1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
It took a while for the current generation to grow on me but it was able to win me over, however the next one won't. That car is so poorly designed there aren't enough insults in the English language to fully describe its blandness. BUT! Take heart. Change is in the air. In the mean time it looks like I'll be trying to squeeze a few more years out of my 86 900T.
A transcript from "Automoitve News" Oct. 9th , 2000
TROLLHATTAN, Sweden -- Peter Augustsson, CEO of Saab Automobile AB,
believes Saab needs to take a more radical approach if it’s serious
about selling 250,000 vehicles per year, about double last year’s total.
Augustsson, a 45-year-old, soft-spoken Swede, says Saab needs to change
the way it markets and distributes its products. It needs to find unique
ways to power its vehicles. And, most important, Saab needs radical
vehicle designs.
Although the Saab 9-5 has been a strong seller for the company,
Augustsson says the car is too conventional. "Saab should never be
conservative," he said. He was interviewed at a press event here.
General Motors, Saab’s parent company, hired Augustsson, a former Volvo
engineer and executive, as a Saab vice president two years ago. In
March, he replaced Robert Hendry as Saab’s CEO. Since joining Saab,
Augustsson has implemented changes to support a new lineup of vehicles
Saab will launch during the next five years. Those changes include:
Expanding its design studio under new chief designer Michael Mauer.
Upgrading its marketing and distribution strategy through a new program
called "Saab Unlimited" Developing engine technologies that improve fuel
efficiency without reducing performance.
CONSERVATIVE IS OUT
During the next five years, Saab says it will expand its lineup from two
vehicles, the 9-3 and 9-5, to at least four. Those are expected to be the next-generation 9-3 and 9-5, a sport-utility variant of one of those two, and a sport-utility that will be a sibling vehicle to GM’s Pontiac Aztek and Buick Rendezvous.
Augustsson says the new vehicles will give Saab the potential to sell
250,000 units per year worldwide, up from about 131,200 cars in 1999. Saab sold 39,541 units in the United States in 1999.
But Augustsson knows Saab won’t reach 250,000 if it doesn’t stay true to
its edgy brand image. Saab defines its image as "postmodern exclusivity." So in May, Augustsson recruited Mauer to pump life into Saab styling. Mauer, a German, was chief designer for DaimlerChrysler’s Smart car program. Mauer says he joined Saab because Augustsson promised him he would have more say than previous Saab design directors and just one boss:
Augustsson.
Although Mauer joined Saab too late to work on the next 9-3, due out in
2002, he will have a major influence on the rest of the lineup. "In the future regarding Saab, everything is possible," Mauer said. Mauer also is expanding Saab’s design studio with more creative talent. "It’s not more
expensive to make good cars from a styling perspective," Augustsson
said. "It’s about competence."
UNLIMITED MARKETING
On the marketing and distribution side, Saab is testing new direct
marketing concepts using the Internet and new ownership options. Augustsson says upgrading Saab’s marketing and distribution alone, even without new product, could boost annual sales to 160,000 units.
Saab is using key markets in Europe as test beds for most of the new
programs. In the end, it hopes to bring the concepts that work to North America, its biggest market and the market with the most growth potential for Saab, Augustsson says.
In Sweden, Saab is experimenting with a lease program called Saab
Variations. Through the program, a customer can drive two vehicles a year. For example, a customer can get a sedan for the first half of the year and a convertible for the second half.
In the United Kingdom, where Saab has a smaller, more homogenous dealer
network, it is experimenting with Internet marketing and other new technologies. Augustsson, however, is keeping quiet about the details.
RADICAL ENGINES
"We really have only one market where we can use traditional mass
marketing, and that’s in Sweden, where we have 10 percent market share," he said. "But if you have 0.5-percent market share, you can’t afford to do mass marketing. You need to find other ways to get your potential customers’ attention."
Saab also is relying on unique powertrain technologies to attract
customers. At the Paris auto show two weeks ago, Saab unveiled plans to
use a combustion control system in a Saab vehicle within the next three
to four years. The system reduces engine fuel consumption and emissions
by mixing exhaust gases into the combustion process.
Earlier this year, Saab introduced another concept that varies an
engine’s compression ratio based on the load on the engine. Last month Saab invited journalists to test drive a car powered by the variable compression engine here at Trollhattan.
Both technologies allow Saab to reduce emissions and fuel consumption
without taking away from engine performance. Said Augustsson: "Our customers in the future, they need to combine good performance with the right fuel consumption."
, Sat, 28 Oct 2000 20:12:47
, Fri, 27 Oct 2000 12:17:27
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