Autoblog

First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5 proves being born from chaos builds character

Chris Paukert — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Saab, First Drives, Luxury

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

A funny thing happened on the way to bankruptcy court for General Motors. As part of a bid to have its red-stained slate wiped clean, it moved to divest itself of a number of brands in its bloated portfolio, with Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab all earmarked for sale or closure. However, only one brand inspired sufficient passion among both owners and those with the financial wherewithal to rescue it from GM's 'wind-down' apple polishers. Oddly enough, it was the tiny Swede that successfully swam out to the life raft. Saab, the marque with the smallest and oldest product lineup, lowest volume, and the poorest brand recognition among American consumers somehow found a way to survive.

How, exactly, did this come to pass? For starters, unlike any other of GM's death-row divisions, owners and fans rallied in dozens of countries, urging anyone who listened to "Save Saab." Now, we're not naïve enough to think that a band of loyalists were all it took to change the course of automotive history, but it's telling that there were no pitchforks and torches - or even a handful of picket signs - produced over the axing of the other brands. Saab remains a seldom understood, much loved brand, and we know that the displays of unity from Saab's scorned faithful stoked the fire of unlikely suitor Victor Muller, CEO and owner of Spyker Cars, as his team waded through a stomach-churning series of negotiations. After watching from the sidelines while bids by other small automakers and investment groups fizzled, the Dutch businessman and his team eventually pried the battered brand away from GM - but not before Saab had been partially liquidated.

While Muller clearly has an affinity for the Swedish marque, he insists it wasn't boyhood sentiment that drove the purchase - it was the company's robust Trollhättan operations and a raft of promising, almost-here product that pushed his team to persevere. That stream of shiny new tin begins with the car you see before you: The 2010 9-5. Click through to the jump to see if Muller and Company have good reason to be optimistic.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5 proves being born from chaos builds character

First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5 proves being born from chaos builds character originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

How'd we miss that? No V6 for 2010 Saab 9-3 range

Dan Roth — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., GM, Saab

'

Trollhättan fans aren't quibbling in light of the gallows rescue Saab recently received from Spyker Cars, so perhaps everyone got distracted letting out a collective sigh of relief instead of checking the lineup's option sheets carefully. Whatever the reason, it turns out that Saab is back to relying on four-cylinder engines for all its 9-3 and 9-3X powertrain needs.

Never a stranger to odd powerplants or engines from disparate manufacturers, Saab's long tenure as a ward of General Motors led to the appearance of Ecotec four-cylinders along with a version of GM's "high feature" V6. The LP9 turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 was a delightful mill in the last Turbo X we tried, but there's plenty right with the four cylinder engines that remain standing.

At this point, we're just champing at the bit to try out the new 2010 9-5, a model slated to come to market soon with the 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 Aero first, followed by a 2.0-liter turbo four model shortly thereafter as a 2011 model.

How'd we miss that? No V6 for 2010 Saab 9-3 range originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Saab 9-3X now available for order at U.S. dealers

Michael Harley — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:37:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Saab

2010 Saab 9-3X - Click above for high-res image gallery

The good news for Saab loyalists is that dealerships have been told they may start placing orders for the Saab 9-3X. The bad news for Saab loyalists is that if the deal with Spyker falls through, that brand-new Saab you are dreaming about will never arrive in your driveway. In a nutshell, dealers are allowed to take orders for the cars, but there's no pricing information and nothing will be officially submitted until the Saab/Spyker deal closes (as of now, this is scheduled for February 15).

The announcement isn't completely unexpected. After all, we reported just a few days ago that Spyker had big plans for the Saab lineup, including full range of 9-3 models for 2012. These will follow on the heels of the new 9-5, and the 9-4X, due in the U.S. market during 2010 and 2011, respectively. Whatever the case, if you believe in Saab, now's the time to scoot down to your local dealer, open your checkbook and place an order!

[Source: Saab History]

Report: Saab 9-3X now available for order at U.S. dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

If Saab closes, will the new 9-5 live on wearing a Buick badge?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Buick, Saab, Rumormill

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

In a rumor sure to irk many Saab faithful, Dagens Industri in Sweden is reporting that "sources within Saab Automobile are stating that GM now sees positive opportunities in a closing of Saab." Ouch, that hurts in an insult-to-injury kind of way, dontcha think?

Specifically, General Motors is said to be considering taking the recently competed but not-yet-on-sale 2010 Saab 9-5 and resuscitating it as a Buick for America. If true, the move does make a bit of sense as the car is by all measures ready to go and it would be quite a waste to put it out to pasture before it ever sees the light of day - especially if the car is anywhere near as good as early reports suggest.

Further, the going speculation is that The General could raid Saab's parts and technology bins for more future products, including a possible revival of the large Opel Senator for Europe. If this rumor proves accurate, it would appear that there may not be much hope left for a Saab purchase by Dutch automaker Spyker as indications are that GM is telling suppliers that it is estimating a five-year wind-down of the brand.

Gallery: 2010 Saab 9-5

[Source: DN.se via Saabs United]

If Saab closes, will the new 9-5 live on wearing a Buick badge? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments