There's an interesting history there. Back in the late '50s and 1960s, there were lots of combined SAAB/Volvo dealerships. This was when there was a significant price differential between SAAB and Volvo models - These dealerships used the SAAB as their entry-level, less expensive model, and the Volvo was their "upmarket" model. This was a good combination for many dealers, although they tended to sell more Volvos than SAABs, largely because the SAAB at that time had a 2-stroke, 3-cylinder engine, while the Volvo had a more conventional (for Americans) 4-stroke 4 cylinder. Most of these dealerships did very well with the two Swedish brands.

When the SAAB 99 came out, it competed directly in price with the Volvo 144, and it had a 4-stroke engine of about the same size. Thus the two cars competed with each other for the same customers, although SAAB still offered the 95/96 models, which were cheaper than the Volvo. After 1973, when SAAB discontinued the 96 model in the U.S., the SAAB 99 and the Volvo 144 were competing for the same market, so the combo dealership arrangement didn't make as much sense. Many of these dealerships dropped the SAAB in favor of the Volvo, since most of them sold far more Volvos than SAABs.

Also, in the mid-1970s, the U.S. SAAB headquarters sent out a letter to the combo Volvo/SAAB dealerships, saying that if they wanted to continue to sell SAABs, they had to drop their Volvo franchises. This really p**sed off these dealers, since almost all of them sold 2 Volvos (or more) for every SAAB they sold, so most of them dropped SAAB. SAAB lost a lot of dealers because of this dumb move. A few still hung in there with both brands - we had one in the Philadelphia suburbs until just 2 or 3 years ago, when the dealership was sold to a "chain" GM dealership. So a few combo dealerships may still exist here and there throughout the U.S.

posted by 4.35.7...

• Saab 9-5 wagon versus Volvo V70 . . . . . ., Larry, Mon, 7 Apr 2003 21:48:15
  • I've got a V70 & 9-5 sedan, Keegs , Tue, 8 Apr 2003 19:19:52
  • Re: Saab 9-5 wagon versus Volvo V70 . . . . . ., jokikeke, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 18:40:10
  • Re: Saab 9-5 wagon versus Volvo V70 . . . . . ., David G. Mills, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 18:07:27
  • I went through the same ordeal....., Gary, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 15:04:50
    • A Volvo/Saab combo dealership?, phred, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 15:16:57
      • Re: History of Volvo/Saab combo dealerships, Steve L, Wed, 9 Apr 2003 12:04:13 <-- Viewing This Message
        • Re: History of Volvo/Saab combo dealerships, UnderDog, Wed, 9 Apr 2003 12:20:11
          • that's gotta make it hard to get SAAB's on showroom, Aero'ed, Wed, 9 Apr 2003 12:53:14
  • Re: Saab 9-5 wagon versus Volvo V70 . . . . . ., David, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 12:12:42
  • I went through this in 2001..., KeithCT, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 09:28:53
  • Re: A common request and for good reason so .., AeroJT, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 00:08:00
  • Safest Car on the Road, Stephen Goldberger, Mon, 7 Apr 2003 22:22:08
    • Safest car on the road... in Sweden!, Keegs , Tue, 8 Apr 2003 19:10:18
      • DIFFERENT Yardstick, Stephen Goldberger, Wed, 9 Apr 2003 11:47:14
        • DIFFERENT Yardstick is my point!, Keegs , Wed, 9 Apr 2003 13:24:17
          • Go ahead and try crashing a Suburban into a wall, AdamB , Thu, 10 Apr 2003 01:03:39
            • and the wall would be safer with the 9-5, so there n/m, Aero'ed, Fri, 11 Apr 2003 09:01:19
      • Are you implying that any US made cars, AdamB , Wed, 9 Apr 2003 01:20:06
    • Re: Safest Car on the Road, TG, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 07:29:38
      • Re: Safest Car on the Road, TimBrown, Tue, 8 Apr 2003 14:46:39
      • Re: Safest Car on the Road, cork , Tue, 8 Apr 2003 12:57:24
        • Re: Safest Car on the Road, TG, Wed, 9 Apr 2003 00:37:17

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