Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 19:02:05 GMT From: "fro" <fronopsamrlog.comm> Subject: Re: The end of Saab as we know it?
I think he means an all-wheel drive sedan based on the 9-5 Country Master. Like the Subaru Outback Sedan to the Outback. In 2001, the Country Master will arrive—an all-wheel drive version of the 9-5 station wagon. Also in 2001, a sedan version of that 9-5. Okey, a car like the country master is good (see the Volvo V70XC which is a nice car, except it is a Volvo off course). I don't know what the writer means with the sedan version of the 9-5, maybe he means hatchback? cause well we all know there already is a sedan. At the same time. the Country King will appear with a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder. It is a sport-ute based on the Pontiac Aztek and Buick Rendezvous, and like them it will be built at Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The King will be the first Saab built in Mexico, or anywhere in North America for that matter. Mexico is the cradle of niche, with a PT Cruiser and New Beetle already on the bragging boards, so Saab isn't stupid, unless the King will resemble the Aztek. In that case, it will have a hard time rivaling the BMW X5 and the Lexus RX 300. Well at first I was a little afraid for a Saab SUV, but after viewing a drawing of what it might become I switched my opinion. WHAT? MEXICO? AAAAAAH... welll that is just my reaction. I mean, Saab is Swedish and must remain Swedish... okey Finland, that's Scandinavia too. And this Country Master is likely to be produced in Austria (with Steyr), well okey I can live with that (altough I'm not saying it is the best thing to do). BUT MEXICO? I mean, that is no Saab country and it will never be. Late in 2003 or early 2004, a 9-3 based roadster and coupe will arrive. The Audi TT fighters will come with turbocharged fours and a V-6. These will be the first cars on which the pen of Mr. Mauer will have any major impact. Assuming GM development times of 24 months for a car on an existing platform, Mauer could start drawing in January 2001 for a car appearing as a prototype at Geneva in 2003. O YES... 9-3 based roadsters and coupés... that is just great I think, but not V6 equiped... just SVC! But (yes I have some negative comments too) I really hope Mauer will draw something nice (for the first time in his career, see the A-class, SL, SLK, Smart). In 2004, the new 9-5 appears, also on the Epsilon platform. It will be bigger than the current car, and it will come with a V-8. Up to now, Saab has been known for turbocharged four-cylinder engines. That limits sales in the United States, where people can count cylinders with their fingers, but not horsepower-fuel consumption rations. It also puts the 9-5 in the face of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. The new 9-5 will also have a sedan version. Then there is loose talk of a big sport-ute, maybe based on a Chevrolet Blazer, to arrive in 2005. NO! I really don't want a V8 in Saab. The American buyers who just want a V8 in their car must stick to their Cadillac or Ford or something, why does Saab need them as buyers? I mean, off course Saab is a company which needs profit, but profit can be made without V8 engines. Saab is European, here in Europe we think about our future too and we don't need a polluting V8. We in Europe (and especially Saab) can deliver the same HP with a smaller turbo (SVC) engine. Saab is European, not American! Brand character There is also loose talk of a 9-7 Saab built on a Cadillac platform, which would make it the only rear-drive Saab. Whether the brand character could absorb rear-drive as well as a V-8 is a good question for the people betting their careers on the Swedish subsidiary of GM. Okey this is an excellent description of hell. When a car like this will be sold under the name of Saab I will be on the first airplane to Detroit to burn down the GM Headquarters. A car with rear-drive and V8 can NEVER be a Saab. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. In the past you heard a lot of talk about a 9-2 project, which would bring new volume. However, now the scuttlebutt favors a 9-7. The company brand experts want Saab to be GM's Cadillac of Europe, able to battle Mercedes and BMW, not just Volvo and Lancia. Well, it is a shame there will not be a 9-2, but I can live with that. Designer Mauer knows sporty luxury. He comes from a Mercedes-Benz career, where he worked on the SL and the SLK. And he also knows small. His worked on the A-class, which successfully started a new segment of small urban luxury cars, and he most recently has been in charge of design at Smart, which is trying very hard to start a new category of small mass market city cars. I am afraid... very afraid. This Mauer can't be good. I just hope there are enough Swedish designers who can improve his stupid designs. To make all of this happen, GM will spend $3.4 billion over the next four years, about half of it on engineering and half on facilities. This is presumably on top of the $530 million that has been invested at Saab's Trollhattan plant in the last five years. The company has put in a paint shop and extended the body shop, stamping plant and assembly plant. In all, Saab wants to expand production from 150,000 units a year now to 300,000. It's quite a lot of action for a little company that has been about the same size for a long time. Yes it is. And why? Well, that is all I have to tell you, I hope I've amused you. Let's hope this is just a bad dream. Geert Geerts Saab Site: http://www.theoffice.net/saab
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