All Entries in the "SAAB" Category
Swade + Swedish Car Day
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: Steven Wade about to enjoy a Saab Sonett II
ONE of the great pleasures of writing automotive drivel content for the net is connecting with other automotive aficionados from far and wide. They don’t come further than fellow scribe and Tazmanian denizen Steven Wade a.k.a. “Swade” from SaabsUnited.com.
Steven and his Tennessean cohort Mike a.k.a. “Eggs ‘n Grits” have been good friends and their writings for the Saab community are now the stuff of web legend. And it was fun chewing the fat with them over sausages and hamburgers Saturday night.
Swade and Eggs were both present in the Boston metro area for Swedish Car Day, an annual gathering of the Volvo and Saab Party Faithful at the Larz Andersson Auto Museum hosted by the nation’s oldest Saab dealer – Charles River Saab.
At Sunday’s Svenska service, Swade gave an address to the congregation on the state of Saab – which in the marque’s current state of independence from GM is in a critical moment of do or die.
GM Posts Q1 Profit. Sign of Brighter Days Ahead?
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: GM posts profit
LOVE or hate the General and its tightened stable of four core brands, it seems universally encouraging that the automotive sector and GM that the car company propped up by American and Canadian tax dollars is turning a profit rather than bleeding more red. A sign of brighter days ahead?
According to GM: [our] first quarter adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was $1.7 billion, after adjusting for the favorable impact of the sale of the Saab brand.
That means $865 million Q1 profit, according to the BBC and GM’s press release.
Regarding the Saab sale, Saab CEO has said GM sold the Swedish car maker to Spyker for about $74 million. That figure differs from GM’s which is stated at $123 million.
Around that same period, Beijing Automotive paid $200 million for the old 9-3 and 9-5 assemblies which according to SaabSpyker CEO Victor Muller were funds that Saab banked – not former parent company GM.
This suggests that the General is gaining ground on the back of a stronger product line.
The 2010 Saab 9-5 Costs How Much??
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Saab Cars ::: 2010 Saab 9-5
FORTY-NINE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED NINETY DOLLARS. Saab’s new management has set an ambitious price point for the brand-new 9-5 Aero, the sedan that will be the first new Saab model on US soil since GM repacked an Opel sedan and called it the 9-3 all those moons ago.
Edmunds’ Michelle Krebs helpfully (or cynically?) points out that the significant price tag makes Saab’s V6 powered flagship more expensive than the all-new 2011 BMW 5-Series, the current Cadillac CTS, and the Lexus GS350.
To say nothing of used V8 versions of those rival marques.
Our fair Tasmanian fellow Swade from SaabsUnited valiantly counters that the 9-5 V6 comes to jaded America fully-stocked and that initially the sedan will be aimed solely at wealthier buyers.
Setting the new bar, so to speak.
Further, let’s keep in mind that America’s luxury car market is more fickle than an Independent congressman during election year and that us New English love us some Swedish cars and with these two factors combined Saab’s got a few thousand orders in the bag… surely.
Maybe. Hopefully. Heaven knows, Saab needs a strong first impression. And to bring the fully loaded (and quite promising) 9-5 V6 to market first tells us that Saab Co. knows that its up against fierce competition.
But dispiritingly, this loft positioning also signals that Saab remains distant to its more modest (and more lucrative) roots. Ten years ago, the 9-5 V6 started at $31K. The four banger started in the high 20s.
Then 25 years ago, those halcyon 900 Turbo days when Saab treated us to a turbo spooled hatchback that was cool, comfortable, crisp driving, and easy-on-the-wallet.
To wit: the 900 was beyond class. Saab’s hatchback was versatile enough for a camping trip as it was dashing enough to pull up to the country club’s valet without shame.
The 9-5 maintains the marque’s loft aspirations at a time when people who shop Ikea are looking for chic-value. That makes crossovers and MINI-type cars a hit. Saab’s aiming for the Bang & Olufsen crowd – and it’s just not there – yet.
While we must remember that Saab Co. is peddling all that its got right now – what its got, just isn’t enough. And at $50K, is much too far a reach for all but the most deeply pocketed and deeply committed Saab aficionados.
One Writer’s Take On Building The Perfect Car That Makes A Lot of Sense
by Gunnar Heinrich
“SWADE” over @ SaabsUnited.com posted a recent article titled, “Things I’d like to hear from a car manufacturer (Saab) just once.”
Needless to say, Mr. Wade’s post has less to do with marketing jargon and more to do with building his rendition of the perfect Saab (or car) in light of the news that it’s looking more and more likely that Saab is going to bring back the hot hatch.
A snippet:
Your eyes can sense rain on the windscreen and your fingers can quickly extend from the beautiful sports steering wheel to flick the solid, new and very high-quality stalk used to operate the wipers. Because you shouldn’t drink and drive actively, there are no cupholders. Because you most likely have a smartphone with navigation, there’s no big fat screen to distract you and because you probably digitise your music, there’s just a radio with a USB port. It’s right next to the quite simple climate control interface that gives one temperature for the whole cabin. Do you really need it to be 2 degrees warmer just 12 inches to the left in a small car?
Our good fellow Saab aficionado also went on to mention his perfect 9-2 would be lightweight, feature a small 230 hp four banger, and offer the option to nix all electronic safety nannies at the flick of a switch.
Sounds like a Lotus, an original 911, or a de-contented MINI to me.
Or an old school 900 (*sigh*). His post brings to the fore what’s needed more and more in the automotive world – cars that deliver not so much insulated cabins with mega horsepower, but sensational driving experiences by keeping drivers in-tune with the mechanics of the machine.
A lovely premise.
The Sweet Smell of Luxury: That New Car Scent
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Land Rover ::: new car leather scent
VOLATILE organic compounds or (VOCs) are what account for most of that heady scent each and every time you step into a new car. Essentially, that new car smell is a perfume of air born molecules emitting from freshly applied glues, plastics, vinyls and, of course, leather.
For some, that new car – leather smell is a kind of aphrodisiac. Or at least was.
In an effort to be environmentally friendly, car makers are cutting back on VOCs as a way of preempting EU safety nannies; eager to levy taxes on anything deemed unhealthy or un-green.
The result is kind of sad for the auto aficionado as most of those blissful scents of new hide bound interiors are gone or subdued from contemporary cars.
Sigh. Let’s wind back the clock 10 years to headier times with lovelier bouquets. The following were the best new car leather scents in the biz.
6) Lexus
5) Saab
4) Land Rover / Range Rover
3) Volvo
2) BMW
1) Jaguar
Find yourself inside a new RX300 back in 2000 and the smooth hides seemed to embrace you in a buttery aroma so rich you couldn’t believe it wasn’t. And, in fact, you did salivate.
Saab’s 9-3 convertible and hatchback featured hides that awakened our nasal senses with tea-tree oil and perhaps a bit of eucalyptus. Sub. Lime.
Land Rovers and Range Rover came fitted with a thick musk as standard equipment which seemed to espouse the very essence of the great outdoors as catered for by Abercrombie & Kent. Decadent.
Volvo’s leather once emitted a luxurious perfume, so full yet zesty like the Saab. A V70’s interior was an uncommonly decadent space, considering the safety focused Swedish company that marketed its models to a decidedly pragmatic clientele.
BMWs through the 90s into the early 00s seemed to lace their hides with pheromones, particularly if you opted for special edition Montana leather packages. The electricity was in the air even before you turned the ignition.
But, by far, the finest scent ever produced for any automobile was the AutoLux hides produced for the Jaguar Vanden Plas (Daimler) by Connolly. Easily trumping Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari and vastly superior to the deluxe interior packages of the current XJ. Those piped hides emited a peerlessly rich, luxuriant bouquet that seemed to permeate life’s finest ingredients.
Picture it: reposing in the rear seat, leather soles meeting the soft cushion of deep pile Wilton carpeting, gazing through the stretched window framed in chrome and boxwood and breathing in the most heavenly automotive scent ever created.
Connolly should’ve bottled that essence and sold it next to Gio and Cool Water. Magnificent.
End of an Era: Last Saab 9-5 Built.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via SaabsUnited
YESTERDAY marked a bittersweet moment for many at the Saab factory in Trollhattan, Sweden.
According to SaabsUnited, the 483,593th Saab 9-5 – in wagon form – rolled off the assembly line and into the welcoming care of the Saab museum. The 9-5 series of sedans and wagons (more mainstream successors to Saab’s beloved if truly quirky 9000 five-doors) stood as Saab’s only link to its true, pre-GM-buyout soul.
A decade old, the 9-5 nonetheless maintained a high degree of safety and comfort through its tenure as Saab’s defacto flagship.
The automotive community can credit the 9-5 for several pioneering innovations: including active safety headrests that tilt forward in a collision to prevent occupant whiplash; and electrically fan-cooled seats, which Mercedes-Benz later implemented in the W220 S-Class in 2000.
The 9-5’s overdue replacement is set for launch later this year, allowing us to pause and give credit to the 9-5 for maintaining Saab’s Svenska authenticity in a decade that saw the 9-3 transformed into a generic, Opel platformed sedan, the 9-2X “Saabaru”, and that rat-bastard step-child 9-7X; a GMC Jimmy with a Saab badge and center console mounted key ignition.
It’s almost a shame that the 9-5’s assembly, tools, and trade-info were sold to the Chinese in a kind of garage sale last autumn. Still, Chinese consumers stand to benefit- for anything based on the 9-5 will stand up in the marketplace as a solid car.
After Spike, Spyker Shares Drift Back To Earth
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG LensOnLeeuwenhoek.net
INVESTORS, it seems, were looking to make a quick buck euro.
As of Friday, Jan. 22nd, one share of Spyker Cars, NV (AMS: SPYKR) could be had publicly for 2.15. Fast forward to Monday’s close, and the stock was up again to 3.80 on much higher volume due to rumors that Spyker could clinch a deal with GM to buy Saab.
On Tuesday, share price rose again and then settled at 3.91 before the exchange halted trading in advance of the announcement that Spyker had, in fact, pulled off the deal.
When trading resumed on Wednesday, the price peaked at 6.80 a share before some investors rushed to sell; for some that meant locking in a gain of more than 200%. The sell off dropped the share price to 5.21 before rallying again to 5.75.
But as financial reports from Bloomberg and others have started trickling in on the enormity of the hurdles Spyker faces in revitalizing Saab, as of this article’s posting, Spyker’s price now stands at 4.05 per share on a day when the stock’s price started at 5.14 a share.
Historically, those who invested in Spyker’s initial public offering back in ‘04 are still seeing red: that offer was 14.83 per share. But there is a positive note: if the past any indicator, there could be stronger highs in the future.
Spyker’s stock peaked to an all-time high in April, 2006 @ 22.35 a share.
[Source: Google Finance]
For Profit: Spyker Shifted Production From Zeewolde Last Year; The Same For Trollhattan In The Future?
By Gunnar Heinrich
FUNNY, I thought Britons went to Holland to buy cars and not vice versa.
Not with the current weak sterling to strong euro exchange rate which was, apparently, part of Spyker CEO Victor Muller’s decision to up manufacturing from the now-well-publicized Zeewolde, Netherlands to Coventry (home of Jaguar).
The Dutch flight to Albion had to do with business logistics and to “secure the future of our business,” Mr. Muller told the Telegraph. Spyker will be moved near its main supplier CPP Manufacturing.
The November 20th, 2009 press release echoed this rationale:
“By relocating its assembly lines from Zeewolde to Coventry, Spyker will achieve considerable improvements in efficiency and substantial cost-reductions [...] With approximately half our vehicles’ parts and components sourced from the UK, and virtually all key suppliers being located there, moving closer to our suppliers and engineering partners will result in substantial savings and tangible efficiency improvements.“
In a few years time, might we anticipate the same from Spyker management in moving more of Saab manufacturing from pricey Trollhattan? It’s reported that 45 out of 135 Dutch jobs were lost in the jump to Old Blighty.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
Spyker: To See Profit, Saab Must Sell 100,000 of These Every Year
By Gunnar Heinrich
BUSINESSWEEK reported that Spyker is thinking that for Saab to see profits the Swedish-Dutch car maker will have to manufacture (and hopefully sell) 100,000 units per year.
Can this be done?
By virtue of Businessweek’s own reporting, Saab sold 90K cars worldwide as early as 2008 and 120K cars in 2007, respectively.
So yes, if history is any guarantor, the 100K production figure is possible; provided parts pipelines flow smooth like e85.
But according to the BBC, Saab has not seen a profit since F.Y. 2001.
So, assuming that a) the economic conditions continue to improve into 2011 and that b) Saab’s production, marketing, and sales networks will all be in synch so that new 9-5s and 9-4Xs are hitting the streets en masse, SaabSpyker would still be deep in the hole even if it met its own production projections.
It isn’t readily conceivable how Spyker’s new/old entity can can build Saabs at less cost than GM which forced Saab to share platforms and design solutions with other divisions such as Opel.
To boot, Spyker must pay the General for many of its goods and services (read: parts) to Saab which will surely raise the company’s overhead. This, despite GM’s new status as SpykerSaab’s largest minority shareholder.
Short of outsourcing production to, say, Poland (à la Fiat) which would violate the Swedish government’s terms for backing Spyker’s acquisition loan, SaabSpyker will have to do some very inventive math to squeeze the efficiency out of an enterprise that spent the last decade hemorrhaging money.
All that gloom aside, if Victor Muller, Spyker’s tenacious Dutch CEO, was able to pull off this deal with GM despite incredible odds, surely we can’t rule out a second miracle: Saab’s return to sustainable profitability.
