Saablog-in & Saab Actu – along with with Saab Automobile France, Hirsch Performance and Dimini.ch – invite every French Saab fan attending the Saab Tour de France to send in their best pictures of the event.
The 10 best photographers will receive some great awards!
Aspiring photosnappers should make sure they attend one of the Saab Dealer Tour – France events and then send their photos in to Remi from SaabActu, via email to remi.saabactu-at-yahoo.fr (replace the -at- with @, of course).
Things have been moving along with the Saab dealer tour in Austria and it looks like they’re having a great time, showing off the Saab 9-5 SportCombi and Saab 9-4x to both dealer staff and potential customers.
Despite the current uncertainty, it feels great to see stuff like this happening, and the positive response it’s been receiving.
The crew in Austria sent through the following updates:
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November 7
In Carinthia, in the south of Austria, a lot of interested people and Saab fans came to see the cars.
The Eisner group in Carinthia put in a lot of effort to offer a good insight in the new range for everybody. Although the questions about Saab are many, the spirit of the event is the same everywhere. Each stop offers individual conversations and contacts.
A highlight for us was the first visitor who didn’t come from Austria or Germany. A guy from Holland who has a second residence in Austria came with his 900 convertible (with the top open!) and had a look at the new models. We had very positive conversations again.
Even a bit of rain could not change the atmosphere the next day and the tour could go on.
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At the Winter dealer showroom in Graz, Styria, we were expected and welcomed. After a little snack for us we were able to present the 9-4X and the 9-5.
The highlight at this dealership was that one customer spontaneously signed a contract for the purchase of a new 9-5 SportCombi!
Mr. Heinz Kuss from the dealership Winter and Mr. Stefan Mladek complimented the customer on the first purchase.
Just before the day ended a Saab fan from Slovenia arrived. He drove a long distance to see the new range. Although he didn’t get to spend a long time with the new Saabs, he agreed that the drive was worthwhile.
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November 8
After the news from yesterday evening, the interest from the visitors on the Austria dealer Tour was bigger than ever. In the morning at the dealer Auto Stahl we received some concrete requests from customers.
The event was topped after midday at the biggest Saab dealer in Austria, Saab Wien Oberlaa. Its the only dealer in Austria that sells only Saab vehicles.
Nearly 150 people came to see both cars. A lot of price lists and product information was distributed and visitors took them home with pleasure. Some people decided to take a Saab and will follow the coming decisions between Sweden and China very closely.
This day was also a big day for the employees of Saab Oberlaa. They were able to talk about the new cars with customers in a comfortable and positive atmosphere.
We appreciated being able to meet a very special guest: Mr. Linz from China! He has driven Saabs for a long time and at he was in Vienna for private matters when we met him. He was very interested to see the new models and he had some special parting words to share: ”In China Saab has always been a special brand, we are proud to assume an alliance with this Swedish company!”
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Remaining dates and venues for the Austrian tour…… click to enlarge.
This coming weekend, the tour will begin in France, where it will run from November 12th to 22nd.
This tour is a little different as it will be split into two tour groups to provide wider coverage in a short space of time. There’s some doubling up of times in the schedule because they can now be in two places at once.
NOTE: Both teams will have the 9-4x and the 9-5 SportCombi, so there is no need to be anxious that you might miss one of the new vehicles.
The dates, times and venues are as follows:
November 12
1000 – 1200 – MELUN MOTORS
620 Impasse Epinette Pole automobiles
77240 Vert St Denis
Tél : 01 64 09 21 73
November 14
0800 -1000 – AUTO VAL
8bis Rue des Campanules
77185 Lognes
Tél : 01 60 17 28 77
1000 -1230 – KRYSTAL SAS
21 rue Jules Guesde
59650 VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ
I just received the first images and thoughts from the Saab dealer tour that commenced in Austria today. This follows hot on the heels of the successful dealer tour in Germany over the last few weeks.
The tour kicked off today in Salzburg, with the Saab 9-5 SportCombi and Saab 9-4x being shown to prospective customers and invited guests. I just received the following report from the event from Saab Austria:
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More than 50 Guests, visited the Saab Dealer in Salzburg, Sterneckstraße 28, the first station of the Austrian 9-4X and 9-5 SportCombi dealer tour.
Most of the guests were loyal, long time Saab drivers, who wanted to see the news models. But new costumers also came to the dealer to get a first glimpse on the new models from Saab. The mood was very positive and the visitors appreciated the idea of this dealer tour a lot.
Of course everyone wanted to see the all new 9-4X and the 9-5 SportCombi, but many people also had questions regarding the short and long term future of the Saab brand. The atmosphere was optimistic and positive due to the good news last week.
The Saab Brand Manager of Saab Salzburg, Mr. Tobias Loos and Country Director, Mr. Stefan Mladek were satisfied with the event very happy about the level of interest and the enthusiasm of the visitors.
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If you want to attend one of the future dealer stops in Austria, the dates for the rest of the dealer tour are listed below. Click to enlarge.
Want to get yourself a new Saab for just a single week’s hard work?
Saab of North Olmsted kicked off their Snap Up a Saab competition last weekend and it looks like they had a great take-off.
If you haven’t heard about this competition yet, it’s a huge promotion involving up to 100 cars and contestants per week with a big social media element involved. Here’s my previous entry detailing the competition.
Vehicles used in the competition have a scannable QR code on the inside and outside. Contestants take the car for a week and have to get as many supporters scanning the QR codes as possible. Contestants can also take photos of the vehicles and submit them to their own competition website. Contestants get points for all of these activities, and for ‘checking in’ at sponsor locations.
The website you need to bookmark in order to see what contestants are doing is here: Snap Up a Saab. Each contestant has their own individual page and you can check out their points score, as well as photos submitted by their followers. Some of the photos have been great, too.
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There are quite a few contestants with point totals in the hundreds.
That’s not going to do it for you, folks. The top 6 contestants with around 20 hours to go in week 1 are as follows:
Those top 6 contestants, should they remain ranked in the top 6 for the week, will progress through to the next round of the competition, which will take place after the four preliminary rounds.
Contestants earn points as follows:
Fans – Contestants earn points for having others “Become a Fan” on their Contestant Sites, or using Facebook and/or Twitter. – 10 points per fan
Scans – Contestants earn points when people scan the Test Vehicle QR Codes. – 2pts for exterior scans, 5pts for interior scans
Media – Contestants earn points for posting pictures and videos. – 1pt for each picture and 5pts for each video. Must be unique.
Check-ins – Contestants earn points when their Test Vehicle is first scanned at a Sponsor location – 25 pts for the first scan at each sponsor location.
So, if you’ve got friends who are active on social media, if you can use a camera and can stop in at sponsor locations, you’re a good chance to do well.
And the big prize – a new Saab valued at up to $50,000
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Week 2 will start tomorrow.
You can still register to be part of week three or four if you’re in the area.
Click here to register. There are 100 opportunities per week and you’ll have a blast. And if you work hard enough, you could earn yourself a new Saab!!
The dealerships involved in the tour were very appreciative of the opportunity, as were the guests who attended, the vast majority of whom saw the Saab 9-4x and the Saab 9-5 SportCombi for the first time.
The tour has been such a success that the same model is now being used for a tour of Austria, starting this weekend. Other markets are considering the model, too, and I’ll bring you details of those tours as they come to hand.
If you’re in Austria or close by, you might want to consider the dates and locations on the following brochure. Click to enlarge.
The Saab dealership tour of Germany is progressing and it looks like things are going well.
When we first publicised this tour, we had a commenter on Facebook asking why would even bother with it, given that we weren’t able to produce the vehicles right now?
Well, things were looking rather ominous for Saab when that question was asked. This tour was launched in one of Saab’s darker hours, but we’ve always remained confident that there would be a solution, and it’s always important to let your customers get a look at your new products. Because we weren’t able to show these vehicles at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, Saab Germany felt it was crucial to put on this tour and let prospective customers see the Saab 9-4x, Saab 9-5 Sedan and the new Saab 9-5 Sportcombi for themselves.
The tour appears to be going very well indeed. Tom K has been keeping the updates going live at Saabblog.net. You can read his entries from various locations at the following links:
Tom, an enthusiast blogger, also sent me in some images from his time as part of the tour, which has drawn to a close due to other commitments Tom has to keep. I also have here some images from Henrik Claesson, one of the Saab Germany team members participating in the tour.
Click to enlarge.
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Remaining dates and locations……
Tuesday, 1st of November 2011
5:00 p.m. Saab Zentrum Giessen
Wednesday, 2nd of November 2011
10:00 a.m. Herz, Trier
11:00 a.m. Bauer, München
4:00 p.m. Kunert, Bonn
4:00 p.m. Haas, Augsburg
Saab of North Olmsted are undertaking a massive Saab promotion next month and if you’re in their region, north-eastern Ohio, then YOU could play a big part in it.
For four consecutive weeks, Saab of North Olmsted will give out 100 cars for week-long test drives as part of a competition/promotion they’re running. Do the math – they’re looking for 400 participants, 100 per week. If you’ve ever thought of actively promoting Saab, this is your opportunity – and you could win the Saab of your choice, too!
If successful, you’ll get a Saab to drive for a week, with a capped distance of 350 miles that can be travelled in that week. The car will come with two QR codes, one inside and one outside. A QR code is a 2D scannable code (most smartphones have a QR code scanner built in) that will link people to a website.
As a weekly-round contestant, you will get your own microsite where your adventures will be recorded. You’ll have a week to check-in at sponsor outlets, get people to scan the codes on your car, get them to take pictures or make videos to submit to your microsite, and generally just build up your fan-base. The more check-ins, scans, media and fans you get, the more points you get.
Points are tallied each week and the initial 400 contestants will be whittled down to 24 for the semis – the top six point totals each week will progress. Semi-finalists will have two days to whip-up as much interest as possible and increase their point totals. The top five point winners in the semi-finals make it to the final stage of the competition.
The final stage of the competition will see our five finalists assemble at Saab of North Olmsted, where they’ll select a keyfob and press the “unlock” button. One of those keyfobs will send lights flashing and that lucky winner will win the Saab of their choice valued at up to $50,000
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Everyone wins
Discounts on Saab vehicles will be offered to all participants in the competition, regardless of how you participate.
Finalists will be offered the most substantial discounts for their efforts in the competition.
Weekly-round competitors will be offered the next most substantial discount.
But that’s not all……. Just by spotting one of the Saabs on the road and scanning the QR code, you will also be offered an attractive discount – just for being a part of the promotion.
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Get into it!
This is the perfect storm for a competition – limited geographic area, limited participants, heaps of fun and a high value prize. You’ve got everything to gain from being in it.
The not-so-fine-print: (the full terms and conditions will be supplied directly by Collection Auto Group, owners of Saab of North Olmsted).
Contestants must be:
At least twenty-five years of age
Have a valid driver’s license
Have full coverage insurance
Have a major Credit Card
Have a clean driving record (no more than 4 points, no DUI)
Contestants may not be employees of Collection Auto Group
Contestants will be limited to 350 miles of driving. Should anyone exceed 350 miles they will pay $1.00 / mile over 350. Contestants must obey all laws. Contestants may not invite anyone under the age of 18 to scan an interior QR Code. Contestants must adhere to all of these rules and the Terms and Conditions of the contest.
The Dutch can lay claim to many things in this world. Historic explorers, seas of orange sports fans, Victor Muller, hash bars (no link between those last two, by the way) and something that might surprise a few of you: the world’s oldest Saab Car Club.
For the last 49 years, Saab Club Nederland has been running an event called the Viking Rally. I’ve been told that I’m going to be there next year for the 50th – and who am I to argue?!
The Viking Rally is a three stage event with all sorts of challenges along the way. As described to me by a friend of mine, Nic S:
There are all sorts of ways to navigate involved. Joep Wanders is the guy who designs and sets out the Tulip Rally, so it IS difficult! There are 3 legs or stages, with hidden time controls, the full rally works. Blind maps, arrows, driving close to a set border on a map, doctored maps, the whole deal….
Doctored maps? I hope it comes with a roadside help service (one that consists of something more substantial than just Nic’s puppy with a Garmin tied to his collar).
The rally is a very social event and the 2011 edition saw sixty teams competing, spread over three classes – Sport, Tour and Recreation. All entries were Saabs, of course, ranging from two-strokes to the new 9-5. Mud was sought, and found, and a good time was had by all.
We have a huge gallery of photos below, with thanks to Nic. Congratulations to the organisers and the club for what looks to be an outstanding event.
For the next few weeks, the team at Saab Germany are going mobile. They have a fleet of new Saab vehicles that they’re taking on the road to show to customers in dealerships around the country.
Here’s the team picking up their Saabs at the front gate in Trollhattan. Image courtesy of Tom K, Saabblog.net
A couple of German Saab bloggers have been invited along to different legs of the tour, too, and you should be able to follow their adventures on both Saabblog (German) and Saabs United (English).
The tour will finish on November 9th. The various dates and locations are at the end of this article.
The tour kicked off today with a visit to Kiel.
If some of those cars look familiar to you, it’s because we’ve featured them here on Inside Saab once before. The service partner in Kiel is run by the Lafrentz family and they had some of their fleet of vintage and modern Saabs out front to welcome visitors.
Markus Lafrentz was kind enough to send me some photos from the tour visit today. They had a good group of around 40 families in to view the Saab 9-4x and 9-5 today during the short two-hour session before the tour moved on to its next location. Visitors were reported to be well pleased with the chance to view the new Saab range up close and personal.
