Swadeology

Saab Dealer Tour de France – closing Tuesday

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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Hirsch Performance Newsletter – Saab 9-4x upgrade

Hirsch Performance are Saab’s only factory-authorised performance partner and they’ve just released their November 2011 newsletter.

Hirsch Performance products are available in select markets around the world. Check with your local Saab dealer.

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Performance upgrade for the Saab 9-4x Aero

The performance upgrade to 330 hp that Hirsch Performance originally developed for the 9-5 Turbo6 is now also available in a version for installation on the 9-4x Aero. The maximum torque is increased to 430 Nm and is available over a wide rpm band, enchancing driving dynamics even further.

The upgrade is CARB-approved and comes with all nessesary documents. Of course, as with all Hirsch Performance engine upgrades, the Saab factory warranty is completely sustained. Just like with the original calibration for this car, and for all Hirsch Performance upgrades, premium high octane fuel is required to achieve full performance.

Vehicle shown also has Hirsch wheels

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Premium leather upgrade for the new Saab 9-5 dashboard

The high quality Hirsch Performance leather interior parts for the 9-3 have been a huge success among Saab drivers all around the globe. Building on this success, Hirsch Performance has developed a leather trim set for the instrument panel in the new 9-5.

Available in two different leather finishes, it gives a premium look and feel to the dashboard and the center stack. The version finished in black nappa leather offers an understated, luxurious look, while the embossed carbon leather version combines elegance and sportiness.

In addition to the premium appearance, the black leather used reduces distracting glare in sunny conditions and when driving at night.

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Sport pedals for the new Saab 9-5

The Hirsch Performance pedals are made from aircraft grade aluminum. The surface is brushed and non-slip rubber pads provide excellent grip.

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Sports exhaust for the Saab 9-3 Griffin

The new stainless steel exhaust from Hirsch Performance for the model year 2012 Saab 9-3 Griffin offers both aural pleasure and a sporty design.

As with the previous versions, the sound is defined by a smooth, sonorous idle, a relaxed partial load rumble and a gratifying roar at high rpm’s with wide-open throttle.

The cat-back exhaust system is made from stainless steel to ensure outstanding functionality and longevity. The tailpipes are polished, chromed and embossed with the Hirsch Performance logotype – providing a look that is at the same time sporty and elegant.

The new sports exhaust system is backward compatible with all four cylinder gasoline and BioPower engines from model year 03 on, and are available for both US/Canada specification cars as well as for all other markets.

All parts necessary for the installation are included in the package. Fits all trim levels, including Arc, Linear, Vector, Aero etc.

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Rear diffuser for 9-5 SportCombi and US/Canada 9-5 SportSedan

The Hirsch Performance rear diffuser for the Saab 9-5 is now also available in a version for cars with no rear fog lights integrated in the rear bumper. This includes the future 9-5 SportCombi for all markets, as well as the US/Canada version of the 9-5 SportSedan.

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Who’s got the oldest original-owner Saab?

I talked to a wonderful elderly lady here in Australia earlier today and the conversation got me thinking.

She has a 1975 Saab 99GL CombiCoupe that she picked up brand new in Gothenburg before eventually bringing the car here to Australia. It’s quite a fascinating story, one that I hope to bring in more detail in a few weeks from now.

The story did get me wondering, however….

Who’s got the oldest Saab purchased from new? Who’s got the longest term, one-owner Saab out there that’s still running?

There’s a lady in South Australia who can prove she’s the original owner of a car in wonderful condition, one that was first purchased by her 36 years ago.

Anyone got an advance on that? I’m sure you’re out there somewhere. It’d be fun to track down who’s got the record so please get in touch and let me know.

TRADING UPDATE SWEDISH AUTOMOBILE N.V. – THIRD QUARTER 2011

TRADING UPDATE SWEDISH AUTOMOBILE N.V. (including SAAB AUTOMOBILE AB)
THIRD QUARTER 2011

Zeewolde, the Netherlands, 18 November 2011 – Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swan), a holding company that owns subsidiaries which produce and sell premium automobiles under the Saab and Spyker brands (together referred to as the “Group”), today issues a trading update for the third quarter of 2011 ended 30 September 2011. The Group is listed on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam (ticker symbol SWAN).

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• Saab Automobile AB, Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Tools AB (together Saab Automobile) entered voluntary reorganization under Swedish law

• Longer term future and stability for Saab Automobile expected after signing of a memorandum of understanding with respect to a EUR 100 million conditional agreement on sale of all shares in Saab Automobile and Saab Great Britain Ltd. (Saab GB) to Pang Da Automobile Trade Company Ltd (Pang Da) and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., Ltd. (Youngman)

• Conditional agreement reached on sale of Spyker Automotive business to North Street Capital, LP with net proceeds for Swan of EUR 32 million

• Efficiency improvement initiative launched as part of voluntary reorganization process, in order to create more flexible and competitive cost structure

• Finalizing voluntary reorganization process, implementing revised business plan and restarting sustainable production top priorities for Saab Automobile management

• Sales performance seriously affected by production stoppages and tight liquidity situation during third quarter

CORPORATE AND OPERATIONAL REVIEW

Voluntary reorganization under Swedish law

While work continued throughout the third quarter to secure short-term financing, Saab Automobile concluded in early September that, considering Saab Automobile’s limited financial resources and the time needed to secure the required approvals for the investments by Pang Da and Youngman, a voluntary reorganization would entail the best preconditions for using existing resources in the most efficient way. The purpose of the voluntary reorganization process was to secure short-term stability while simultaneously attracting additional funding, pending the inflow of the equity contributions of Pang Da and Youngman.

Continue reading TRADING UPDATE SWEDISH AUTOMOBILE N.V. – THIRD QUARTER 2011

Saabosphere – links we liked this week

It’s been another week of waiting in Saab land.

I know you’re all getting antsy. I can’t sit still and I’m worn through to the scalp from scratching my head so much.

Here are some links from this week…..

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It’s good to see some video posted for the Snap up a Saab competition. The competition is about to enter its fourth and final week for regular entrants.

I hope some readers of this website have jumped on board because it really is a great opportunity to share some of the Saab Spirit around, and if you work hard enough for a week or so, you’ve got a very good chance at winning yourself the new Saab of your choice.

Here’s the video. It’s “Vote for me” rather than the vehicle itself, but good to see some expanding their reach, which is what the competition is all about.

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Back when Saab were being sold by General Motors, we sold off some old technology to Beijing Automotive, or BAIC.

BAIC are reportedly ready to unveil their new Saab-based sedan to the Chinese market at the upcoming Guangzhou Motor Show.

China Car Times has the article and some photoshop guesswork as to what the car will look like. This model is based on the previous generation Saab 9-5 and I’m sure Saab fans will find it interesting to follow the direction this particular branch of the family tree ends up taking.

There are also some mule spyshots here. The interior is certainly quite different to the original.

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It’s not the greatest article, but the headline raises an interesting thought – Could the Saab 9-4x become the rarest new vehicle in the world?

I think it will be one of the biggest injustices ever if that comes to pass and I hold out hope that this will be proven to be just another piece of smart speculation.

The Saab 9-4x is an absolute cracker of a vehicle and with a chance to properly market it, it would be a big hit for Saab. A friend of mine in Germany got to drive the Saab 9-4x Aero recently, as part of the German Saab dealer tour. You can read his thoughts here.

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Whilst we’re talking Saab dealer tours, I’m reliably told the next market to host the tour will be Spain. I’m still waiting on getting dates and locations and will bring those to the site as soon as I get them.

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Finally, a couple of absolutely fantastic Saab 99 advertisements from the 1970s.

They’re featured along with a number of other automotive advertisements from the period and they look fantastic.

My thanks to Fredrik T via Twitter.

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Manager of the Year award given to Saab’s Peter Dörrich

I’ve mentioned a few times here at Inside Saab that we have a number of good reasons to expect to hang around here for some time. Specifically, they are:

Product
Plant
People
Brand, and
Heritage

Yesterday we had a wonderful example of one of our people being rewarded for his efforts. Even in these difficult times – perhaps especially in these difficult times – Saab people shine through.

If you read a review of the Saab 9-4x, especially a review sourced from North America, you’ll likely read the reviewer say that the vehicle is a Saab version of the Cadillac SRX. Don’t believe it for a second. Both vehicles were developed with distinct identities and that whole project was led by a Saab guy – Peter Dörrich.

Yesterday, Peter received the Manager of the Year award. The award is voted for by members of Unionen, a national body.

Following is a translation of a Saab internal article about Peter and the award.

Peter is a wonderful guy whom I first met a year ago at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where his baby – the Saab 9-4x – finally made its production debut. There wasn’t a bigger smile in the room than the one on Peter’s face that day and I’m ecstatic to see his work as a leader at Saab recognised in this way.

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A popular executive who sees the big picture: Peter Dörrich is Manager of the Year

– I want to know how my employees feel and how they are doing at home. The job and life at home are not two separate phenomena. They are different parts of a whole. If one does not work, the other will not work properly either.

This from Peter Dörrich, who today was named Manager of the Year, as nominated by Unionen colleagues in the Technical Development Center.

Right: Peter Dörrich and Unionen representative, Annette Hellgren

– Peter is a good manager who will see that staff grow in their roles. He encourages and pushes us and gives us belief in our decisions. He is a great sounding board when you need to discuss possible solutions and problems and always takes time to listen and guide people to a good solution, says Mona Säverhag, who has worked with Peter at different times – about three years combined.

She also highlights Peter’s extensive knowledge of both the vehicle development and production processes.

– He cares about the team, but he is still demands our best.

Continue reading Manager of the Year award given to Saab’s Peter Dörrich

An update from Saab’s Tour de France

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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How did you end up buying your first Saab, Sapan?

Another first Saab purchase story, sent in by Sapan, a Saab owner from the US…..

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I want to start out my story with the following:

I have been thinking about the word passion. Automotive passion that is; how so many people do not go after their passion on a daily basis? I am not sure if there is someone out there who feels the same way I do when I look at my car every morning as I am about to leave for work. It makes me smile, it physically makes me happy every time I hit the gas pedal, every time I downshift and hear my exhaust note echo off other cars that I am passing. Do you feel the same way when you are driving your car? Does it make you smile? If you are a true car buff then it should do all of the above and more. You should feel the same exact way you felt when you got the car on Day 1 of your ownership. If you do not, then maybe your path should lead to another vehicle or maybe you are not a car buff and cannot share this experience.

So here is my story it’s a pretty simple one but it is my story to tell. In 2009 I had my Scion tC that I used as my track car as well as daily driver (This is pretty much impossible!). Over time the abuse and wear and tear of the track took its toll on my Scion and it was time for me to get rid of the car. My main issue was, I like to work on cars when I can and I always have a itch for modifying a car no matter how it looks the first day I get my hands on it.

So when it came time to look for a new car I decided I didn’t want to mod the car and said I will get a car that has very little aftermarket support. A good friend suggested a TurboX due to its rareness and its specs which met my requirements (Manual with AWD). So I began shopping around and in Feb 09 I finally settled on the TurboX on my birthday (Best gift ever). I thought to myself, this car is great it’s a Saab so no one will have aftermarket parts for it and it looks spectacular! This will be my daily driver even though I commute thru downtown DC on a daily basis, I’ll drive a real manual until my knee won’t take it.

Fast forward three months I am enjoying my car driving it to my hearts content and then a raccoon decides it wants to inspect my FMIC.

So while in the shop being repaired, I decided I wanted the parts to be that Satin Black color like the GTR, I thought that it looked great and that’s where it all began. After that I looked into some other parts such as brake lines and getting Bluetooth working on the car etc. During this time also got to know International Saab my local dealership (www.imsaab.com)who hooked me up with a Hirsch Dash before Hirsch was even available in the US!

So now we are at different trim paint, stainless steel brake lines, and a Hirsch Dash. So much for finding a car that didn’t have any parts I could modify! After that I thought I needed to tinker with the exhaust to make it a bit louder so I decided to have a 3″ turbo back made at my local tuning shop. The result did yield a significant gain and the sound of the exhaust was a bit loud but superb. This past winter after a heavy snowstorm in the D.C. area I decided I want a dedicated winter set of wheels (TurboX wheels) and a dedicated high performance summer set (Something lightweight, but still stylish and could take a beating on the streets of D.C. as well as the occasional Autocross) so I went with some Forgestar F14 wheels after seeing them around on the internet.

While waiting for my wheels to be made I had gotten rear ended and decided it was time for some more upgrades. Tried to go the Hirsch route but unfortunately they were not available in the states yet so I went the MapTun route. Contacted Fredrik and ordered my carbon fiber diffuser as well as the front splitter/grille combo to replace my torn off one from the winter snow storm. Coupled with the wheels, my StopTech brake setup (Slotted 345mm) and 255/35/19 BFGoodrich KDW2’s my car is now ready again to have some fun over the summer!

I also did forget to mention that while I was shopping around for my TurboX in early 2009 I had a few other choices as well:

BMW M3 (E92)
Audi RS4
Mercedes C63 AMG

The issues with those were as listed below:

I wanted a proper gearbox (quoting Mr. Clarkson); some of the cars didn’t have them available at the time (or in general in the Mercedes case).
Did not want to take out 2 Jobs just to pay for the car.
Decided I wanted more All Wheel Drive instead of RWD.
Lastly, the most important factor: I have seen at least 5 of each car on a daily basis when you go to the posh parts of the D.C Area.

I love the Saab because it does represent individuality and stepping away from the norm. On a weekly basis I have about 5 people asking me about or just staring at my car to see if it’s still available for sale. I would love to say that I am a driving billboard because sooner or later the people who ask me about my car will work their way over to a dealership and go the Saab route.

This was my first Saab but certainly won’t be my last Saab (hopefully). Looking forward to meeting everyone in the community at one event or another!

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The Saab Smell. A personal tale of odour by Lance Cole

This is an article that was originally published back in 2007 on my old website, Trollhattan Saab. The archives to this site were lost for some time and I’ve only recently got access to a backup. This is one of the most popular articles written on TS and I’ve always wanted to share it again with a new audience here at Inside Saab.

The author is Lance Cole. Lance is an automotive and aviation writer based in the UK and would be known by Saab enthusiasts in particular for his book, Saab 99 and 900: The Complete Story. The book is an essential read for the 99 and 900 enthusiast and that link will take you to Amazon, where it is still available for sale and available on upload for Kindle.

Lance is also working on a new book, which will be called “Saab Cars – The Complete Story” with 300 colour photos and previously unpublished design notes from the history of Saab. The book is due out in 2012 from Crowood Press.

My enduring thanks to Lance for his OK to re-publish this here at Inside Saab. Enjoy.

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Old aeroplanes smell, every classic aviation enthusiast knows that. Sit in a Spitfire or a Messerchmitt 109 and the patina of leather, aluminium, bakelite plastic, oil, grease, and canvas, lends a tangible reek, an actual smell.

The same whiff pervades the interiors of Catalina flying boats, Lancasters, Douglas DC 3s and just about any old aeroplane. Even old, first generation jetliners have a smell – think Boeing 707 or Comet or Caravelle or VC10.

When it comes to cars however, the smell thing seems less defined.

Yes, classic 1930s race cars reek, so too do 1960s Alfas, Lancias and Morris Minors. But some cars have no smell at all – not even old ones; when did you last scratch and sniff a 1980s Honda or a plastic lined Ford hatchback – you didn’t because they don’t pong.

All of which begs the questions – why do old Saabs have that unique, special, Saab-only smell – and what is it? And is it something to do with aviation?

To answer the questions, I took my mind way back to days of yore, When Saabs were Saabs and Abba were gold.

My first car was bought in 1981 and was a 1968 early model steel bumpered, Saab 99 two door (well it would be for 1968). It had that lovely cockpit style fascia with a top roll coaming that arced back into the door side panels. The clock was off a 96 and there was chrome detailing on the seatbelt buckles and some very fungal vinyl in the cabin.

Above all, there was the smell: The car had this really strong pong – and it smelt just like my grandad’s Auster light aircraft – a sort of vintage eau d’ armpit mixed with stale canvas, cigar, oak, horsehair, alloy and an air of classic French polished woodwork.

The Saab smelled.

Continue reading The Saab Smell. A personal tale of odour by Lance Cole

Saab Club meet in Toronto, Canada

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!