The first electric car in Saab's history. It's based on the 9-3 Sport Wagon. It has an autonomy of 124 miles (200 kilometres) and yet it will accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 8.5 seconds. Source: Saab Newsroom - Saab Newsroom via Saabs United: Saab 9-3 ePower
They don't have a reason to exsist .... IMO. They do not add anything and I repeat NOTHING to the automotive industry. Well their base design is superb and their two lates BIG concept cars looked AWSOME. But the final product is useless... (yes I've driven alot) Give me one reason to buy a SAAB?
You drive a Passat. with that engine you could easy bought a quite brutal SAAB.... so WUT LOL ? Ye, but even people in sweden drive german just look at TUMBO, he also drive japanese ? but noo swed love.... Why ?
They add nothing to the automotive industry? Have you forgotten SAAB's past? Also, what is the definition of "adding something to the automotive industry"? What specifically adds the A1, that a Saab doesn't? Isn't the new 9-5 a quite unique designed good alternative to the germans? Isn't the 9-3 a descent family car? Both look good and are descent to drive. Why that hate - I cannot understand it! Sorry Jul, but this post was quite ignorant and attacking if you ask me...
What's the reason about beeing descent? average? in the middle? between? Even you make the sound like cars that just seem to bee there in this world,... for no reason... Saab have in the past yes added much to the automotive industry. I agree without knowing excatly why (but that's my poor knowledge) "adding something to the autoindustry" INOVATION ? - Ever heard the business word: USP ? Ex: quattro, PDK, WANKEL, Suicide doors, B&O, Burmeister, DSG, Toyota, Veyron, ABS, Airbag, Panorama sunroof, NANO ..... you get the point.. A1 Premium car, premium equipment in the polo segment it is no question one of the best allrounder in its segment. (Mini is more sporty, Mito is more soul, Polo cheaper,) Audi take a bit of all of them and that makes it unique. unique because none of it rivals can match it's allround preformance but they can beat it brutaly when it comes to one excatly test like price or go-cart feel. This car brings A8 standard into the small car (if you pay enough) 95 Nice design agree. Haven't driven one... Stil has the 95 2010 a USP? (except nightpanel?) is it the most comfy car? most sporty? best allrounder? most space ? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.... but I have driven the old ones like from 1 to 4-5 years old, they are falling apart and problems all the way... (my experience) Working with second hand cars. 93 with the pricing in Norway SAAB are going down the drain. You don't want a BMW or Mercedes or Audi, Skoda instead of SAAB ? and if you want a cheap car, you buy a KIA or Honda or Hyundai, Mazda ??? Toyota also ? They have all actually a USP. I am sorry but someone has to bring this up. It is important... SAAB only exsist because of the history/tradition? Well that's just wrong... If SAAB only had something .... anything.. So my question to you is do they? do Saab have the best technologi in the world to make a better diff. than BMW ? Do they have a uniqe gearbox under development 10 speed with all possible options? does Saab have a so extreme paint work it will never fall off? or a an engine so new and inovative it runs on soda? Many automakers have been stopped since the car was invented, new will rise and some will fall. SAAB was 1% from death. I belive main reasion was because of peoples jobs and such. to finish of here My hate is for the production of the car, the inviroment, the costs, all the lies... SAAB will never rais agian... why use millions of cash and people and polute this wold with a product we don't need? get my point? and yes I am sorry of course no reason for me to bash and scream about like this but I just get so mad. LAST/EDIT: VOLVO on the otherhand is awsome, love their new models and XC60 is selling good.
Quite an interesting topic you are raising here Julius. I hope that more people will respond to this and I'll move the posts to a new thread! So, let's go: So what is the USP of the latest Saabs? Apart from the image that the Saab name carries? Apart from being a good allarounder if priced correctly? Apart from having a unique design? Apart from all these, I do not know. It's a good package (both the 9-3 and 9-5) if priced correctly. End of story about Saab. If it had more selling points, Saab would sell more cars. But they don't. But what they offer is not crap. Is a 9-3 better than a Insignia? Is a 9-3 better than a Peugeot 407? A Ford Mondeo? A Renault Laguna? A Volvo S60? A VW Passat? I don't think that "no" is the answer to all those questions. Then you mention the A1. To me it's way too much $ for so little car. I would gladly spend what the base model costs, but only to get more car. That said, I don't think the A1 is worthless, nor it doesn't have one or more USPs, but it doesn't appeal to me as a complete package. But, what are the innovations that A1 brought to the market? None. It doesn't carry any new technologies, nor has any racing engines. It just offers premium luxury in the small car segment. It doesn't count as an innovation in my book. Then to the other point you raised. What special does Saab have, so that it is allowed to exist. May I ask you, what fantastic and unique technologies do Renault, Peugeot, Ford, Kia, Skoda have so that they can exist? No special technologies at all. Yet they offer good products and their products sell. What special technology does a Seat Ibiza have? None, at all, but it sells like hot cakes. It's USP? Probably its youthful design and good engines, interior space. The Polo offers the same. So, a 9-3 can offer reliable engines, with good interior space, a unique design and good equipment for it's price. Isn't this a USP? You raise some very good arguments in post #10, but still I cannot see why you hate a brand so much. I don't think Saab has hurt you or your family, nor you are a passionate Volvo fan, so I can't understand why so much hate. It's just a car company Julius. Just because you don't understand their products, doesn't mean you have to hate them. :t-cheers:
Don't forget, that Saab was the first car manufcature that introduced the seat heating. And by now, they still offer most of the little comfort features that every other automotive brand is offering too.
Saab was once a unique brand with strong character, and innovative ideas but GM killed it, and now it seems it is beyond help. It was the first to employ low pressure turbo engines to allow the use of smaller engines in the cars with the benefits of performance and fuel economy, much like what everyone else is doing more than 20 years later. It was first to develop an in house engine management system. It was the first to use active head rests to minimize whiplash injuries. It was first to come up with an engine with a variable compression ratio. Saab failed to make use of their past achievement to build on their future and now they are just floating around in no mans land. Here in Australia, I think they sold one car so far this year, ONE. As a fan of Saab (we used to have a 9000cs) it is painful to see. Spyker better have a dam good plan to turn it all around otherwise I will give Saab another 3 years and it will be goodbye for good.
Never mind Julius' views on Saab, which has little to do with this thread, it's amazing that even with limited budget, Saab managed to create electric cars for a fraction the Volt's cost. That's right, I did say electric cars. Before the electric 9-3 Sport Wagon, Saab also created an electric 9-3 convertible.
