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to compete head to head with the Passat (9-5 Linear) and the Jetta (9-3). The first reason I think this is that the Passat and the Jetta are huge sellers in the US... and Saab is on the quest for new market share. According to that mean spirited article in the NYTimes, the Jetta sold more cars last year than all of the cars sold by Mercedes and BMW combined in the US. The upper range Jettas are easily at the level of the lesser 9-3s and the people who are buying the upper range ones are exactly the type that can be persuaded to spend $30 - $50 more a month on their LEASE to get one of the variants of the new 9-3. Even getting 10% of the current Jetta US market as well as the current 9-3 market and Saab could meet its USA quotas. Likewise, the 9-5 Linear is a serious bargain compared to the Passat.
My point in all of this is that the people who want Euro cars seems newly ripe in the US and VW really capitalized on this in the mid to late 90s. They forged a huge new audience that had once mostly previously bought cars like Accords. I really think these buyers would be a great target for Saab, meaning that RATHER than always comparing Saab to BMW and Audi why not compare them as a half step up from the VW models listed in order to bring more people into the showrooms? The truth is that the Saabs are selling at significantly less than the BMW so why always try to attack this market? Also, this market neglects the true potential for the 9-3 as the new peoples car--ie, it is fun, comfortable, fast, useful, and new without being overly pricey or snobbish like the BMW or Audi.
Anyway, love to read articles about the sudden decline of VW. The arrogance and lack of concern with which they have dealt with thier relatively minor coil issue is exactly the type of thing that US buyers no longer tolerate. The Japanese manufacturers really spoiled us good!
Jon in Chicago
02' 9-5
97' 900s convt
posted by 12.100.24...
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