Autoblog

Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-5 looks rakish as a coupe

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Saab

The all-new Saab 9-5 is one of the best looking models to come out of Trollhattan in recent memory, but for now it's only available as a four-door sedan, with a wagon version coming in the very near future. While it's been nearly a decade since Saab discontinued its last coupe based on the 9-3 (okay, so it was a liftback) the 9-5 and its predecessor, the 9000, have never been offered in two-door flavor. However, that hasn't stopped a member of Saabs United, Z!, from breaking out Photoshop and rendering up a 9-5 coupe.

The 'shopped image features some of trademark Saab elements, particularly the downward sloping roofline and bulbous back end. While the proportions and execution may be a bit off (the short doors in particular), it's a reasonable rendering of what Saab could do if they wanted to enter the niche. Handsome as it is, don't expect to see such a model in your local Saab showroom - this is purely a flight of fantasy.

[Source: Saabs United]

Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-5 looks rakish as a coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Saab 9-4X caught nearly uncloaked

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:41:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Saab

Saab 9-4x concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Judging by the latest spy pics, it looks like the Saab 9-4x is fully baked and ready to hit the streets. Saab has stripped the camo off the integration prototypes for the new 9-4x crossover and it doesn't appear to have changed much since the original concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show two years ago.

AutoExpress reports that production has begun at the same Ramos Arizpe, Mexico plant that produces the Cadillac SRX, although our sources indicate that production is still a few months off and considering the time frame, it's safe to assume that the production 9-4X will debut at the Paris Motor Show this September.

Like the concept, the production 9-4x will likely be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, with an optional 2.8-liter turbo V6 from the Turbo-X and the in the Cadillac SRX. AE is also reporting that the Saab will offer a 2.9-liter turbodiesel developed with VM Motori which might be the V6 that was once planned for the European market Cadillac CTS.

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Saab 9-4X Concept live reveal

[Source: AutoExpress]

Spy Shots: Saab 9-4X caught nearly uncloaked originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab reportedly planning $150M ad blitz for new 9-5, including iPad app

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Saab, Luxury

2011 Saab 9-5 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Except for a few very low volume manufacturers, it's almost impossible to sell any significant number of cars without spending some dollars on advertising and promotion. Yet that's exactly what Saab has been doing in the months since it was sold by General Motors. Apparently, that's all about to change in a really big way as Saab prepares to start selling its all-new 9-5. Because the 9-5 is at the heart of the company's efforts to reclaim the sales volume it has lost in the last several years, it makes sense that Saab would wait until the new car was ready for customers.

Saab is planning to spend $150 million on marketing its handsome large sedan, starting with its home-market introduction in Sweden this weekend and continuing through the U.S. introduction in August. According to BusinessWeek, Saab also plans to cut its worldwide dealer body by up to 10 percent by the end of next year to cut costs as it aims for profitability in 2012.

Since this is 2010, the marketing push will go well beyond the usual print and broadcast advertising with a major online and mobile push that includes applications for the Apple iPad and iPhone. Later this year, we can probably expect a similar effort for the introduction of the 9-4x crossover.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5

Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Saab reportedly planning $150M ad blitz for new 9-5, including iPad app originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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