to come to market? Why do you believe this is the case here?

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Saab History’s sponsor, Saab of Hunterdon of New Jersey, has just signed up to sponsor my filming efforts of the New York Auto Show this Tuesday & Wednesday which marks the North American premiere of the Saab 9-X BioHybrid that recently premiered at the Geneva Motor Show, back on March 3rd, 2008.

A thank you to Saab of Hunterdon’s initiative for making this happen. As a result of their sponsorship, they will be receiving high quality footage on DVD for their showroom at their Saab dealership in addition to some nice web coverage of this event as well.

Also, a congratulations to Saab of Hunterdon’s parent company, JMK Saab for ranking in as one of the Six Saab Dealerships of the year in the United States!

The following six Saab dealerships out of the 235 in the United States, recently received the “GM Dealership Of The Year” award.

These Saab dealerships are all multi-brand companies and include site sponsor, Saab of Hunterdon’s parent company, JMK Saab, Inc.

These companies met or exceeded the aforementioned criteria, that I am looking for more details on. In requesting more details, I have also posed some additional questions to the particular parties that be at GM/Saab who are responsible for this program. I look forward to their responses as well as the detailed criteria:

Here are questions I have asked in order to get more information about the “GM/Saab Dealer Of The Year Award”. I am really interested to find out more details on any “Saab specifics” when it comes to this award as it appears Saab had been running their own program for a number of years as well.

A thank you to Tracy Secco of GM/Weber Shandwick by answering the questions for me:

Question 1) How long has the GM Dealer of the Year award been running?

Answer:

Question: 7) Are there any other details that the Saab community should know about the GM dealer of the year award that are specific for the Saab brand?

Answer:

The Saab brand team could speak more in-depth to these 5 Saab Dealers specifically.

But from an overall program standpoint, Dealers who achieve the Jack Smith Leadership Award often share common traits:

–To reach this high level of sales, they are extremely dedicated to their business and to their customers

–They are leaders, innovators and highly drive professionals in all areas of their business—sales, service, parts.

–They typically have very high customer satisfaction scores, thus leading to new and return customers which helps to drive their sales numbers

–They typically are very involved in their communities, including all types of organizations, sponsorships and charities.

As of now, the only other specifics that we know about former Saab “Dealer of the Year” program prior to the GM program of 2002, are thsoe included in a promotional video done in Finland in 1984. Those native Finnish speakers may hold a key to some more historical knowledge about this program, so please chime in with any particulars so we can begin to learn more about this program, it’s history and it’s importance to the Saab dealership network.

I leave you with shortened version of this promotional video for your viewing pleasure, and congratulations to the Saab dealerships that have won this award!

I hope Saab can make an updated version of this film, it is getting a bit “dated” looking.

Image Credit: GM

Out of the 235 Saab Dealerships in the United States, six Saab dealerships received the “GM Dealer of The Year” award. from General Motors on the following criteria:

* Dealership (BAC) must meet or exceed all Divisional qualifiers;

* SEI, CSI, RSI, GM Training/ STS Certification.

* Dealerships (BAC) are stack-ranked by unit sales, by Region and by Division.

* Top Dealerships (BAC) in each region and Division earn the GM Dealer of the Year honor.

I will be getting more detailed information in the coming days, specific to the Saab dealerships involved.

Here is the press release below:

General Motors Honors Top Dealers with Jack Smith Leadership Award

New York, NY - General Motors held its annual GM Dealer Of The Year award ceremony in New York City today to present the Jack Smith Leadership Award to its top 115 dealers. Honorees were chosen from more than 6,700 GM dealers across the U.S., and exemplify the company’s dedication to exceptional sales performance and superior customer service. The Jack Smith Leadership Award, a Steuben crystal obelisk, represents excellence and high achievement.

“GM Dealer Of The Year winners deliver consistently great sales and customer service, and play an active role in the communities they serve,” said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “These elite dealers are the face of GM to thousands of our customers across the country, and we congratulate them for representing GM’s best in this, our centennial year.”

“It is important to recognize that this exceptional group of General Motors’ dealers consistently shows strong sales performance and exceptional customer service. They represent the finest aspects of American business and creativity, and serve as an example to all of us,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, GM North America.

Please visit the website directly for more information about this award: http://www.gmdealeroftheyear.com/ and click here for the Saab dealership listing.

Photo Credits: Cherry Hill Saab

Saab History Welcomes Cherry Hill Saab As Sponsor! It is interesting to note that Cherry Hill Saab began their operations when Saab-Scania at the time, offered only one model in the United States, the Saab 900 which was just shortly after Robert J. Sinclair took the corner office as President of Saab-Scania of America. A year later, APC was introduced in the 900 Turbos and then, the first convertible prototype was designed and introduced in 1983 and rest was history.

Enjoy their writeup on their company history below in their own words:

Classic Cars Auto Group started in 1978 as a family owned and operated business here in Southern New Jersey. The Saab Franchise was acquired by us in 1981. It was started in a 3500 square foot Showroom on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Over the years it grew and was moved to our current location, a state of the art facility housing both the Saab and Jaguar Franchises.

Saab has always been one of the group’s mainstays. Building on Customer Satisfaction and referrals, we are now known as the place in the Tri-state area to come for a Saab. We have grown with the Saab Company here in the United States, and offer Sales, Service, and Collision Services.

Our Saab Trained Sales Staff has over 100 years experience in the Automotive Business and will strive to assist you in getting the car that “fits”. They will listen to you. Not only what options and colors you want, but also what your needs are. They will suggest the best vehicle for you. Then they will work with you to tailor a payment option that makes sense. We stock more than 80 Saabs, so that you have a full array of choices, all available for immediate delivery.

After you take delivery, that’s when we really go to work. Our service staff can assist you with your every need, whether it is a question about the functionality of your car, a scheduled maintenance, or a major repair. We offer a comfortable waiting area with WI FI Connectivity, wide-screen Television and even a Cappuccino Machine. If you need to be somewhere we also have a shuttle service, or can arrange for a car for you to drive while your car is being repaired.

We welcome everyone into our family. As a member, feel free to call for advice, talk about your current car or perhaps discuss the purchase or lease of a New or Pre-Owned Vehicle. Or stop by, we would by happy to see you in person and try to help. You’ll find that Cherry Hill Classic Cars is truly a unique car ownership experience. Our enthusiasm for both the Saab product and our customers makes us the Number One place to do business.

Cherry Hill Classic Cars
2000 Route 70 East
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Phone: 1-888-CLASSIC / (800) 280-3370

Fax: 856-424-2057

http://www.cherryhillsaab.com

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