Category: Saabosphere

Saabosphere – Saab links we liked this week

Inside Saab now has a video page where you can watch all the groovy videos we produce.

We also have a playlist on Youtube.

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Saab participated in a fuel economy challenge in Spain just over a week ago and ended up winning a comparative test during the event.

The ALD Ecomotion Tour was hosted by ALD Automotive Company, a group dedicated to leasing and fleet management. The test involved nine different manufacturers. Vehicles were assessed according to their manufacturers fuel economy ratings and were driven to see how far below the stated fuel economy the driver could achieve.

It’s not stated in the reports that I’ve seen, but I’m told that the Saab 9-5 participating in the test was a Saab 9-5 2.0 TiD 160cv Vector Auto. The car was driven by a journalist accompanied by a member of the team from Saab Spain. Driving the 9-5 along the 350km course, they managed to achieve a 17% reduction from the fuel economy rating stated on the vehicle sales sheet – the biggest reduction achieved by any of the manufacturers participating.

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The 2011 Saab 9-5 Aero Sedan has been driven and reviewed by Motor Authority:

We’re glad we finally got the chance to get a first drive and spend some quality time with the 2011 Saab 9-5 sedan, as it’s quite possibly one of the best new efforts of the model year, with a cohesive design that takes a different direction than the main luxury sport-sedan current; an excellent, spacious interior; and a great mix of supreme isolation, driver involvement, and uniquely Saab character throughout.

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It looks like Motorexpo in London was a success, with a record 410,000 visitors attending the event at Canary Wharf. The Saab 9-5 SportCombi was in attendance and if you went to MotorExpo then I hope you enjoyed seeing the next addition to Saab’s lineup.

There’s some related good news in this for Saab fans in eastern Canada.

MotorExpo is expanding and will be on in Toronto from the 20th to the 24th June. That’s just a few days away from now and yes, Saab will be at the show. I’m not sure what range of vehicles will be there for visitors to see in Canada (it’s not the same vehicles as were seen in London) but it’s great to see Saab at this show.

Motorexpo will also be on in New York later this year.

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It’s nice to see the Saab 9-5’s IIHS Top Safety Pick award for the 9-5 Sedan getting some coverage on the web.

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For a bit of deeper reading, try out James May’s assessment of the role and function of the cup holder.

He has an opinion on the Saab cupholder, of course, and unfortunately it’s not a favourable one. That’s OK, as the cupholder had a two-fold purpose – to hold drinks and to make people go “wow”. It does both quite well, even if it doesn’t win big scores in James’ pedantry tests.

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Have a great weekend!

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Saabosphere – links we liked this week

Welcome to the weekly roundup of Saab links we enjoyed reading this week at Inside Saab.

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A bit of internal follow-up first…..

The Lime Yellow Saab 9-3 Convertible Hot-or-Not poll has confirmed that the color, now no longer available on the convertible, to be officially HOT.

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Internal follow-up #2…..

An addendum to recent stories about the genesis of the Saab Convertible. This came in from Ed Iawanicki, a former employee of Saab in the USA back when the convertible was launched.

….I had to pick the car up from a photography studio in LA and drive it to Carson on a Sunday morning – this car was supposed to be secret and here I am driving down the 5 in a one-of-a-kind 900 convertible in a VERY cool color (that was never used in production) with the top down because at that point it wasn’t too clear if I put the top up that it would go back down. I was 21 years old and never so paranoid about my driving as I was that morning. Steven Rossi used to refer to it as “my girl Pearl”. 26 years later and I remember it like yesterday.

A great memory and a great story 🙂

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To our friends down the road at Volvo, your decision to abandon the wagon market in the United States has been noted.

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Speaking of Saab wagons, ABC News reports that the Saab 9-3 SportCombi has been noted by the IIHS in the United States as being one of the 15 safest SUV’s on the market there.

Personally speaking, I’m a little surprised by the SUV classification for that car, but we’ll take it.

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Till72 over at Saabs United had the opportunity to take the Hirsch Performance Saab 9-5 for a spin and it’s fair to say that he enjoyed the opportunity.

Readers might like to note the carbon leather dashboard Hirsch installed, as well as the very subtle, but tasty body kit.

Hirsch Performance are the only official Saab tuning house and modifications by Hirsch retain the vehicles factory warranty.

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This could well be my favourite classic Saab (cue Clarkson voice) ……. in the world. I filmed it whipping past everyone at the Kinnekulle track back in 2007 and this photo is from the very same track – this morning.

It’s an early 1970’s Saab 99 fitted with a 16V turbo engine and making somewhere around 300hp.

I was meant to be at Kinnekulle today, too, for a Saab Turbo Club of Sweden event, but a time mixup saw me miss it. The photo was sent to me this morning by Peter S, the owner of Saab tuner Speedparts (his brother owns this 99 and Peter has a matching one in the same spec, but in red).

Wish I was there.

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I’m in for a long drive tomorrow and there’s even a chance I’ll get to stick my head in and see this: The Umeå Institute of Design Degree Show.

It’s 900+ kilometers north of where I’m sitting right now, but I’m heading up close to Umeå to help a friend pick up his Saab 9-5 (a long, sad story involving some ice and a telegraph pole).

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Saabosphere – Saab links we liked this week

It’s been another week where Saab has been covered with some great stories out in the Saabosphere. Let’s a look at some of the links we liked this week.

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Carsales.com.au featured a great review of the Saab 9-5 today, including some of the best photography I’ve seen for a web review.

Well worth your reading.

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There’s nothing like a good spirited discussion and Saabs United had one a few days ago, debating the various options available for marketing and pricing Saab cars in the US. I read through the entire discussion when it was around 180 comments in length. It’s at 358 comments as I write this and that’s substantial, both in terms of quantity and in most cases, quality.

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Arild has posted an interesting summary of what the community knows so far about the upcoming Saab 9-3 replacement. It’s about as comprehensive a document as you can see on this subject right now and no, I can’t comment on the accuracy of the summary 😉

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‘BaileyUSA115’ has a fantastic set of photos from the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals held a week or so ago in Pennsylvania, including some great shots from the Saab Heritage Collection displayed at the show, and other Saabs that were gathered at the event (close to 300 of them!)

You should out his full set of Carlisle images on Flickr.

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Saab was involved in sponsorships of two different golf events in Wales over the last week.

PowerPlay Golf is a new type of golf tournament, with the rules formulated to make the short form of the game more interesting and engaging for viewers and players alike.

For the golf fans out there, Colin Montgomery can explain it better than I can…..

The first PowerPlay Golf Tournament was held just over a week ago, at Celtic Manor, in Wales. With Saab sponsorship in place it seems fitting that the tournament, which features men and women playing in the same competition against one another, was won by a Swede:

Caroline Hedwall upstaged major champions and Ryder Cup stars by winning the inaugural PowerPlay Golf event at the Celtic Manor in Wales.

The 22-year Swede scored 32 Stableford points, 18 of which came on the final three holes, in a new shortened version of the game played over nine holes.

And in a rare double for Saab, Golf and Wales, last weekend saw another Swede winning a Saab-sponsored tournament, the Saab Wales Open.

Alexander Noren of Sweden beat Denmark’s Anders Hansen and Gregory Bourdy of France by two shots to win the Saab Wales Open at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

Noren began the final round one clear of the field and he fired a solid closing 70 that included two birdies and just one bogey at the driveable par-4 15th. It was a second European Tour title for the Swede and he was delighted with his consistency through the week.

Congratulations from Saab to both Caroline and Alexander for their success this week!

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Robin M was actually at the Saab Wales Open over the weekend and snapped some wonderful photographs of the event. You can see them all at his Flickr account.

Great to see Saab so prominently featured in such a wonderful setting….

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Saabosphere – Saab links we liked last week

I’m going to start this week’s Saabosphere with a link from this very same website. I’ll do that because it’s important for those who didn’t all the commotion on Friday to know that Saab has indeed re-started production after a 6-week layover.

There was a press release about it and I also shot some video of the first cars coming off the line just after 10am Friday morning. The article on this subject that you might find a bit more entertaining is my Notes on the re-start of production, which includes a few behind-the-scenes observations from the day.

I can further confirm that today, Monday, we were back making cars again, with 145 built when I walked past the production line just after lunchtime (we built just 100 or so last Friday on the first day back).

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Franca Devonport from The Telegrgaph, in England, has an excellent article covering the value of the Mille Miglia, which Saab competed in a few weeks ago for the second consecutive year.

The article examines the value to companies who take part in the event, the way it can link a company’s past to its present and how companies can use the event to make a prolonged statement about themselves and their vehicles.

“The Saab is a strong character,” says Peter Bäckström, manager of the Saab Museum, and Fägerhag’s co-driver. “It simply cannot be mainstream and Saab drivers simply cannot be categorised, apart from as individuals. Participating in events like the Mille Miglia encapsulates what Saab is all about.”

Well, that’s one drawcard, along with the Italian food 🙂

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We’ve been covering the Saab Convertible’s 25th Anniversary here on Inside Saab (more to come soon) and if you do the math, that will tell you that the first Saab Convertibles were sold to the public as 1985 vehicles.

How then, does one get a 1981 Saab Convertible?

The short story is over at Saablog-in.

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Those of you in England might want to mark down the dates for MotorExpo in your calendar.

The 2011 event at Canary Wharf will once again include Saab as an exhibitor.

Motorexpo is open daily between 10.00am and 6.00pm from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 June, and between 11.00am and 5.00pm on Sunday 12 June. Entry is free.

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This story is not online (yet), but Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Sweden to do a few shows. In a publicity article in Goteborg’s Posten, Jerry lists three of his favourite things about Sweden:

  1. Lasse Hallstrom – “I love him. I loved ‘My Life as a Dog’. ‘Gilbert Grape’ was also good. It was he who did it? “
  2. Erik Carlsson – “That is a ‘60s reference. He was rally driver for Saab. He drove a Saab 96, no wait, it was actually a Saab 92”.
  3. Saab – “I love Saab. In my TV show, I drove a Saab.”

With reference to #2, it was both (as well as a few others), though he’s more known for the 96. It seems like Jerry’s Saab knowledge might run more than show-deep. But then he is a car guy, reported to own a fleet of Porsches.

Black Saab Rules!

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Saabosphere – Saab links we liked this week

It’s time for our weekly round-up of Saab stories that caught our eye this week.

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Back at Easter time, I visited the Bilsport custom car show at Elmia, Jönkoping. At that particular show, I took this particular photograph…..

That’s a Saab 9-3 SportCombi body fitted to the chassis of a Dodge Viper. Of course, it was just one photo amongst many and didn’t grab too much attention.

It seems someone has passed the story of this radical project around, however. It was picked up by Jalopnik early in the week and has spread like wildfire around the internet since then. Those of you with Swedish reading skills (or Google Translate) can also read the Saab 9-3 / Viper V10 build thread.

I’ve recently met one of the guys involved in the project and am hoping to see more of this vehicle’s development in the near future. I know it’s not a “Saab Saab” but there’s something very alluring about the whole thing, isn’t there?

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Whilst we might be indifferent towards the song, this Saab video mashup was most enjoyable.

Kudos to Saablime (and ps…. he’s also done a really cool 99Turbo video that fans of the model will love, too)

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I felt incredibly proud when I read this letter/editorial at Dagens Industri on Friday.

Saab has been analysed by just about every analyst on the planet in the last few months. It was nice to see the company respond with a well-reasoned and inspiring piece of writing.

Those without Swedish skills will need to copy and paste the text into an online translator.

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I linked to Jalopnik earlier in this entry. Here’s another one.

Their Question of the Day today is What’s the most iconic turbocharged car?

They answer it themselves before opening comments for others to contribute. Thankfully, their self-provided answer is the correct one 🙂

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Teknikens Varld is a Swedish technology magazine and they’ve recently published a special magazine all about Saab.

Saabworld has a good overview for those who don’t read Swedish.

The magazine costs only 99SEK and is available from the teknikens website.

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A late addition…..

Ezra Dyer has another enjoyable article over at Automobile Magazine.

He single-handedly explains why many road tests are irrelevant, as well as making up a new saying – “As comfy as a Swede riding shotgun” – based on his experience in a Saab.

I’ve always loved his work. This is a good example as to why.

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Saabosphere – links we enjoyed this week

Let’s be honest. It’s a tough week to be writing about enjoyable links. But there are some good stories out there, so let’s take a look at them before I head off to the airport to return back to Saab HQ in Trollhattan.

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Mille Miglia is on right now and there are three Saab 93A’s entered in the event. You can view photos and commentary about the restoration of one of those cars right here at Inside Saab.

We’ll have a full review of the event when it’s over and done, but if you want some real-time updates on what’s happening there, the best place to go is SofieFromSaab’s Twitter page.

Sofie works for Saab in Belgium and she’s there covering the Mille car that’s been prepared and entered in the event by Behermans, the Belgian Saab importer.

From Sofie’s account, here’s Saab’s Technical Director, Mats Fagerhag, taking the Saab 93A prepared by the Saab Museum in Trollhattan (see link above) back to the Mille Miglia museum as part of the event.

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Saab appointed a new President and COO for Saab Cars North America, a guy formerly from Subaru, named Tim Colbeck.

Tim’s first day on the job took him to the Saab 9-4x press drive in Washington DC and while he was there, Autoblog conducted a brief interview with him for an article that now appears on their website.

It makes for some good, insightful reading and I’m very encouraged by Mr Colbeck’s background and knowledge not only of Saab, but of Saab’s market as well.

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A few articles from today’s issue of Saabs United:

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I look forward to getting back Trollywood. See you all there soon.

Saabosphere – links we enjoyed this week

Following is a review of articles online about Saab that we enjoyed reading here at the Saab factory in Trollhattan. Please feel free to check them out for yourself.

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An enjoyable look at the Saab PhoeniX Concept from the New York Auto Show.

The New York International Auto show wraps up this Sunday, concluding another round of the World Car Awards. While the World Car of 2011 and the World Green Car of 2011 respectively went to the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, the luxury market was represented with victories by the Ferrari 458 Italia (2011 World Sports Car) and the Aston Martin Rapide (2011 World Design Car). In other words, no brand new concept or production debuts won any of the top awards, begging me to determine my own winner – the Saab PhoeniX concept car.

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Saabworld take a look at a rare piece of Saab’s history – the story of vehicle assembly in Denmark. It’s a very interesting read, including the little-known factoid about Saab’s largest export market from 1950 to 1953 being……. Morocco?! Perhaps that’s the biggest recipient of Danish assembled Saabs.

I haven’t checked any of this historical content with the Saab Museum, but it makes for some fascinating reading.

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The following video shows Toomas Heikkinen driving a car supplied by Saab rally legend and mentor, Per Eklund, at last weekend’s leg of the European Rallycross Championship. Heikkinen finished 6th in the A-Final.

As posted by Mike Jager.

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– Forbes.com

There are no explicit reasons given in the article as to why the Saab 9-5 appears on this list, but we’re very happy that it does.

We’d like to point out, however, that we’ve found that men love the Saab 9-5 as well.

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  • Name a new Saab color (Saabs United)

Staff at Saabs United spotted a new blue color on a Saab 9-3 Convertible at the Saab Factory last week and held an open poll as to what the color should be named.

121 suggestions and counting……

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Winding Road published a road test of the Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium last week and the results confirmed something that I’ve long suspected – the Turbo4 will be a genuine value surprise packet for many.

VS. BMW 528i

Saab’s brand identity is more laid back and casual than that of the sporting and slightly stuffy BMW, and that shows through in a direct comparison with the 528i. Where the BMW offers a more aggressive engine note, and firmer, pointier handling, the 9-5 is relaxing and more comfortable over the long haul. The Saab certainly looks like a fresher face, too, though the all-new 5-Series is not unlovely.

Surprisingly we end up liking the Turbo4 just a bit better than BMW’s straight-six here. Not only does Saab’s turbo deliver up more torque (258 versus 230 pound-feet in favor of the Swede), but it also offers superior throttle response. The sweet-revving six still sounds better though.

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And….. without wanting to blow my own horn here, there’s a very enjoyable read about the foundations of this very website over at Car Advice, from Australia.

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