Saab’s reinvention under Spyker continues to go full steam ahead with a new commercial for the brand’s new flagship sedan, the 2010 9-5. The car, which is expected to make its way to dealerships in the coming months, is already being aggressively hyped by Saab as it aims to, once and for all, turn the corner after a year that saw the company come this close to being axed by General Motors.
Saab hopes that the 2010 9-5 will be the first of many Saab vehicles that will slowly inch its way back into the US market in the foreseeable future. Judging by how we’ve pegged the 2010 9-5, these guys are off to a good and promising start. Let’s all hope that they keep the momentum going from here on out.
As a reminder, the Saab 9-5 comes with a range of engines beginning with a 1.6-liter engine that can produce up to 180 hp and ending with a 2.8-liter turbo V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 hp. All engine choices come with a six speed transmission in a stick-shift or semi-automatic.
Many have thought that Spyker’s purchase of Saab was done solely for the purpose of saving the beleaguered Swedish brand from getting its head chopped off. Turns out, there’s more to this than meets the eye.
According to Bloomberg, Spyker may be looking at the prospect of increasing, possibly even doubling, their dealerships all over the world by using Saab’s vast network to channel those rare Spyker machines to a bigger market. That’s great news for us, especially since Spyker has never been known as a high-volume manufacturer.
Currently, Spyker has 35 dealerships all over the world while only producing roughly the same amount, maybe a little higher, of Spyker cars in a year. Now that they have new networks to explore, Spyker is toying with the idea of not only increasing their dealerships to about 60 on the planet, but also ramping up more units to sell as a result of the increased options available to them.
Even though its far from a confirmed report, we’ll be the first to tell you that we can never have enough of those C8 Ailerons prowling the streets of the world.
According to Autoblog, Saab is looking at a few performance parts to help raise its standing with automotive enthusiasts, albeit in a limited fashion. Sources inside the Swedish automaker are reporting that the company is looking to upgrade the performance of the 9-3 and the new 9-5. Yet, despite their performance desires, Saab is tied down by an agreement signed with Saab’s previous owner that laid down a chapter-and-verse about what kind of power Saabs should have under the hood.
"We can’t modify these licensed architectures in such a way that it will compete with General Motors products," said the insider to Autoblog.
So, power from the company is out, so Saab is seeking other ways to go about upping performance.
Saab has been in talks with leading European Saab tuner Hirsch Performance AG to develop new dealer-installed performance parts. These performance Saabs would be on sale in North American and other markets. Since Hirsch is not a well-known name, Saab is debating on how to go about marketing these upgrades.
Dealer installed improvements should include ECU upgrades, aero kits, brakes, exhaust systems, and a few other modifications.
Remember that cute little Saab 92 that littered the streets back in the 1950s? Well, if Victor Muller gets his wish, we might be seeing more of them in the near future.
According to a telephone interview done by Bloomberg, the Saab CEO is pushing for a revival of one of the brand’s most iconic cars and is doing his part in talking with a number of different automakers in negotiating to share technology and develop a new platform for the modern day 92.
Despite confirming their plans for a 92 revival, Muller is keeping mum on who the brand has been negotiating with, saying only that "discussions are already ongoing". And in the event that everything pushes through, Saab’s "old-new" car should come back for quite a revival in the next two to three years as it gears up for a full-scale war with MINI, the Audi A1 and the Fiat 500.
Spyker’s purchase of Saab certainly came with its fair share of risks and the Swedish supercar maker is optimistic that the short-term risks would eventually yield to long-term gains.
Now that Saab is in the fold, Spyker aims to increase their production total from about 50 cars per year under their own brand to somewhere in the thousands range through the Saab brand they purchased from General Motors. As it stands, Saab is being kept afloat through loans from the European Investment Board and funds it received from selling some of its assets to Beijing Automotive Works.
In the long run, Spyker is pegging a number of 80,000 to 85,000 vehicles sold annually for the next few years so that it can dig itself out of the proverbial red ink hole it’s currently in. According to Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson, the brand is confident that it could reach those figures sometime in the next few years - possibly as early as the latter part of 2011 - and eventually, reach somewhere around 125,000 units sold annually thereafter.
That’s their version of a light at the end of the tunnel.
Now that Saab is under Spyker ownership, things look like they are going to be changing a bit for the Swedish company. Proof of that will come in the shape of the new generation 9-3 to be unveiled sometime in 2012.
The new generation 9-3 will use the same techniques as the new 9-5 and the design will be inspired by the Saab Aero-X concept which is a pretty interesting and innovative concept in its own regard. We have to say, we have been not-so-patiently waiting for this concept to see the light of day in a production car. Under the hood there will be the same engine line-up, but it will feature more improvements in order to offer better consumption and fuel economy reduction.
Saab’s new 9-3 will need to have a helluva lineup in order to regain some of the market it has lost during its tumultuous times. We can only assume this is why Saab has opted to bring back the hatchback. Hatchbacks seems to be pretty trendy nowadays (don’t ask us why; we don’t see the attraction) so choosing to bring back the 5-door might give them a spot in this little niche.
Imagine the dread felt by Saab fans when their favorite car brand came this close to being shut down. "What?! No more Saab Festival?!"
That came very close to happening, too. Fortunately, Spyker came to the rescue, saving Saab from fading into obscurity by taking the Swedish brand off of the hands of General Motors.. Now that Saab is alive and well, the 2010 Saab Festival is likewise healthy and ready to blast-off.
For the first time since switching parent companies, Saab will be hosting the 2010 Saab Festival at the brand’s stomping grounds in Trollhättan, Sweden, from July 15 to 18, 2010. Among the scheduled events expected to take place in the four-day affair is the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Saab 96, including the three RAC Rally triumphs it enjoyed during its peak in the 60’s. In addition to giving Saab fans a chance to take a trip down memory lane, Saab will also afford them the opportunity to catch glimpses of the future of Saab, including the all-new 9-5 sedan, which is expected to be one of the event’s highlight displays.
According to Jan Åke Jonsson, CEO of Saab Automobile, this year’s event is especially important given that the brand is starting with a clean slate under a new parent company. "Many Saab fans around the world demonstrated great support for Saab during the sale negotiations and we are delighted to take this opportunity of showing our appreciation," he said.
If you’re a Saab fan, we suggest you mark your calendars and should time and money permit, hop on a plane to Sweden to enjoy the festivities with your brethren. It should be a lot of fun.
Saab’s new 2010 9-5 sedan has been a regular fixture in so many auto shows, we couldn’t even count them anymore. Despite its continued presence, we’ve yet to see the new 9-5’s five-door variant - a 9-5 SportsCombi or a 9-5 Estate, whichever you prefer.
Then, straight from a brochure, or maybe a line-up presentation, comes this image, albeit blurry, of what looks to be the Saab we’ve been waiting quite a while for. While there hasn’t been any announcements from Saab regarding this potential five-door vehicle, we’re still free to speculate, right?
So, we’re speculating that this could very well be the new 9-5 Estate and, should our hunch prove to be right, this ride feeds into our high expectations of the car quite well. We’re just hoping that Saab sheds some light on this matter, even if it’s just a sliver of what we can expect.
Or maybe this is already it, at which we’d like to ask you folks to give your two cents on the car. Neigh or Hey?
It wasn’t too long ago when Saab was perilously close to getting its head chopped off. Now, they’re releasing a new online configurator for the 2010 9-5 sedan. What a difference a change in ownership makes, huh?
The Swedish brand just came out with a configurator on their website for the 9-5 and, while it’s not as extensive as other configurators we’ve played with in the past, it’s still better than having nothing. Nothing being what Saab had at the beginning of the year.
The configurator currently only allows you to tweak colors and the wheels on the car, but the full version of the configurator will be up soon. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for this, which isn’t really that bad of an alternative, especially if you’re someone who may be interested in scooping one up in the future.
The new Saab 9-5 Sedan marks an all-new era for Saab. It is not only the first model revealed after the Swedish brand went under Koenigsegg’s ownership, but it also comes with a new design, inspired by both Aero X and Saab heritage. The all-new Saab 9-5 Sedan will make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show with sales to start later in model year 2010.
For the new 9-5 sedan, the front is inspired by the Aero-X Concept of a deep grille flanked with curving, ice-block headlamp units. The entire glasshouse is presented as a ‘wraparound’ mono graphic, the disguised windshield and side pillars giving the cabin Saab’s signature cockpit look. Squint slightly and the proportions of the windshield and roof become reminiscent of the classic 900 model.
The car comes with a variety of engine options with the base model having a 1.6-lite engine that can produce up to 180 hp. On the other end of the spectrum, is a 9-5 that comes with a 2.8-liter turbo V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 hp. While engines may differ depending on which version of the car you get, all 9-5 sedans do come with the same six-speed tranny in either stick-shift or semi-automatic.
The interior comes with all the neat trinkets – including a Harman Kardon surround sound audio system that can be configured and controlled through the touch screen display - that befit a car of this stature.
Updated 04/21/2010: Saab today announced the US prices for the new 9-5 sedan set to arrive in U.S. dealer showrooms in July. The 2.8-liter V6 turbo version is priced at $49,990, while for the 2.0-liter turbo variant customers will have to pay less than $40,000 (this version will be added at a later date). The new 9-5 will be offered with: leather-appointed seats and steering wheel, power front seats with memory settings for the driver’s seat and mirrors, automatic dual-zone air conditioning, a cooled glove box, front and rear interior reading lamps, and 12V outlets in the front console and trunk.
UPDATE 06/03/2010: Check out the new commercial released by Saab for the 2010 9-5 by clicking on the picture above.
UPDATE 06/10/2010: Here’s the next commercial in a series of commercials made to show customers the capabilities and active features of the brand’s new flagship sedan. Check out the next commercial after the jump.
Saab cars
