Saab is back...ish
Discussion
Article said:
The carmaker will restart production of its 9-3 sedan model at its Trollhattan factory in western Sweden.
The firm will initially make a petrol-powered version of the car with the aim of launching an electric version later.
However, Mr Oestlund said that initial production would be modest.
"We don't want to make promises or forecasts we don't know we can fulfil," he said.
"We are humble and say we'll start the production volume with low figures and be able to increase over time according to the market's demand."
LinkThe firm will initially make a petrol-powered version of the car with the aim of launching an electric version later.
However, Mr Oestlund said that initial production would be modest.
"We don't want to make promises or forecasts we don't know we can fulfil," he said.
"We are humble and say we'll start the production volume with low figures and be able to increase over time according to the market's demand."
joebongo said:
Make it rwd and return to aeronautic influence in cockpit design and user interface and they will have a winner.
Keep it as a GM clone fwd box and it will do a Rover I fear.
Saabs have always been front wheel drive though.Keep it as a GM clone fwd box and it will do a Rover I fear.
The engine they used was a derivation of the Triumph 4 cylinder.
I can't say that a Vectra based car has me reaching for the cheque book. Surely the 9-5 at a bargain price was a better bet?
joebongo said:
Make it rwd and return to aeronautic influence in cockpit design and user interface and they will have a winner.
Keep it as a GM clone fwd box and it will do a Rover I fear.
Is FWD or RWD better in snow?Keep it as a GM clone fwd box and it will do a Rover I fear.
wikipedia guess how many pages mention FWD or RWD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile
LuS1fer said:
Saabs have always been front wheel drive though.
The engine they used was a derivation of the Triumph 4 cylinder.
I can't say that a Vectra based car has me reaching for the cheque book. Surely the 9-5 at a bargain price was a better bet?
Although it was a Triumph design, Saab actually used the engine first, which was a surprise to me and phased out in 1981 by SaabThe engine they used was a derivation of the Triumph 4 cylinder.
I can't say that a Vectra based car has me reaching for the cheque book. Surely the 9-5 at a bargain price was a better bet?
to quote Ed Abbott..."The old ‘9-5’, whilst claimed by many pundits to be ‘all GM’, was infact 90% Saab and the 10% that was originally GM was subsequently modified by Saab to be unique to Saab." I( don't think the current 9-3s have anything to connect them with the Vectra
Hmm not convinced
As already suggested there wasn't a lot special about the 9-3 GM derivative, the 2nd gen roots being in 2002 I believe.
From a cynical standpoint, If I owned a 9-3 now I'd be perhaps more concerned that this could be a parts bin assembly exercise that could cause issues with spares availability. Bit like MG, the thought of flogging a dead horse comes to mind.
As already suggested there wasn't a lot special about the 9-3 GM derivative, the 2nd gen roots being in 2002 I believe.
From a cynical standpoint, If I owned a 9-3 now I'd be perhaps more concerned that this could be a parts bin assembly exercise that could cause issues with spares availability. Bit like MG, the thought of flogging a dead horse comes to mind.
dave7692 said:
Glad to see them back but surely in terms of something that will get the revenue rolling in regularly again they'd be best off starting with a Diesel?
I know its boring but at the moment its what sells, especially to the sort of target market the 9-3 would appeal to.
From what I've read they have a large batch of the petrol engines that have been sitting around. The diesel would require sorting out a supply. Also, these cars are for China and Sweden. I don't know about China but in Sweden diesel/petrol is more like 60/40 than the 95/5 balance in the UK, so it isn't such a big deal. The problem isn't the engine, it's that it isn't cheap enough; it's ~£27k according to Teknikens Värld, which makes it more expensive than a Volvo V40.I know its boring but at the moment its what sells, especially to the sort of target market the 9-3 would appeal to.
AnorakUK said:
Poorly managed brand breathing its last. Let it die with what dignity it has left instead of becoming a national joke
The MG of today is simply a brand name, owned by a very different company to the one that produced the original cars. Has the Saab brand name been bought by the Chinese to apply to a new range of cars?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff