Editorial Archives - Page 7 of 9

'The Deal' and the future

This is a long one….

Another week of work has begun here at Saab. Another week to be patient whilst the deals that are in the pipeline are worked out and negotiated. It’s certainly not an easy time for people here. They are anxious, for sure, but they’re still here; that’s the most important thing.

We remain in somewhat of a holding pattern at the moment. We’re waiting for The Deal. While we’re waiting for The Deal, employees are returning from their customary summer vacations, arriving at work and going about whatever business they can. The carpark here at Saab was more full this morning than at any time over the last five or so weeks, a sight that was a pleasure to see on this cool, rainy Monday.

The Deal that our executive team are currently working on is the one that will carry us through this near-term liquidity shortfall and into the future, so that we can re-start production and get back to being a car company again, which would be a nice relief from our present role as a corporate piñata.

Continue reading 'The Deal' and the future

On Saab 9-4x road tests

We’ve had a pretty good run with Saab 9-4x road tests. The 9-4x is an outstanding entry into the crossover segment for Saab and early 9-4x road tests confirmed what we thought about our new vehicle.

There have been a couple of reports in the last week, however, that are a cause for concern. The one that I’d like to respond to here is a short test from Car and Driver, which popped up on my feeds earlier today.

So how does a motoring journalist raise the hairs on the back of my neck and inspire a response article with as little as his first eleven words?

What Is It?

It’s a Cadillac SRX crossover in Swedish clothing

I’m not here to pick a fight with Car & Driver, but this opening is so formulaic and it doesn’t do justice to what’s supposed to be a review by one of America’s premier sources of automotive information.

More than that, though, it’s just plain inaccurate.

Continue reading On Saab 9-4x road tests

Yeah, I’m a believer….

There was an interesting quote in one of the Swedish newspapers today. This is just a Google translation so you’ll have to forgive me if part of the context is lost, but I believe it should come through OK.

Wickelgren says that [Saab employees’] loyalty is in a class by itself.

– They have some kind of fist in the pocket, we will take the world by surprise, just give us a chance. For many of us who do not find ourselves on the inside it’s a bit hard to understand how one can be inspired by something that obviously could have such problems.

I think he’s expressing some wonder at the resilience of Saab employees who stay with the company……. despite the precarious positions described by the news reports…… despite the problems Saab has had in the last two months making salary payments, etc.

I have a colleague here at Saab. He recently finished his studies and Saab is the one company that he had his sights set on working for. He joined the company in the midst of our current situation. Now he’s here, and he recently wrote on a Saab enthusiast site that he’s working on the new 9-3, and will continue to do so regardless of current events, until his access key doesn’t work anymore (should that ever come to pass). That’s the kind of passion that this company can inspire, and this is not an atypical example.

Continue reading Yeah, I’m a believer….

Writing of Saab’s potential

Greetings from England, where I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain annual meet. I’ll have a bunch of photos from the event in the next few days. Today, I’d like to point you towards an article that appeared in the Swedish press over the weekend.

I’d like to point out something I wrote last week in an editorial here at Inside Saab:

I still love this place and I still believe in this company. It’s exactly the same as when GM were considering shutting us down: there’s simply too much good stuff – brand, product, plant and people – for this [company] to be left to wither.

Brand, product, plant, people. To me, that’s what it all comes down to.

There are very few automotive analysts or writers willing to assess those elements of Saab’s operations in any detail. They have a tendency to skim over a few of them with a summary, essentially saying “brand=damaged and product=not enough” without looking at the whole company in any depth. The focus is purely on financials, which do have to be sorted out, no doubt. But a look beyond that would be welcome.

Discovered via SaabsUnited, I’d like to point you towards an article in Dagens Nyheter, a Swedish newspaper. In this debate article, the writer does manage to take this deeper look at Saab and expand on those four essential elements in some detail, finally saying in a Swedish newspaper some of the things that many of us who believe in Saab have been trying to promote for some time – Saab has some superb potential.

Click through and translate the full article online. If you’re familiar with the workings of this company, then I think you’ll find yourself nodding your head quite a lot.

A summary of the virtues discussed in the article:

Reach – Saab’s new deal with Pang Da has the potential – if each Pang Dab dealer sold just one car per week – to provide around half Saab’s required volume.
Technology and talent – Saab’s engineers have recently developed extraordinary tech that gives the 9-3 TTiD Griffin a full 180hp whilst keeping under the 120g/km emissions threshold. I’d like to add to that some of the technology under development and due to be seen soon: things like e-XWD and iQon. Saab also has a world-class design team led by Jason Castriota.
Partnerships – our engine partnership with BMW and vehicle development partnership with Youngman and Pang Da.
Range – Our range is bigger than it’s ever been and it’s only getting better. The cars themselves are constantly improving and the 9-5 and especially the 9-4x are getting fantastic reviews in key markets.
Brand – Our brand has taken some damage in the last few months/year, but remains very identifiable and strong. The author cites the Saab support convoys (world-wide gatherings 18 months ago when GM threatened to close Saab) as evidence of this.

There’s a lot more to the article, too. A glance is cast towards other niche carmakers that seem to survive pretty well, and a look towards other markets that have supported their car industries with assistive policies or actions (see below about a ‘bailout’).

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Both as an employee and as an enthusiast, it’s very encouraging to see an editorial such as this in the Swedish press. There is a strong fear in this market that Saab will turn out to be another instance like the shipyard corporate bailouts of the 1970s. Many people seem to be very negative towards Saab because of this fear but it’s encouraging to see someone looking at the potential within this company.

And having mentioned the shipping industry bailouts, I’m obliged to also mention that unlike the shipyards of the 70’s, Saab is not asking, nor have we ever asked, for a government bailout.

Brand, product, plant, people.

Given conditions that would allow the right investors to come on board and help this company stabilise and grow, we could make the most of all these elements of our company.

Thoughts on our recent announcement re: salaries

Enthusiast first. Employee second. A very close second, mind you. But I’m still here writing this from my flat in Trollhattan, first and foremost, because this is where my heart is (family aside, of course).

Yesterday’s announcement was a kick in the guts once again for 1,600 of Saab’s 3,600 workers here in Sweden. For those who missed it, Saab announced that they weren’t able to pay white collar salaries on time this month. They’re due today. Factory staff were paid on time. White collar salaries will be paid as soon as possible.

So what happened?

As noted in the press release, there are several financial arrangements in place from which the funding that was promised to Saab has not yet arrived in our accounts. There are various regulatory bodies involved in these transfers, in various countries, and for reasons unknown to people at my paygrade, these funds have been stopped at the border.

We had planned on these funds being available as expected, but because the funds transfer has been delayed the payments to staff could not be made.

So where has the money gone up until now?

As you know, we’re concentrating on getting arrangements and payments made with/to our suppliers. Our core goal right now is to re-start production here in Trollhattan so that we can build the cars that our customers have ordered. That’s going to be (and has to be) our main source of cash-flow – building and selling cars – and getting the business back to where we can do that has been our priority.

We have hundreds of suppliers on the manufacturing side and we have had to make arrangements with all of them. We have been making agreements on several fronts. For many suppliers, of course, the payment agreements are first priority and we have been working with them on that issue. For us, getting arrangements in place with regard to delivery schedules is also a high priority as we need to co-ordinate delivery terms for the re-commencement of production.

With so many people to negotiate with and an ever-changing business environment, this is a very complex process. We are making significant progress, however, and we’re very thankful to the many suppliers who have supported us and want to see our business succeed. Our success will be their success, too.

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As a Saabnut working on the inside of this company, it’s been extremely frustrating to see all this happen. I can see so much potential in this company. We have great products, we have a great brand, we have a great factory and most of all, we have incredible people.

Sales in 2010 were much lower than expected, and for several reasons. The end result was lower-than-expected cashflow and slower payments to suppliers than we would have liked. This reached a head earlier this year and the consequences included the factory stoppage. Today, instant loans are available from companies such as FatCat Loans (https://www.fatcatloans.ca/loans/instant-loans-canada), which could assist in maintaining production and business operations for three to six months. At the time, however, it was difficult for individuals to obtain emergency funds, perhaps because such services did not exist.

Whilst 2010 was down on forecast, it ended with several stronger sales months. We started 2011 a little slower but we were starting to build momentum again. The low-emissions TTiD Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan was gaining traction in several key markets. More importantly, the release of the low-emissions Saab 9-3 SportCombi was announced just before we stopped production. This was such a significant car for Europe and the effects of the stoppage are magnified by its delay.

The stoppage has also tarnished the release of the Saab 9-4x to some degree. I can’t tell you enough about how exciting this car is for Saab, but some of the gloss has been removed by recent events. Thankfully, the reviews have been uniformly positive (as they should) and we’re seeing dealers in the USA delivering them to customers within the first week of their arrival.

The stoppage has also delayed the release of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi, another significant model here in Europe, especially here in Sweden. Many have been looking forward to the release of this vehicle and it’s painful for us that we can’t get it out there.

When GM sold Saab in early 2010, the company worked very hard to get the new Saab 9-5 built and released to the marketplace. Aside from a brief stint with the low-emissions TTiD and the recent release of the 9-4x, the Saab 9-5 Sedan has basically been the only new product since Saab’s independence that has made it to market and been for sale for a significant period.

And for a Saabnut like me, I guess that’s the most frustrating thing of all.

We have a lot of great things to show for our time, post-GM. The big problem is that we didn’t have enough time (or more to the point, we didn’t sell enough cars last year to buy enough time) to get those new products to market.

Right now, a Saab customer should be able to walk into a showroom and see the full low-emissions TTiD 9-3 range, the 9-5 SportCombi, and the 9-4x in addition to the Saab 9-5 Sedan and 9-3 Convertible that already existed. These new models and technical evolutions were supposed to be the evidence that the new, independent Saab could move forward after carving itself from GM. We’re thankful to have the 9-4x on the market but there could be so much more. It’s all there. It’s all developed and ready to go.

But right now we’re not able to build it.

A lot of employees are hurting about the fact that their salaries have been delayed for a second month in a row. I can’t blame them. They’ve rendered their services right throughout this stoppage period and it’s a hardship they shouldn’t have to bear.

I still love this place and I still believe in this company. It’s exactly the same as when GM were considering shutting us down: there’s simply too much good stuff – brand, product, plant and people – for this to be left to wither.

For those who have supported us – customers, suppliers, dealers and other partners – we thank you sincerely. We continue to fight. Never, ever give up.

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Addendum

The following was entered into comments by Nic S. It’s an area that I haven’t touched on in my post, but it’s quite relevant. We need our markets – our dealers and salespeople – and I think Nic’s thoughts sum it up nicely.

This situation isn’t just about those involved in Saab in Trollhattan. Pray do also remember the dealers and main distributors who have been fighting their own battles. I have on a personal basis witnessed longstanding Saab dealerships simply no longer being able to support their staff and therefore their businesses. These people have been battling it out, have sometimes even been paying their staff from their own pockets.

Why am I bringing all this up? Because it is my firm belief that Saab as a whole has a product line that stands like a house. This morning I drove a 2008 9-3 1.8T in Norden guise and loved it. Loved the nimbleness, the ease with which that perky engine threw out 150 bhp when asked to do so.

That to me says it all. That Saab was on loan for a foreign colleagu who visited us and needed some wheels. A simple call to my dealer and there it was. Now, we all stand behind Saab, but we also need to stand behind all that make Saab what it is. It has been said before, if we as a community do not do our bit, then perhaps Saab may survive as a brand, but the sales outlets may not. So do your thing and not just show your loyalty to the brand, but also to the dealers and specialists. They all need it, and bloody soon as well.

Saab Making Progress

Strap in, folks. This is a long one…..

And for those of you who are unfamilar, here’s a summary of the deals done by Saab, Pang Da and Youngman in the last few months. It’ll add to your understanding of this post.

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Saab fans will know that it’s been a difficult few months for our favourite little car company. It’s been well covered inside and outside of these pages.

When you get news in bits and pieces with a whole lot of ‘analysis’ in between, it can be a little difficult to keep view of the bigger picture. What I’d like to cover today is some of the progress that we’re making on a few different fronts.

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Business

Our immediate problem has been short-term cashflow. Cashflow usually involves inflows from finance, investment and operating activities. It’s stating the obvious, but there has not been a lot happening in terms of operating activities in recent times. Building and selling automobiles is normally the backbone of Saab’s inward cashflow and we’ve been crippled by a lack of production in recent times. It’s why the situation went from bad to worse when we couldn’t pay employees for a few days at the end of last month, an instance which has since been resolved.

We’ve been working extremely hard during this time to build up our cash inflows through investment and finance activities and this is where most of the news has occurred in recent times. It’s not just for our immediate needs, either. One should look at much of this activity as long-term in nature, building our company to provide a greater base for future operations.

Continue reading Saab Making Progress

Back to base

Consider this a follow up to last week’s Personal Reflection on Recent News.

Things appeared quite bleak for Saab last Friday when I wrote that piece and the event that inspired it – the non-payment of staff in a timely manner – is not an event that anyone wants to even think about repeating. Whilst there were various developments in the pipeline, they were in the pipeline and of course, we couldn’t talk about them until they were done. As we’ve learned from press releases in the last few days, there are (quote) “no assurances” that discussion will be fruitful because we seem to face obstacles at every turn so we have to be very cautious when it comes to statements about the future.

Things have got done, however. We have a new order for vehicles that will provide immediate liquidity relief to pay staff (and more), and we have a conditional agreement in place for the sale and leaseback of our property. More is needed and there will be more to come, but the important thing is that the wheels are moving and with some co-operation from people in high places they will continue to move. We can then get back to doing what we’re here for – making Saabs.

For me, it’ll be a welcome return to home base. As I wrote last week, it’s been very difficult to be away from Saab HQ and my colleagues there in this difficult time. We have a huge job to do, to get things moving again and that’s not just in the factory, but in the marketplace as well.

As happened when Saab were being sold by GM, there has been a whole heap of news about Saab in the press, but the vast majority of it has been negative news. No matter what actions we have in place to overcome obstacles (i.e good news) the focus is always on the obstacles. Bad news sells papers, after all.

Deals are in place (Pang Da, Youngman, etc) that make the medium-long term future for Saab very promising after this short-term liquidity crisis is behind us. If people can actually make their way through the analysis and speculation to find news about the actual products that we sell, they’ll see that our vehicles are world class. That’s the message that we now need to communicate all over again.

We have a lot of repair work to do in order to restore public confidence. Some in the press have staked their professional reputations on our demise so I don’t expect too much in the way of changed tone from them. But the motoring press know what we’ve got in our product portfolio. They know that it’s very, very good and getting better. They know that Saab is a company that’s worth keeping in the automotive sphere. We have to get that knowledge out and into the wider community, and that’s going to be the challenge for Saab in the coming months and years.

We’ve had a lot of people ask us questions in the public domain in the last few weeks. I hope we’ve been able to manage those questions to your satisfaction within the limitations we face as a public company. I also hope we can bring you some more engagement with our executive team as the time pressures on them ease up a bit.

We’ve also received a LOT of support from people in our social spaces and I want to extend a heartfelt thanks on behalf of the company to all of you for that. Our enthusiast community is one of the most engaged in all autodom and they prove this support time after time, after time. Griffin up, people!

We still have work to do and we will keep on fighting. We never, ever give up. And most importantly, we keep working on designing and building the best, safest and most fun vehicles we possibly can for our customers.

I can’t wait to get back to base.

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Bare Naked Saabing

A good friend of mine named Pierre Belperron works at Charles River Saab, one of the top Saab dealers in the US. Occasionally, Pierre also writes articles on their company blog.

I post a collection of notable reading in a weekly post here at Inside Saab that I call Saabosphere. This article was so good that I asked Pierre’s permission to post it here in full.

The article arose because two of Pierre’s sons, Marcel and Pascal, have just finished building a Saab rally car that they’ll run in a hillclumb event this weekend in the US.

I hope you enjoy Pierre’s article as much as I did. If you could ‘bottle’ the essence of being a Saab nut into one article, this is pretty close to what you might write. Make sure you bookmark the CRSaablog – it’s well worth reading.

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I am, by nature and training, a deconstructionist. I enjoy the intellectual rigor of examining a situation, problem or thing and dissecting it into its component parts. This is helpful when one is not overly bright, for it affords me the ability to analyze situations I would otherwise find baffling. Much of my time at conservatory was spent doing this sort of analysis, on both music (I am one of those few freaks who actually enjoyed music theory and analysis and took every course I could) and performance at the instrument. People of immense talent and genius do not do this; they don’t have to.

When assessing the driving experience of a car, there is, of course, how said car feels in total. This is very important. I also like to look past that and gauge my reaction to the various systems. However, as cars have become more integrated, more digital, more “of a piece,” this has become increasingly challenging. Thus it was with great analytical interest that I approached my first drives in the newly unleashed 1985 Saab SPG Hillclimb car built by sons Marcel and Pascal for the Climb to the Clouds race at Mount Washington.

Construction of this car essentially involved stripping it to a shell, throwing away everything that doesn’t contribute to making the car go, stop or corner, and then putting it back together again. Sunroof? Gone. Power windows? Gone. Stereo, comfy seats, heater, AC, insulation, door panels and cruise control? All gone. After being taken to the car’s essence, there are some additions: this is a race car, not an exercise in automotive asceticism. Hence, better suspension, lots of go fast stuff on the engine, racing seats and a full roll cage are fitted. Is it like driving a 900? Unmistakably.

While the ignition key assembly between the seats is gone, the array of switches to activate various circuits, and the pushbutton starter, are all on a custom console in its place. Nice touch. Once started, the exhaust note, amplified from the large exhaust and absence of sound deadening inside the car is unmistakably 900 turbo. Sitting in a racing seat is not. I adore Saab seats, and while the Sparco seat and 5 point harness aren’t bad, even after 90 minutes in the car, I missed my real Saab seat. Another thing I missed was the 900 smell (every C900 owner knows what I mean). Apparently that does reside in the fabrics, and not in the bones of the car. Once I pulled off, the driving experience was at once familiar.

I was immediately at home in this minimalist 900. Delicious clutch (even with upgraded bits), strong brakes, wonderful steering, and handling that was completely predictable and sure footed, even on modest street tires. When I think back to my parents’ first new car, I recall that it had no radio, a rubber floor mat, crank windows, and not much else. So it was with the SPG. It got me to thinking—do we really need all that junk in a car? I realize that this SPG is not a viable daily driver if only for the noise level, even with ear plugs, and I’m talking road-noise, not exhaust.. When you get rid of all the toys—the NAV, the audio system, the sunroof, the SID, the trip computer, the cruise control…..the only thing you’re left with is driving. Now there’s a novel thing to focus on in a car! It’s like removing all the sauce and stuff on a plate and having just the piece of meat and eating it unadorned. This may not be for everyone, but a real meat lover will like nothing better. Thus, I found myself, even when loafing along on the highway in the right lane in the SPG, very much enjoying the experience.

Could I drive a bare-naked car every day? Almost. A C900, which I drive now, isn’t that far removed when compared to a modern car, so I think I could. I would want to keep some insulation, normal seats, and a heater and defroster are a must. I do like a sunroof but could live without one. Likewise I could also do without power windows, locks, cruise control, AC and carpeting. Yes, I would also like to have a radio and clock. But not much else.

The realization in all this to me was that if you like a car, then reduce that car to its bones and still like it, then you know that your passion for the car is deep-rooted and goes to that car’s essence. Toys and luxuries are nice to have, but applied to an uninspiring set of bones is like (pardon me here) putting lipstick on a pig. I bet that a lot of Saab drivers would feel the same. Take a Lexus, say, and strip it down and ask Lexus owners what they think. I bet the reaction would be a bit different. I believe that many Saab drivers would love driving a Saab sans accoutrements—not that they’d give them up for good—and this may be why we are so passionate about these cars.

A personal reflection on recent news

I’m writing this from my living room in Hobart, Tasmania. I was meant to land at Gothenburg airport today on my return to Sweden, but I’m stuck here in Tasmania thanks to a cloud of ash from a volcano in Chile.

It was tough to read the latest press release from our parent company today, stating that wages would be delayed. After all that we’ve been through as a company, it feels like a real kick in the guts and I know the workforce must be doing it hard today.

It was tougher still to phone in to our team’s regular Thursday morning meeting and discuss the release, to hear the voices of my colleagues, for whom this news was still sinking in.

I’m due to head back to Sweden on my postponed ticket next week and I can’t wait to get back there. It feels horrible to be away from a workplace that I care about so much, to be away from a team that I care about so much, in such a time of distress.

It’s fair to say that working at Saab is a dream come true for me. I’ve been a huge fan of the company ever since I first drove one of their cars and I’ve been working my tail off for them for more than 6 years now (as an employee for the last few months). I’ve never come across another place with such a rich history, such a right philosophy and such genuinely smart, warm and caring people. It’s such a pleasure to be there every day and share a deeper insight of this company with its community.

The obituaries for Saab are already coming in from the various writers and tweeters, all trying to be more insightful and/or wittier than everyone else. I don’t blame them. I’d probably do the same in their position. I was urged by one person on Twitter to give it up, to let it go and admit that this is the end of things for Saab. I can (almost) understand where he’s coming from. There’s a lot of tiredness surrounding the fringes of this company right now.

My response, however – no chance. No chance at all.

There’s no covering over the darkness of the hour, but I keep telling people what a colleague told me last year: when you’ve got new, great product, there’s always a reason to keep on going. Right now, we’re in a very difficult position. But we’ve got heaps of great product on the verge of release and even better technology being worked on out in the back rooms.

For me, there’s absolutely no chance of giving up on this company. I can’t wait to get back to Sweden next week, rally with my colleagues and take up whatever fight we have to win.

An update on Saab’s situation from the inside

I’ve had a few people in comments ask about the current situation at Saab Automobile. I’ve also read a bunch of reports that continue to cover our apparent demise in the finest detail. From a personal point of view, I store those away and look forward to the best revenge – seeing Saab live well.

It’s difficult to provide constant updates, but the company is doing the best it can to keep the general public informed as to what’s going on. We know that we have a lot of interested stakeholders who are hungry for information and we try to get them the information they need, but the situation is quite fluid and daily updates are not appropriate at this point in time because, as we’ve mentioned in previous releases, the situation changes from day to day, and sometimes from hour to hour within the day.

Nevertheless, here’s an attempt to bring you up to speed with some of what’s going on.

Our medium-long term outlook has recently been enhanced with the deal announced last week for a joint-venture between Saab, Youngman and PangDa for future manufacturing and distribution in China. We see huge potential in the Chinese market. In the short term, we see great interest already in our newest releases, the Saab 9-5 and Saab 9-4x and we have an excellent sales partner in PangDa to enable us to grow our presence in the Chinese market. In the long term, we see great possibilities in terms of wider distribution and new JV manufacturing possibilities to add to our existing manufacturing in Trollhattan, Sweden.

The proposed joint venture manufacturing deal would see Saab-branded and child-branded vehicles being built and sold locally in the Chinese market. Whilst we value all of our markets, the Chinese market is the obvious growth corridor for Saab into the future and this deal is key to that future growth. Whilst we leave no stone unturned in making sure we’re prepared for the approval process, we have every confidence that the deal will get through regulatory approval both in Sweden and in China. Youngman, despite it’s name, is a well established company with a near 60-year history in transportation and automotive manufacturing. Whilst they may not be the biggest vehicle producer in China, they’re very well connected and respected in the industry, which is why we had been speaking with them for a significant period of time prior to this deal.

Our achilles heel at the moment is not the long-term outlook, though we do not take that for granted. Our immediate challenge is cashflow; securing sufficient funds to get suppliers on board and the factory up and running again on a consistent basis.

These are all points mentioned previously in various statements from Saab, but they’re worth repeating again.

Saab has a significant order bank in place. Those orders represent a big boost to Saab’s inward cash flows, however we can’t invoice and receive payment for those cars until they’re built. We can’t invoice a 98% complete vehicle. You can call it a Saabish chicken-and-egg puzzle if you like – we have plenty of orders to complete (meaning inwards cashflow) if we can get parts, but parts have been difficult to get because of restricted cashflow. We are working hard with suppliers to resolve this.
Some people have mentioned that the PangDa funds should have been sufficient to get things running again on a stable footing. The PangDa purchase was indeed a significant one, however we still have to build and supply those vehicles to PangDa, which is what they paid their money for.
We hope to receive another instalment of EIB funding soon, however as many of you know, this is not a short term liquidity solution. EIB funding is for longer term investment in efficient technology. Whilst Saab are fortunate to do a lot of work in this area, we understand that the EIB take a longer term outlook, which is what we’re looking to put in place with deals such as the Youngman and PangDa deals.
Work continues to secure the PropCo sale and lease-back of Saab’s real estate, which would provide a significant boost to liquidity.

Saab has a brilliant product plan for the coming years, as well as great offerings for sale in the current range.

The Saab 9-4x is completely allocated for the 2011 model year and interest in the 2012 model year is already very strong.
We have the all new Saab 9-5 sedan in place and established in the market.
The Saab 9-3 Griffin sees a significant technology boost to the 9-3 range and is the best Saab 9-3 we’ve ever built.
The 9-3 TTiD range offers the most powerful and flexible sub-120g emissions package in the market. This is a key to sales in many European markets and interest has been very strong for this model.
The Saab 9-5 SportCombi, a key for the 9-5’s success in Europe, is about to come into production.

It’s the biggest and best model range that Saab has had in its 64-year automotive history. For those of you who are frustrated that you can’t take delivery of your car just yet, let me assure you that we’re just as frustrated that we haven’t been able to get it to you.

We’d like nothing more.

We will keep you updated as best we can, but no specific date can be promised at this stage for the continuation of production. The conditions that will enable that are still being negotiated with key suppliers around the world.