Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 09:59:30 GMT From: In 't Veld <cintveldnopsam.nl> Subject: Re: The end of Saab as we know it?
> Ok some stuff: > 1. To compete with Mercedes, MBW, and Audi Saab will need to expand their > product line. All three manufacturers have V-8 engines that are truely > Eurpoean in design. European? Those are German. > > 2. Just because some thing is based on a platform, doesn't mean it will be > identical. The 9-3 and the Cadillac Catera are based on the same Opel > platform. Do they look alike? Do they drive alike? No. The Saab 9-3 and the > Saturn LS series share the same engines, but don't perform the same. Hey I'm not stupid or something... off course that is true. The sharing of platforms is just the way to go in car manufacturing. Saab would not be able to survive if it would have stick to their own platforms. > > 3. Mercedes, and BMW have plants in North America, are they still considered > European? Yes. Agree. But, I think Saab is maybe another story. They are still producing just over 200.000 cars (well maybe some more this year) and it is just not comparable to these German manufacturers which produce a very small minority of their cars in other countries. > 4. I love Saabs, but they cannont go on being a car known for its > quirkiness. To survive against the other European manufacturers, it must > compete on all levels of performance and price. Mercedes, BMW, and Audi all > have sedans, coupes, roadsters, and SUV's out or in planning. When I heard > that GM was investing in Saab, I was quite happy. I for one would love to > see a Saab Roadster go against the Audi TT, MB SLK, or BMW z3. Agree. That would be great. > I think Saab needs a V-8 to compete with the Audi A-8, S-series Benz, or > 7-series BMW. > Ford will be doing the same thing with Volvo, and GM must stay compettive. > Remeber these are all European companies. I don't really know whether Ford will be doing the same with Volvo. They are not planning any huge SUVs, V8s, rear-wheel drives or something. I must say Ford is doing pretty well with their Euro-daughters (Volvo, Jag, Aston) they seem to know the European car spirit much more than GM does. If GM needs to build cars like these to stay competitive with the German manufacturors why do they use Saab? Saab has not anything to do with these huge cars. In Europe these cars don't sell, so Saab would only be producing it for the American market... why can't this be under an American GM brand? > 5. Don't assosciate a V-8 Saab with the Caddy behemoths, that is very bad, > almost unnatural. The only people in the US that buy those tanks are senior > citizens, the mafia, the police, or limo companies. (Group politicians in > with the mafia) A well off American will more likely buy a SUV or highend > Japanese\European luxury sedan. Exactly the market GM wants. One more thing > about the big, American cars- Ford has discontinued it large, full size cars > and GM has only two or three of that size model left. True European high-end luxury sedans have a 4,5 or 6 cylinder turbo engine. > 6. Let's e-mail, mail, or call GM: > - The 9-2 could be their roadster, have the 9-3 stay competing with > A-4/3-Series/C-Series etc, the 9-5 going against the A-6/5-Series/E-Series, > and the 9-7 to compete with the A-8/7-series/S-series. > - Make sure we tell them to keep the traits that define a Saab: the key must > stay in the floor, the engine should give the car oompf that Saab's are > famous for, it must should make your pulse excelerate as it excelerates. I suggest you order a Smart. key in the floor and a little oompf... Where would the world be if Saab is only Saab beacouse of this... I mean a car like Saab is not only key in the floor and oompf, it is also superb small engines with high performance, and all those other distinctive things. When they are going to build a rear-drive V8 powered sedan they throw away a lot of the specific Saab things. They don't need to. > 7. Why must Saab expand? To survive, it must. Period. Mmm, original American thinking, eah. Why do you all seem to think Big is so good and smaller companies will not be able to survive? Okey, Saab would be dead without GM, I agree and I am thankfull. But, Saab can be really profitable at 300.000 to 400.000 cars a year. Using GM platforms and materials off course. The bigger companies (Ford, DaimlerChrysler and GM) are not better than smaller ones, they are even having very serious problems lately. One of the nice things of Saab is it's distinctiveness... Every farmer who wins the lottery buys a Merc or a BMW. Geert Geerts Saab Site: http://www.theoffice.net/saab
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
