Filed under: Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab
Achtung! GM will build Saabs outside Sweden next year
The Saab faithful have seen their beloved brand play host to both a rebadged Subaru Impreza in the 9-2x and GMT 360 SUV in the 9-7x in recent years. Those two chapters in Saab history came after many of the brand's aficionados said it had lost its original identity under GM's stewardship. Today we have news that will surely drive some of the remaining Saab diehards right over the edge.
Starting in 2008, we will see Saab automobile production begin in Germany at the Russelheim plant alongside the next-gen Opel Vectra, with which the Saabs will share architecture. No specific Saab model or models have been named at this point. This is part of GM's master plan to globally integrate vehicle production. The practice is already visible in places like Delaware, where the Opel GT is built alongside its English-speaking clones, the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice, and as the General continues the shift to more truly global platforms, we'll probably see more moves like this happen along they way.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave 2:08PM (4/02/2007)
Good, maybe some of that Teutonic flavor will seep into the cheap-ass interior (my only complaint with my 9-3 Arc) ...
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antrow 2:10PM (4/02/2007)
Saab will have lost what little identity it had left. On a positive note, maybe the new GM rebadges will be better built then my current 2006 9-3.
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iQuack 2:15PM (4/02/2007)
GM still has too many brands and the weak ones would be best discontinued or folded into stronger brands (without badge-engineering) so they stand a chance of making a profit.
Saabs are good cars, but the brand has been dead for years, so it's about time GM finally buried the corpse.
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Dave 2:24PM (4/02/2007)
Okay, yeah, so the rattles stink, too (mine is an '03--just wait, iQuack).
But I disagree with #2 there about burying the corpse. There is still a lot of life left in Saab if GM could just keep is separate from its more pedestrian offerings. The 9-3 is not a G6--it should not be positioned as such, and therefore needs a heavy dose of luxury to be taken seriously.
It already has the styling and most of the amenities. And while it doesn't handle like a 3-series, it's not supposed to; it has its own personality--light on its feet, zippy ... fast and frugal at the same time. We're all mourning the loss of the hatchback, but that doesn't mean GM doesn't have a good car on their hands--one that could be distinct in all the right ways (luxurious and sporty) and none of the wrong ways (torque steer, rattles) if they pay some attention.
Volvo is a great example of what to do with a quirky brand--how did Ford get it right, while GM ignores a marque with huge potential?
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Jason 2:29PM (4/02/2007)
The ignition key is between the seats. That's all Saab has left. The Saabaru and the Saab Trailblazer saw to that.
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DPC car videos 2:49PM (4/02/2007)
I used to own a Saab about 10 years ago, owning one to be different. Mechanically it was awesome, the problem was the interior turned into paper towel and was falling apart fast. Maybe GM will fix this issue if they haven't already done so.
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DPCcars
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Bebee 2:53PM (4/02/2007)
Saab has been a walking corpse since late 90s. It is hard to see Saabaru's and Trailblazer as Saabs. Now, it seems like GM is going to make Saturaab. But why would anyone purchase an overpriced Saturn/Opel with 10-12 year-old design, when the same money (more or less) will get you brand new Merc, BMW, Audi, Acura, Infinity and Lexus?
GM has to either kill the brand, or let it be the brand, not a badge-engineering creation with outdated design.
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saaaaaab 2:58PM (4/02/2007)
my 1977 Saab 99 was made in finland.
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Mattlach 3:02PM (4/02/2007)
#5 Jason
I challenge you to try driving the Saab 9-3 and it's platform sibling the Chevy Malibu side by side some time. I'm willing to wager you wouldn't say the same things if you did.
The Saab is a completely different car with better handling characteristics, more power and a more upscale appearance.
I do agree that GM has too many brands that compete for the same market segment, but Saab isn't one of them.
Pontiac/Chevy/Saturn are all pretty much in the same area, and it makes no sense to keep all three of these brands. Kill two. Buick is a waste as well. They do nothing here they couldn't do in other areas.
My suggestion:
- Keep one budget U.S. brand. (Choose Pontiac, Chevy or Saturn for this)
- Keep one budget Euro brand (Opel)
- Use Cadillac for an upscale American brand.
- Use Saab as a sporting upscale Euro brand
- Scrap Buick. It serves no purpose.
- Scrap GMC. The trucks are built under different names in the other brands anyway. (Either this, or stop building clones of GMC trucks under every other brand.
This should lead to a more balanced lineup.
The degradation in interior quality is a valid complaint. The current generation saabs have lesser interior quality and materials than do my 2001 9-5 Aero, but that is something that could easily be fixed.
Saab could easily be a brand that competes with Audi if GM was willing to give Trollhattan the funding to do so. Instead they are making terrible decisions like dumping tons of money on trying to sell Cadillacs in Europe. A concept that can be considered failed before it even goes into full force.
They started out on the right foot by helping saab develop the current gen 9-5, which got rave reviews when it was launched in 1998, but unfortunately they just haven't kept it up, and the brand has stagnated.
I'm excited to see what AWD and more powerful engines will do to the 9-3 lineup in 2008. Maybe they are finally going in the right direction, even though it is very sad to see Saabs built alongside Opels.
While the 2008 AWD 9-3's won't be S4 competitors off the bat, they are going in the right direction.
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marc 3:18PM (4/02/2007)
All you here talking negatively about Saab forget just 1 tiny little detail. All the negative things you say about Saab happened since GM owns it. GM is just good at one thing:assimilating other brands instead of letting them keep their identity.
The only corps here is that of GM. Problem is it will take very beautiful brands with it into its grave. I think the American car industry is dead, they just don't know it yet.
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Dave 3:22PM (4/02/2007)
Marc (#11), I think even the people who are saying positive things about Saab know that it still hasn't been the same since GM owned it ...
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Nick 3:25PM (4/02/2007)
What's up with the Achtung? They don't speak German in Sweeden...
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naggs 3:30PM (4/02/2007)
saab cant survive on its base, it has to move on to find new customers. the traditionalist will cry but if the brand is to survive it must evolve.
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aluten 3:58PM (4/02/2007)
Ok, let's let Saab remain true to its roots. Look where that got them. If GM didn't buy them, there would be no Saab.
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M. 4:06PM (4/02/2007)
Saab's decline started when they shared bodies with Fiat (Croma) and Alfa Romeo (164) -- even doors were interchangeable. It continued with the use of GMs platforms. Volvo now shows us how to build great expensive cars on Focus platforms.
Regarding the development in the last 10 years it is amazing that now with mediocre quality and just two models Saab still has a good repution. GM should use this reputation for three new models: a Astra sized competitor for the Volvo C30, a Vectra sized successor of the 9-3 and another model above the 9-3. FWD + AWD would fit Saabs image so using a longer wider Vectra platform would be OK. And why no cabriolet with foldable hardtop or a SUV that clearly is a Saab? Ford managed it with Volvo so GM should be able to do the same with Saab.
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SilverAero 6:19PM (4/02/2007)
GM needs to quit dragging saab around like a trailer without wheels. It needs properfunding and a short leash, the swedes know the saab heritage and want to bring it back but the Bank of GM won't let them. Saab will be the last GM complany to get turned around, let hope their is somthing left when that time comes.
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Anthony Albertus 6:35PM (4/02/2007)
I have a 2006 Saab 9-5 wagon.. my second one after years of troublesome Volvos. It is fantastic but not perfect car, but there are merits to this vehicle which others can't match.
I wanted a new big-ish wagon last year and was willing to pay to get what I wanted. I looked at the MB E350. Cheap un-folding mirrors like a Matrix, horrible reliability, for $58,000. BMW 5 Series wagon is lovely. Fast, comfortable, with $1.99 cupholders and a German-nerd iCrash system that doesn't let you do presets on the radio. Insane.. plus you're trapped into AWD, which I couldn't care less for. The Audi A6 is wider than a semi, reminds me of a Pacer has no temematics, cheap sloaping folding seats.. and both the BMW and Audi were in the mid $56k zone as well. Fine.. but when you can get a great, fast, economical, stealth Saab 9-5 for $34k (with discounts natch), it's harder to appreciate the delicate differences in these wagons. Saab doesn't really need to be built in Sweden.. just as the Z4/X5/X3/ML/RL etc don't need to be built in Germany. However, it does need to remain competitive.
The Saab niche should be modern/eco/turbo/safety/luxury/communications oriented. I concur that GM needs to really fertilize the soil that grows Saab.. and it will bloom -big time.
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Dr. Drive 11:09PM (4/02/2007)
Can somebody please buy SAAB from GM and treat SAAB as it should be treated? Luts can't even draw a SAAB! He drew the next Caddy!
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lab51 7:02AM (4/03/2007)
Bravo Anthony Albertus; that's one of the more intelligent posts I've read on Autoblog... Ah, the pause that refreshes.
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Leo 7:11AM (4/03/2007)
Post #13 -- That Achtung is there because some of the cars are going to be made in Germany and not for any reason. It just means Attention/Watch Out in German.
Saab is definitely not a dead brand! GM is the crappy company that is dead and has been supporting the Saab brand kind of half-assedly (new word). They need to gain their focus back and bring back the good ol days.
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