Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 19:10:32 -0500 From: "J. Harris" <insectonopsamspring.com> Subject: Re: Saab 9-3 hatchback - if & when?
The Feburary issue of Automobile magazine offers the following Saab info (loosely paraphrased from page 24): 9-3 Crossover (an "answer" to the Audi Quattro) arrives Spring 2004, 9-3 Convertible due Summer 2003, 9-3 Aero/wagon Summer 2005 (Aero gets a 250hp V6 turbo), 9-5 Epsilon-based Sedan arrives 2006, 9-5 Wagon due 2007 (with a clamshell bonnet?), 9-1 or a 9-2 "small" hatchback is due 2007/2008. The Crossover may use a Cadillac SRX derivative platform; if problematic then the Crossover gets a Lambda matrix? Peter Augustsson (formerly of Volvo, now CEO Saab [joined GM in 1998]) sees 200,000 unit sales in near-future; Saab needs 165,000 units to breakeven (2002 unit sales at 130,000). Saab lost $80 million in 2002 first quarter! By the fourth quarter it had lost $300 million; deeper in the $red$ than Opel (which is 8X Saabs size). "Ric" <spamnopsamcom> wrote in message news:b4sca7$ahl$1nopsam-reader11.wanadoo.fr... > Is there going to be a hatchback version of the new 9-3? If so, when in > Europe? >