Forgive me, but I’ll start with a bit of reading I didn’t like. Analysts. I’m so over reading thoughts from analysts.
Auto industry analysts in Sweden said car company Saab looked to be on its last legs.
Actually, it’s analysts from all over the place, not just in Sweden.
No analyst wants to be on the wrong side of an issue and everyone wants to get their name (or their firm’s name) in the paper so they look like “the man”. Right now the issue is the state of Saab and we have a massive target on our backs.
Here’s the thing, though. The same people were making the same predictions about us back in late 2009, when GM said they would close our doors. We’re still here, and if the people who work at Saab have anything to do with the decision, then we’ll still be here in five, ten, twenty years and more from now.
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In contrast to all the doomsayers out there, BNET has an article that looks at the various rays of hope emerging in the last weeks.
Good to see someone bucking the trend and seeing the threads that are tying things together here in Trollhattan.
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In a similar vein, TTELA journalist Valdemar Lönnroth took a look at the five reasons, both positive and negative, why Saab will survive or perish in the near term. (in Swedish)
TTELA is always recommended reading for issues to do with Saab. They’re local, well connected and quite objective when it comes to Saab coverage. And Valdemar….. we’ll be OK.
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It was nice to see our recent news about the Top Safety Pick award for the Saab 9-4x making the rounds. This, from Motor Trend.
The IIHS tested the Saab 9-4x for frontal offset, side impact, and rear crash performance; the 9-4x earned “Good” ratings in all tests, the Institute’s highest mark. The IIHS also gave the 9-4x a “Good” rating for rollover protection and roof strength. The 9-4x also comes standard with Electronic Stability Control (ESP), which is a requirement for all Top Safety Picks.
In the words of the hokey-pokey: That what it’s all about.
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Speaking of the Saab 9-4x, enthusiast website Saabs United got photos of what could well be the first Saab 9-4x delivery over the weekend.
The car was a fully loaded black Aero, purchased from Saab of North Olmstead, in Ohio.
I had a Premium [model] on order, but the dealer (Saab in North Olmsted Ohio) received their first one yesterday – a black Aero, fully loaded. I put my butt into the seat, looked around and bought it on the spot before even driving it.
If other dealers would like to dispute this “first” claim, please get in touch and send along your photographic proof 🙂
There are photos of the car at the Saabs United link, above. It looks fantastic, and I’d like to pass on my congratulations and appreciation to the new owner.
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German website Saabblog.net takes an enjoyable look into the crystal ball to see what will be happening at Saab in 2017.
Great vision! I’m not sure about how much of that can/will get done, but there’s a good deal of stuff there that’s well reasoned and do-able. And what excited me even more was the fact that this came out of Germany, where we need to build a bigger presence. It’s always great to see some more German Saab fans getting engaged in things.
We wait and see.
And thanks to my mate RedJ for the tip.
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And finally, my feeds have been blowing up this week over stories from Fashion Week and the designer, Elie Saab. Apparently he’s released a new fragrance as well as a whole bunch of new clothing (which everyone seems to rave about).
A few years ago, a friend of mine from England (and Saab 99 and 900 book author) named Lance Cole wrote a spendid piece on the (original) Saab Smell.
It’s highly recommended reading (link to a copied version on SaabScene as my old website, Trollhattan Saab, seems to be having a hard time at the moment).
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