Saab 9-5 News

The baby 9-2 will have separate parentage and could easily be fostered by BMW Group, but everything else will be Phoenix under the skin. The news comes as the Swedish maker gets serious about an Australian comeback with its flagship 9-5, a classy looking prestige sedan that's priced from $71,900 and only let down by shonky suspension. "Phoenix is the future of Saab. It's the mechanical platform for everything we do, except for the small car. It's demonstrating our independence and capability to survive by ourselves," Steve Nicholls, managing director of Saab Cars Australia, tells Carsguide. Saab has already previewed Phoenix with a concept car of the same name at this year's Geneva Motor Show. It was cartoonish in some ways, but strip away the outrageous body bits and you reveal the 9-3 underneath. "The big news comes in 2012, probably quarter three, with the launch of the all-new Saab 9-3. That will be based very much on the Phoenix car that was shown in Geneva. The underpinnings we showed in Geneva are pretty much the car," Nicholls says. Saab will soldier through until then with a lineup of current 9-3 models and the 9-5, as the 9-4X SUV is twinned with a Cadillac for the USA and is not available in left-hand drive. Nicholls says Saab has limited sales aspirations at present as it rebuilds support in Australia and expands a dealer network that has shrunk to just eight outlets. "Our job is to tick over and then gradually grow. We've got our first few batches of 9-3 on the ground and the 9-5 launch stock is here." He admits he is also fighting perceptions of problems following a factory shutdown in Sweden last week and overseas reports of financial trouble for a company that is not long out of General Motors' ownership. "Would I have chosen to have this happen? Of course not," Nicholls admits. "The funding is there, but the cash flow isn't. We've had a couple of unfortunate hiccups. "We've had losses, but they were within the parameters of the business plan. Hopefully we'll be in a profit making situation in 2012. Once we have the new 9-3 we should be making money. "We're here to stay. Saab has invested to be in Australia, it's a significant market for us and we were always one of the top 10 markets in the world. The fact that we've set up as a factory distributor, and not gone with an importer, shows we're taking this seriously."

The elegant newcomer faces a huge challenge in rebuilding confidence and sales, but has a lot going for it - including a starting price of $71,900 with a turbodiesel engine. There are three models in the lineup - two Vectors and the flagship V6 Aero Xwd from $94,900 - and they join the 9-3s which have already being providing trickle sales during the start-up phase of Saab Cars Australia. "We're here to stay. Saab has invested to be in Australia, it's a significant market for us and we were always one of the top 10 Saab markets in the world," says Steve Nicholls, managing director of Saab Cars Australia. "The fact that we've set up as a factory distributor, and not gone with an importer, shows we're taking this seriously." The 9-5 is a very serious car, slightly bigger than an E-Class Mercedes-Benz, and loaded with standard equipment from a six-speed automatic gearbox and leather seats to a head-up display for major instruments. In classic Saab style, the new-age push-start button is located in the console between the front seats, the traditional location for the company's ignition keys. The design of the 9-5 finally breaks away from the origami-style angles and creases favoured by so many European carmakers, with a number of smart visual tricks including a huge wraparound windscreen, a prominent grille and a wide-opening sedan boot. Cabin space is good and the final finishing work is what you expect in a Saab. But the 9-5 runs into some tough opposition in Australia, from the E-Class and BMW's brilliant 5 Series to the new Audi A6 and the Jaguar XF that's doing so well in Australia. Saab has had problems at its Swedish factory this week, culminating in a temporary shutdown at Trollhatten to sort problems with some suppliers, but Nicholls says it is only a hiccup. "We've got the funds we need. The company is well funded into the medium term. Cash flow is the problem.  This week we've been stopping and starting. So we've decidd to stop the factoyr this week, sort everything out, and start again next week," he says. Saab is targeting around 100 sales of the 9-5 this year, with 25 already on the ground of its small network of eight dealerships - although this will grow - and a similar number on a boat to Australia. The first Saab after the General Motors' disaster - first 20 years of neglect, then a fire sale - promises a lot.  The 9-5 looks good, is roomy, nicely designed and well finished. The diesel and four-cylinder Vectors are well equipped, and the flagship V6 has everything you expect at nearly $100,000.  There are some nice touches, too, including an effective head-up display - although this means you can actually have three different speedo readings from the regular speedo, head-up system and a rolling 'altimeter' that's a bit of a gimmick. All three cars get along well enough but there is a giant flaw - ride comfort.  Saab says it has always had a slightly sporty suspension tune but the 9-5 is harsh and jiggly on any surface, regardless of the suspension or tyres. Carsguide tried 9-5s with 17,18 and 19-inch tyres and standard and adjustable suspension, but nothing helped. There is also kickback in corners and some torque steer.  The suspension is a real pity because it is a nasty shortcoming in a car that otherwise does a good job. SAAB 9-5 2011 Price: from $71,990 Warranty: 3 years/100,00km + Roadside assist Engines: 119kW/350Nm (Vector TiD4), 162kW/350Nm (Vector Turbo4), 221kW/400Nm (Aero Turbo6) Body: Four-door sedan Weight: 1725-2065kg Transmission: 6-speed auto Drive: Front or All-Wheel-Drive Thirst: 6.7-11.3L/100km Fuel: Diesel or +95RON CO2: 177-262g/km

The drama of Spyker - which bought Saab early last year - unfolded in Geneva when Saab chairman Victor Muller exposed the teetering financial condition of both car makers."One year ago Saab was in liquidation, had no cars in production, a supply chain in tatters and all its new models on hold," says Muller.  "Now we have a milestone for the company. We have celebrated our 12 months of independence."In fact, it's a double independence. One year ago General Motors sold Saab to Spyker for $400 million.  Unfolding over the past few weeks, new owner Spyker found itself unable to swim in a sea of debt and has cut itself adrift. At the same time, it revalued Saab at $200 million - half of what it paid."Spyker needs cash," Muller says.  "It needs euro 25 million (about $36 million) to keep going.  "We can get that by issuing new stock in the company but that would dilute existing shareholders by 22 per cent."That is unjustified. The only solution was to split Spyker and Saab."  Saab and its parent Spyker will now go on different roads with a change of the board of directors.  They will, however, be linked. Muller, for example, is to remain chairman of both companies. But the divorce allows each to concentrate on their specific paths.Saab is quickly out of the blocks running solo. To celebrate its single status, Muller says it will introduce a limited edition of 300 cars.  "Next year, we will celebrate the second year of independence with the launch of another series of limited edition models."And we will keep this up, year after year, until infinity."  Concurrently, Saab next month starts building its new 9-4X SUV in the US and plans to expand production of its 9-5 Sport Combi - a car Muller says "is extremely important to us in Northern Europe and especially Sweden"."Seldom have we been able to introduce so many products," says Muller.  "In 2012 we will have the new 9-3. New products will be based on flexible architectures and we will offer vehicles designed for drivers."Small displacement engines with turbocharging will become our cornerstone for the future for Saab."  Powertrains for the 9-4X and 9-5 come from GM but the 9-3 gets a BMW turbo-petrol engine.The platforms come from the Phoenix architecture that formed the basis for Saab's Phoenix show car at Geneva.  This architecture for the 9-3 can be stretched for 9-5 but, says Muller, would be too expensive to be cut back to create a proposed 9-2 small car.Saab employed designer Jason Castriota to style the Geneva show car, the Phoenix.  The coupe is a metal-finished, distinctly aeronautical coupe that bristles with unusual lines.Muller says its a concept "a pointer to the future" and while he doesn't see it as making the step to production, he believes key design elements will soon be used on production cars.The concept uses a 147kW 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine from BMW and has all-wheel drive using the engine for the front wheels and an electric motor for the rear.Spyker, which makes the short wheelbase C8 - as a Spyder and Laviolette coupe - and its newer Aileron exotic sports cars, will become an asset of UK-based Coventry Prototype Panels (CPP).CPP - which is owned by Russian investor Vladimir Antonov - has been making body panels for Spyker cars for about 10 years. It also makes panels for other manufacturers, including the multi-million dollar Aston Martin One-77.Spyker spokesman Sander Van Dijk says it has 38 dealers and makes about 50 cars a year.  "But we are ramping up production of Aileron and plan 90-100 a year from 2012," he says.

The 9-3 range is already heading back to local showrooms, the 9-5 sedan is set for April, the 9-5 SportCombi will arrive late this year, and the 9-4X SUV will be early in 2012. The Swedish brand only delivered 16 cars during 2010 but is targeting more than 500 deliveries through 2011. "We're looking somewhere north of about 500 cars, as a gentle easing back into the market. We're not talking about a re-launch, we're talking about a re-invigoration," says Stephen Nicholls, managing director of Saab Cars Australia.  The company is now operating as an independent distributor, after General Motors sold the parent company to Victor Muller through his Spyker supercar business and GM Holden ended its time as importer. "The board approval to reform Saab Cars Australia was taken in late October. We had a few plans ready at that stage," says Nicholls. "What you see now is the result of us working since early November to get things in place. We'd been keeping in touch with our core dealers.  It was a fairly quick process to get cars ordered and on the boat." Nicholls is a 30-year Saab veteran who was the company's Asia-Pacific regional director before taking on responsibility for Australia. Nicholls says he has been surprised by the groundswell of interest in Saab and is happy with the response to the showroom return. "We've got cars on the ground now. We've had them for about 10 days,"   he says. "We have all 9-3s, Sports Sedan, convertible and SportCombi including the new 9-3X." The new-model rollout begins with the 9-5 sedan, which has only had a lukewarm reception in Europe, followed by the station wagon and the SUV. "We're targeting the middle of April for the 9-5 sedan," says Nicholls. "We're going to call it the wagon the 9-5 Estate in Australia. That   probably won't be with us until October-November. "The 9-4X is starting left-hand drive production now. We won't start right-hand drive production until September-October, which means a launch date very late this year or early next year. The 9-4X is definitely in the plan and is going to be an important car." Nicholls is not specific about prices for the whole range but confirms   a sub-$50,000 starting price for the return of the 9-3. "With the carryover products, if I can call it that, we're pretty much line-ball with where we were before. Against Audi and BMW we have a pretty good story to tell. "It's $46,900 for the 9-3 Sports Sedan Linear with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine. That's 147 kiloWatts."

The new Saab 9-5 is hitting the roads in the US and the production-ready 9-4X is on show at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Saab Australia will be up and running in 2011 and the company is promising big things as it rebuilds following its sale by General Motors to the Spyker sports car company in Holland. The all-new 9-5 will be the first new model into action, but Saab says it has existing orders and will have a range of new vehicles including the 9-5 SportCombi and 9-4X SUV. "The last 18 months has been a challenge for all of us. The future will also be demanding, but we are now in a positive phase as we build Saab under new independent ownership," says Saab's regional director for Asia-Pacific, Stephen Nicholls. "We believe that Saab has a bright future around the world including Australia and New Zealand, with at least 5 significant product launches here by the end of 2012." Only seven Saabs have been sold in Australia this year, compared with 647 at the same time in 2009, although it's significant that five of those were sold in September after early news on the Australian comeback. Saab is not revealing its distribution plan but it unlikely to include many of the Holden dealers who had the brand under the failed GM Premium Brands line. Holden shut the operation when Cadillac became too costly, Hummer was closed and Saab's future became uncertain. But Nicholls refuses to be downbeat. "Firstly, we should point out that Saab never left Australia and New Zealand. We have had continuous representation in the market for almost 40 years, most recently through Holden," he says. "Saab has taken the decision to reform Saab Australia and is now working on the activities and plans necessary to implement this decision. Australia and New Zealand have historically been important (top 10) markets for Saab and we believe in a strong future potential for the brand in these countries. "We have evaluated a number of different business models for Australia and New Zealand and decided that the potential justifies a wholly owned subsidiary operation. We recognise the need to provide continuity of service to our loyal owners and so will take this into account when finalising the plans for our relaunch." Nicholls is not talking about models, but hints that 9-3 pricing will be line-ball with the current showroom stickers.

The 13-year-old 9-5 will be renewed in July in Europe with Saab's first serious SUV crossover, the 9-4X, to follow in April of 2011.  Saab is aiming for 50,000 to 55,000 sales globally this year, improving to around 100,000 next year, under its new ownership by Spyker Cars of Holland.Spyker is now going right through the company and is hoping to reduce Saab's break-even point to around 80,000 cars by the end of 2012 as it slashes its spending on engineering and manufacturing. But it is also finalising a plan for its hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, as well as a potential starter car smaller than the current 9-3."We are now in charge of our own destiny, which means we can do anything we want," Spyker's CEO, Victor Muller, says in an interview with Autoweek magazine in the USA.  "We are gradually moving from a GM strategy of shared components and investments," says Mats Fagerhag, executive director of vehicle engineering, also talking to Autoweek."You are going to have a Saab car that consists of components and systems that we have developed jointly with other carmakers."  The change to Spkyer ownership at Saab has already seen the tooling for the 9-3, as well as the outgoing 9-5, sold to the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation, which is likely to begin production of the superseded Swedish cars within 18 months.Meanwhile, the future of Saab in Australia is no clearer now than when GM Holden first announced it would not be going forward with the brand.  There was early talk that Ateco Automotive - the country's largest independent importer with a brand library stretching from Fiat and Citroen to Ferrari and Maserati - would be the new agent for Saab.But Ateco's boss Neville Crichton went cool on the plan and local sales slumped to zero in March.  Now it's Inchcape Motors, the parent company of Subaru Australia and now a major dealer group, which is the subject of the latest Saab talk.But Inchcape refuses to even discuss the potential for a Saab agency in Australia.  "We have no comment. We do not comment on this sort of speculation," an Inchcape spokesman tells Carsguide.

With wind-up proceedings into their final phase, and production dropping by the day at its factory in Sweden, the company has now been - finally - sold by General Motors.The new owner of Saab Automobile AB, who paid $82.2 million, is the Dutch supercar maker Spyker Cars. The Spyker deal follows the collapse of a similar sale last year to another supercar company, Koenigsegg. GM bought Saab in the 1980s but never got it to pay its way, partly because it did not spend enough on new products.A new 9-5 is into the final stages of testing and is now likely to hit motor shows, and then showrooms, this year. The sale is confirmed by both Spyker boss Victor Muller and the CEO of General Motors, Ed Whitacre."Today’s announcement is great news for Saab employees, dealers and suppliers, great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide, and great news for GM,” says John Smith, GM's vice- president for corporate planning and alliances. “General Motors, Spyker Cars, and the Swedish government worked very hard and creatively for a deal that would secure a sustainable future for this unique and iconic brand, and we're all happy for the positive outcome."The change of ownership will see the creation of a new company, Saab Spyker Automobiles. The deal is expected to be confirmed in February, following approvals from banks and the Swedish government.

But Victorian Saab enthusiast Steve Bunton was one of 35 Melbourne owners who rallied at the weekend to show their support for the embattled brand.  There were also similar sized protests in Queensland and South Australia.The Australian "Save Saab" campaign was part of a global initiative by 30 Saab clubs around the world to protest plans by General Motors to axe the Swedish company if a buyer cannot be found.In Trollhattan, Sweden, where the 9-3 and 9-5 are built, more than 2000 Saab owners converged on the factory to rally.  Other protests were held in Russia, Britain, North America and Holland.Bunton says the Melbourne rally was "very positive".  "It was great to be a part of it and the mood was very upbeat.  We'd like to see Saab stay in business."Bunton, who owns a classic 900 Aero, is a life member of the Victorian Saab club and edits the club magazine.  He believes if the brand can be sold "there's a good chance its future will be secure".One of the co-ordinators of the global event, Steven Wade, who runs a Saab enthusiast website out of Hobart, said the protest was not one about resentment towards GM."There is a lot of passion about Saab so this event is about showing solidarity, not protest," he said.  "But I'm cautiously optimistic a buyer can be found."  Wade says GM "didn't have a clue about Saab".  "It's very frustrating that a board of old people in Detroit will close it rather than sell it," he says. GM has been trying to sell Saab for more than a year.A deal with Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg collapsed last month.  Both Bunton and Wade are now hopeful an 11th hour bid by Dutch sports car maker Spyker could save Saab.  They say that if the brand is seen to have support of thousands around the world, a potential buyer may see the value in keeping it alive.More than 35,000 Saabs have been sold here since 1971.Last year it only sold 663 cars locally because of the global speculation about the brand's future.  The company employs 3400 people in Sweden and about 8000 globally.  It has failed to return a profit since 2001.However, the brand is on the verge of a big product offensive, with the new 9-5 sedan and wagon due out this year.  A four-wheel drive is also planned and work on the next-generation 9-3 is also believed to be under way.Saab firstsPioneered mainstream turbocharging (1977)Ignition in the centre console (1967Headlight washers/wipers (1970)Energy-absorbing bumpers (1971)Heated front driver's seat (1971)Cabin air filter (1978) 

While General Motors struggles to find a buyer, following the collapse of a deal with supercar maker Koenigsegg, prototypes of the company's overdue and essential new 9-5 continue to rack up kilometres.The latest to break cover is the all-new 9-5 station wagon.  The car was caught in southern Italy during a huge group test, with Carparazzi photographers reporting a huge contingent of Swedish engineers and drivers in a range of cars.The 9-5 wagon — or Estate as it's called in Europe — is set for an on- sale date toward the end of 2010, always providing Saab is still operating by them.  It is one of four new Saab models scheduled for the next 18 months, from the 9-5 sedan to the wagon, 9-4X crossover and finally the crucial new 9-3.The wagon prototype is said to be very close to the finished car, from the way it looks to the wheel trims and even the production panels hidden beneath the camouflage pieces. European sources say 70 per cent of the design and engineering work has been done directly by Saab, with the rest of the input coming from GM Europe's base in Russelsheim in Germany.