Saab’s Tour de France ended earlier this week and I’ve just received some very nice images from the final stop in Bayonne.
Let me ask the question before you do – What’s that silver/grey convertible?????
I’ve made enquiries and will let you know what I hear. It looks like on of Leif Mellberg’s custom creations to me. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.
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I received an email this morning from a Saab blogger in France named Remi. He runs a site called Saab Actu and he took part in the Paris leg of the Saab’s Tour de France last weekend.
It’s emails like this that give me such a boost as a Saab person, knowing that grass-roots efforts like the Dealer Tour are reaching people in a very personal way. One-to-one opportunities to see our new vehicles up close are very important at a time when support for our company is so crucial.
I get the chance to attend the event in Paris : it was fantastic! I have made a little video of the event
The video has some images from the Paris event, as well as a quick 9-4x test drive at the hands of a Porsche Cayenne owner, who comes away very impressed with the 9-4x……
Saab Actu, along with Saablog-in, is running a photo competition from the Tour….
I have received great photos from enthusiasts for our Photos Contest – from customers as well as from dealers.
This Tour has given everybody a good smile. The 9-4X seduced most people, even the “900 lovers”. I also had the chance to take a ride and this car is much more than a SUV. It reaches a premium top level on every point, really. And with a Saab design.
The people at Saab France are worth meeting. This tour has been a good outcome from the Saab financial issues. It has made us closer and given us unexpected occasion to meet skilled people who generally work behind the curtains. The Saab Team is like a family of car lovers, of Saab history builders.
Thanks a lot for this Saab Tour and whatever happens (the better way I want to imagine) I hope there is going to be another Saab Tour de France in 2012
And I guess that’s the big payoff here. The sense of camaraderie, the relationships that get built in tough times.
Of course, we all want those tough times to end and some good times to begin. We want to start to create some good Saab Family memories based on positive circumstances. Personally speaking, I’d love to do an Inside Saab tour around the world, bringing the cars and some of the stories from inside the gates to dealerships, clubs and fans all over the globe. I’d love to expand the Saab Family across all borders.
We need a few things to go our way before that can happen, but it’s good to see the Dealer Tour concept that started with the guys at Saab Germany catching on and spreading so well.
Congratulations to Saab France and the participating dealers for conducting such a wonderful set of events. And thanks very much to Remi for the feedback.
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BONUS
Some images from recent stops on the Tour de France….. from Limoges and the very picturesque La Rochelle.
Click to enlarge.
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Saabludos!
With dealer tours now successfully completed in Germany, Austria and France (well, almost), it’s time to announce the dates for the Saab Dealer Tour España!
The Saab Dealer Tour of Spain will begin on November 25 and continue through until its conclusion in Madrid on December 17. See dates and locations below.
The tour will criss-cross the country with one group whilst another group will host corporate customers in Madrid and Barcelona. The Saab 9-4x and Saab 9-5 SportCombi will be available for both groups to view at all times, so no-one will miss either car.
The dates and locations are as follows:
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The Saab Dealer Tour de France has been a fantastic success and it’ll all coming to a conclusion on Tuesday 22nd November. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new Saab 9-4x and 9-5 SportCombi, this will be your last opportunity on French soil as part of this tour.
The final two days of the tour include visits to the following:
November 21
0930-1200 – SAAB SELECT AUTO
4 r Jean Deméocq
17000 La Rochelle
Tél : 05 46 45 48 22
0930-1200 – AUTO VIP
115 Chemine de la Fauceille
66100 Perpignan
Tél : 04 68 82 00 00
1530-1900 – ESPACE PERICAUD LIMOGES
123 r Feytiat
87000 Limoges
Tél : 05 55 31 34 37
1530-1900 – GARATGE SPORT
10 Verge del tilar
099 Andorra la Vella
Tél : 00 376 809 144
November 22
0930-1200 – ESPACE DECOUVERTE AUTO
Avenue d’Aquitaine
47550 Boé
Tél :05 53 96 04 42
0930-1200 – SOCIETE NOUVELLE CENTRALE GARAGE SIGNATURE
zone artisanale Bourgade
31670 Labège
Tél : 05 62 71 68 68
1530-1900 – VS AUTOMOBILES SARL
ZA Saint-Frédéric 2 – RN 117
Rond Point du Grand Basque
64100 BAYONNE
Tél : 05 59 55 16 26
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A report from the Saab guys in France:
Since our last update, the tour has visited a huge number of dealerships around France and has been met with overwhelming support and interest.
On Saturday, the Saab marathon stopped by the downtown Paris Saab Dealership “Saab Rive Gauche”, which is ideally located nearby the Eiffel Tower.
The 9-4X and the 9-5 Estate (the Sport Combi) were presented by Patrice Lamouroux, Saab Rive Gauche MD and Philippe Van Der Meulen, the head of Saab France. Saab fans walked in to take a look at the new Saabs all day long.
Around 100 customers and prospects took a chance to seat themselves in the cars. The unanimous response was: When can we meet again for a test drive? When can we order the cars, I want one …..
The press have shown a strong interest in the tour as well. We’ve already seen one report about the Saab 9-4x popping up in the French media and I’m sure there have been more reports about the tour, too.
After the tour concludes on Tuesday, the vehicles will move on to Spain for a new tour. I’ll have dates for that one later today.
Some images follow, which are from Paris, Rouen, and Provence. Special thanks to Jeff from Saabsunited.fr for forwarding the Viggen vs 9-4x images from Provence, which were taken by Saab France staff.
Click to enlarge.
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The Saab Dealer Tour in France continues this week and we’ve got a lot more photos, from Metz, Strasbourg and Mulhouse.
I just received this image, from a guy many of you might know as Golfhunter. He runs the French Saab website, Saablog-in as well Saabs United’s new French translation. he caught up with the tour party in Chambéry today. That’s his classic 900 on the right, and the car he’d like to have next is on the left 🙂
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In addition to dealers and customers getting a look at the new Saab 9-4x and 9-5 SportCombi, a few members of the French motoring press have taken the opportunity to come along and check things out, too.
Carissime.com attended one of the sessions and had a chance to take a quick drive in the Saab 9-4x Aero. They posted a short review online and their feedback was very positive indeed.
Googletrans:
[It is] impressive on its 20″ wheels, the Saab 9-4X is designed to affirm a strong identity and we can say that it succeeds. The front is particularly well thought out with a real research work in the interpretation of Saab style suited to a big SUV….…. Our mini trial was very short but our first impressions are really positive , more (relatively speaking) the price is reasonable in relation to the services offered.
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I mentioned in an earlier article how important these tours are, not only for prospective customers, but also for lifting the spirits of the dealerships and service staff.
I think the following picture really does tell a thousand words in respect of this – dealer staff enjoying a chance to check out one of the new cars….
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Below is a gallery of images from the stops in Strasbourg, Metz and Mulhouse. Thanks to the Saab team in France for sending them along.
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File this one under “late notice”, but if you’re in the area and want to check out the Saab Club of Canada, then there’s a meeting happening Wednesday night – tonight by the time most of you read this.
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Our November Monthly meeting will be held at the Queensway Saab dealership – Wednesday, November 16th.
We will be able to meet there as early as 5:30pm and we will be wrapping up by 8:30pm.
The Saab Club will be ordering in pizza and drinks for the event.
While there is nothing special planned for this evening, it will give us the chance to see some of the new Saabs, most notably the new 9-5. If you have any questions regarding the new Saabs or pricing/financing options, please bring those with you.
Also of note is the recent news that Hirsch has finally come to Canada. For those who don’t know, Hirsch is the Saab factory authorized (and warranty approved) tuner for our cars. And they do much more than just tuning. They have many interior and exterior pieces to enhance and customize your Saab.
Further, we will have a Turbo-X on hand with some of those Hirsch goodies already installed … and perhaps a second Turbo-X (stock) as comparison.
Looking forward to seeing everyone for the last club meeting of 2011!
The team from Saab France have sent through a gallery of images from the first days of their tour. It’s wonderful to see people getting the chance to experience the new Saab 9-4x and 9-5. And it’s not just prospective customers, either.
One definite thing that is common to all stops around France so far …. The smiles on the faces whether it is from the customers or the dealers and their staff.
The cars are consistently praised as being the best Saabs ever from all aspects, technical or design.
The show must go on …
These dealer tours have been very important in terms of giving people a chance to see our news cars. Just as important, though, is the injection of insight and hope it gives for the staff in our distribution channels. For national organisations like Saab France, it’s a chance to deal with their contacts with new products, a welcome opportunity. And for dealers and service staff, it’s a chance to engage their customers with these new products and get some happy faces into the dealership.
It’s a welcome change for everyone. Here’s to making it a permanent one, and soon.
These images from three of the initial stops along the tour – Melun, Saint Quentin and Lille. Click this link for all of the dates and locations for the Saab Dealer Tour – France.
Click the images to enlarge.
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The NEC Classic Car Show is the biggest of its kind in the UK and last weekend, 1,400 cars and many, many more people packed into the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham to take in the automotive sights.
The Saab Owners Club GB were there with a wonderful display of classic Saab vehicles. I’m reliably told that a lot of the leg work was done by Ellie W, who is like a force of nature when it comes to organising and promoting these types of activities (my first time meeting Ellie was when he sold me a Saab Owners Club T-shirt!).
There’s always a team involved, though, and a number of members presented their vehicles at the show and manned the stand over the course of the weekend.
Congratulations to all involved (and I still loooove that Sonett!)
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My thanks to Dave R for sending in the images.
Following successful dealer tours of Germany and Austria, the Saab dealer tour in France got underway on the weekend.
And just how much are people anticipating these dealer visits?
From Saab France:
Eight o’clock sharp, two customers arrive at Saab Rive gauche, the Parisian dealer. They didn’t want to wait till Saturday when the Tour will stop by their own dealer, so they went to a southern Paris located dealer (roughly 30 km south) to see the 9-4x.
A test drive, happy customers. Now the next step … an order.
It’s fantastic to see people enjoying these tours. I can understand that this would be a great opportunity for both dealers and customers. It’s been way too long for all of us, so seeing such a great start to the French tour is a wonderful thing.
Saablog-in also has some preliminary photos of the cars arriving from the French tour. Saablog-in is running a photo competition they’re running in conjunction with Saab Actu, so if you’re attending the tour, don’t forget to send your photos in.
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The Saab Dealer Tour of France commenced this weekend (make sure you participer à l’événement and take some photos!), hot on the heels of a fantastic tour through Austria.
The team from Saab Austria has sent in the following final update from their very successful and enjoyable trip.
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November 9
Saab Oellinger in Enns / Upper Austria
Wednesday morning our tour went on to visit Enns. After the successful tour in Vienna our spirits were high and we were welcomed by a enthusiastic Mr Oellinger, the owner of the dealership. Despite the cold weather approx 50 persons joined to have a closer look at the cars. We did have some good conversations again and some offers were requested from customers.
A visitor and Saab fan showed us his self-created background image for his mobile phone.
We could use this as a motto for our Saab 9-4X and 9-5 SportCombi dealer tour….. (perhaps as a motto for the whole company at this time – SW)
On the way to Tyrol this photo was taken to show our country which is completed with this beautiful car.
Autohaus Meisinger, Innsbruck
After a long drive we arrived in the capital of Tyrol, Innsbruck, in the dusk. The first visitor came out from the showroom as soon as we arrived and couldn’t wait to see the cars.
Shortly before the end of our time there, a visitor from Augsburg, Germany, arrived with his Saab 9-5 SportCombi, which was tuned by Hirsch. He welcomed us and said that the journey of 2.5 hrs was quite worthwhile.
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November 10
Autohaus Steinhauser, Bregenz/Kennelbach, Vorarlberg
The last day of our successful dealer tour started in Vorarlberg. After a cup of hot tea the first visitor arrived with his Saab 9-5 SportCombi followed by a second 9-5 SportCombi and a 9-5 Sedan at the dealership.
A Saab 9-5 gathering in the western part of Austria.
Autohaus Gerster, Dornbirn, Vorarlberg
The last visit of our more than 3.000 km long trip through Austria: the dealership Gerster in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg.
Mr Gerster, the owner of the dealership, positioned his 9-5 Aero Sedan beside the new 9-5 SportCombi. Now a lot of customers could compare both body versions. Some visitors took the opportunity to testdrive the 9-5 Aero Sedan.
We also welcomed some guests from our neighbour country Switzerland
With a little snack the guests were talking about the future, the past and current situation.
We were very happy about the positive outcome of the Austrian dealer tour. After this final visit, we hit the road, heading for Saab Zentrum in Frankfurt, Germany, where we had to handover the cars to our colleagues from France. Their tour will start very soon.
We would like to say thank you to all our visitors and dealers for the tremendous help and the interest shown during this special week!
