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REPORT: Saab dealers 'running out of cars'

Michael Harley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Earnings/Financials

2010 Saab 9-5 - Click above for high-res image gallery

With new vehicle production at a trickle, and its dealer network slashed by a third, retailers of the Saab brand are finding inventory shrinking to drought levels. Some of the remaining dealers may even run out of new vehicles before replacements arrive.

Point the blame towards the pending sale of Saab to Koenigsegg Automotive AB, and the fact that an all-new Saab 9-5 model is still sitting on the horizon. With the transaction still not complete, financial limitations have kept new vehicle production low. In addition, the Swedish assembly plant tasked to build the new 9-5 sedan is in the process of retooling. "When we close the deal and change owners we can start producing again for real as we then will have financing," Eric Geers, a Saab spokesman told Bloomberg.

Even if the deal with Koenigsegg closes as planned, the 2010 Saab 9-5 (the company's first all-new car in seven years) won't hit European showrooms until early next year. U.S. dealers will likely have to wait even longer, starving as the last of their dwindling inventory rolls away.

Gallery: 2010 Saab 9-5

[Source: Bloomberg]

REPORT: Saab dealers 'running out of cars' originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5 is proof there's still some flight left in the ol' Griffin

Chris Paukert — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Saab

2010 Saab 9-5 - Click above for high-res image gallery

To be honest, there have been points at which it felt like this new Saab 9-5 would never see the light of day. To say that the outgoing model had grown long in the tooth would be a colossal understatement, and in the hyper-competitive market that is the globe's entry-level premium segment, the 9-5 had become something of a placeholder, playing second fiddle to the automaker's newer, more dynamic 9-3. So with its own cheaper sibling playing the role of upstager and parent General Motors in the throes of bankruptcy, we didn't exactly have faith that Saab would ever launch this new sedan. But after an arduous development process and a new owner in the form of supercar maker Koenigsegg, the future looks - if not bright - at least markedly less dim.

If we sound like we're damning the 2010 9-5 with faint praise, we're not - after sitting in the car today at the Frankfurt Motor Show and talking extensively with members of Saab's team, we're actually rather optimistic that the perennially underweight automaker may yet emerge from its funk and put some rouge back in the 'ol Griffin. But until we drive it, we're going to reserve judgment before we break out the akvavit and reindeer steaks - we've been here before.

One thing's for sure - this new, larger 9-5 looks incredibly crisp in the metal. With clean flanks, a distinctive, cantilevered roofline paired with wraparound-look glass and handsome head- and tail lamp detailing, this is an attractive, cohesive design sans adornment - no gaping ducts, fender vents, or protruding aero addenda are in evidence anywhere. Very much in the Scandinavian mold, the 9-5 pulls design elements from the showstopping Saab Aero-X concept coupe and puts them in a real-world package. Similarly, like Scandinavian furniture, the design won't be to everyone's tastes.

Inside, there's gobs more space than in the outgoing car both front and rear, and the design has been tastefully updated in a driver-centric way that honors the marque's quirkiness (Night Panel button, eggcrate grid air vents, etc.) without becoming a caricature of Saabs past. Reinforcing the aeronautically-minded "Born From Jets" theme that had become something of a punchline with distractions like the 9-7x SUV, Saab has adopted new features like an optional heads-up display and a novel altimeter-like digital speedometer readout in case you aren't interested making use of the clear analogue gauges.

Click on the jump for more impressions and the official press release.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5

Gallery: 2010 Saab 9-5

Continue reading Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5 is proof there's still some flight left in the ol' Griffin

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5 is proof there's still some flight left in the ol' Griffin originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: Is this the new Saab 9-5?

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:07:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Sedan, Wagon, Saab, Rendered Speculation

Saabs United procured some rendered versions of the coming Saab 9-5 that are purportedly from Saab itself. While computer renderings must be viewed with a few packets of salt sprinkled on the screen, if you compare the 9-5 sedan render with a spy shot of the rear end of the actual car, the similarities look promising.

The wagon rendering is simply too brutally sexy to be believed, and so -- only in order not to have our hopes dashed -- we refuse to believe it. If Saab did have the gumption to design such a car, and Koenigsegg does have the wherewithal to properly market it, then we might just have a proper Swedish car company on our hands again. The 9-5 sedan arrives at this year's Frankfurt Auto Show and goes on sale this year, with the wagon following next year.

[Source: Saabs United via Autoblog.nl]

Rendered Speculation: Is this the new Saab 9-5? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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