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Press Centre > CAPtivate > CAP Blog
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Oct
21
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
 Knut Simonsson, head of Saab, told us that it had been a tough time in the past few months but now a new owner has been found for the company, it could only get better. The deal will be signed in the next 2 to 4 weeks and the Swedish government will guarantee the loans. He said that 34 different companies had expressed an interest in buying the company, all of whom wanted a share of a small company with a big brand.All new Saab models will now be built in Sweden, with the production of the 9-3 Convertible moving from Graz in Austria back to Trollhatten. Knut said that this is the ‘home coming’ of Saab and that it is going back where it belongs. There will be reconstruction under the new owner and they are now in a position to speak to new suppliers to get the best components at the best price.
Mr Simonsson told us that hybrid versions were in the pipeline and four all new models would be introduced in the next 18 months and said that these new models were badly needed. From the conversation we understand that there will be no smaller cars to compete with Audi A3 or BMW 1 Series.
 The covers were pulled off of the 9-5 and he looked at the new car and said ‘I like it because I am paid to like it’.
Simon Padian, Saab’s design chief, showed us around his creation and said he had kept the design simple with no unnecessary detail. It has flowing lines and has Saab signature front lights. Simon kept mentioning the ‘ice block theme’ in the styling, but this lost me! The door mirrors are two tone, with the top half being black and the bottom body colour and this does work well. At the bottom of the front wings there is a small grille that neither looks attractive, nor has any useful purpose. It is there for show but this doesn’t work at all; it would have been better to leave it off.
The interior has the look and feel of quality, with some nice features. All the seats are comfortable, especially the two outer ones in the rear, and there is plenty of legroom. The centre of the rear seat is not so comfortable and could not be used on a long journey as it is just simply too hard. The centre armrest sticks into your back but this could be said of most cars in this upper medium, premium sector.
 Is Saab in the prestigious sector and should it be mentioned in the same breath? Should it be a competitor in the premium segment alongside the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes Benz E Class? So many manufacturers want to be classed alongside these marques but they are just not taken seriously. The new 9-5 I am sure will be a competent car as it will drive well, have reasonable handling and the build quality will be excellent. However, will it really be on the shopping list alongside some real premium cars? Saab can only dream of being up there with the big boys and so far in their history they have fallen short of achieving this. They hope the new car will change the perception of buyers and the image will rise but after many years of being part of General Motors, their cars are regarded as ‘posh Vectra’s’ and with the new 9-5 sharing some parts with other GM cars, it might be regarded now as a ‘posh Insignia’. The break away from GM may help to build a new brand but this will not happen overnight.
The new 9-5 goes on sale next spring. No prices or specifications have been announced yet but it is expected to be similar to the Audi A6. Engines available at launch will include: a 1.6 litre turbo petrol 180hp, 2.0 litre TD diesel in 160hp or 190hp and a 2.8 litre turbo V6 petrol.
I asked Knut if they intended to keep the badging policy that nobody understands: Vector, Linear and Aero. He said he understood the confusion but he thought they would remain. To me that is a mistake as they need to keep the badging policy simple.
Mike Harrison, brand manager for Saab, concluded the event by saying that the new 9-5 is the best driver’s car ever from Saab.
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