Saab 99 Reviews

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.

Several other companies are taking an interest in the homeless brand after last week's announcement that sportscar maker Koenigsegg had withdrawn its bid.  Swedish government officials and Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson have already met in Detroit ahead of the General Motors board meeting later today to determine Saab's future.Since Koenigsegg withdrew, other bidders have stepped up.  They include the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp, US investment company Merbanco Inc and US private equity firm Renco Group, owned by US billionaire businessman Ira Rennert.It is the second time Beijing Auto has come to the Saab table.  It previously partnered with Koenigsegg in the latest deal that fell off the table.The Swedish Government is under pressure to rescue Saab but high level politicians say health care is more important than rescuing a car company, despite the fact that up to 8000 jobs are at risk.  Saab started life as an aircraft manufacturer and has built a solid reputation for high-quality, safe performance cars.GM bought 50 per cent of Saab in 1989 and acquired the rest in 2000.  However, it has struggled to make money from the quirky brand with many analysts suggesting GM did not understand the brand.

One of Europe's most respected carmakers, Saab, is teetering on the edge of collapse.  Its future is in doubt after suitor, Swedish sportscar maker Koenigsegg cancelled plans to acquire the struggling brand.Scott Whiffin, a spokesman for Saab Australia, which operates under GM Premium Brands locally, said the company and the 14 local dealers were still digesting the news.  "It wasn't something that was being anticipated," he said."What's happening now is that the GM team at the pointy end of this process have said they'll take a couple of days to work it through.  "So we won't see any next-step type developments until at least next week."Whiffin said the local operations would continue business "as usual".  "Warranties will continue to be honoured, servicing arrangements remain unchanged and there will be no issues with receiving spare parts," he said.The decision by the Koenigsegg Group AB has shocked General Motors executives.  US reports are suggesting that when GM meets next week the 60-year-old brand will be wound down. "We're obviously very disappointed with the decision to pull out of the Saab purchase," GM President and CEO, Fritz Henderson, said."Many have worked tirelessly over the past several months to create a sustainable plan for the future of Saab by selling the brand and its manufacturing interests to Koenigsegg Group AB.  "Given the sudden change in direction, we will take the next several days to assess the situation."Koenigsegg head, Christian von Koenigsegg, said delays in completing the deal "have led to risks and uncertainties that prevent us from successfully carrying out our business plan for Saab Automobile".  Saab has struggled globally and locally, with sales plummeting in recent years.Local sales have dipped 34 per cent this year with the company selling just 653 vehicles.  Globally it sold just 93,300 cars last year with Europe accounting for the bulk of sales.  Along with Saab, GM has been offloading its underperforming brands.In September a deal to sell its Saturn division to the Penske Automotive Group fell through and GM axed the brand.  It has decided to hold on to its European Opel group but the sale of Hummer to Chinese heavy-equipment maker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co is still pending.GM acquired a 50 per cent stake in Saab in 1989, buying up the balance in 2000.

Saab's Alcokey concept was created in 2004 and was submitted to wide-ranging tests in Sweden, funded partly by the National Swedish Road Administration. It was expected to be released as an optional extra costing about $500 and available in most Saab models within two years in Europe. However, Saab Australia senior product planner Derek Tsao said the program was put on hold. "The official word is that the Alcokey is on hold as we finalise the re-structure of the new Saab, then it is planned to be introduced into the next generation of vehicles," he said. He said Saab did not clarify the timeframe. Meanwhile, Toyota has produced a similar key that prevents drink drivers from starting their car and say it will be available in Australia in a couple of years. The Saab and Toyota devices require the driver blow into the key fob device and, if it detects an illegal alcohol reading, it locks the ignition. The Saab key will not mobilise again until a suitable breath sample is supplied, but does not prevent someone else in the car blowing for the driver. Toyota has solved this problem by including a digital camera in the hand-held breathalyser. It photographs the driver's face to prevent a false reading from someone other than the driver. Toyota is testing the device with its wholly owned truck subsidiary, Hino Motors. The breath-alcohol ignition-interlock system is designed to help companies and organisations manage their fleet-vehicle operations. It will be installed on selected trucks and other vehicles of Japanese transport companies and tested over the next three months. The tests will verify system functionality, particularly ease-of-use in real-world situations. While other alcohol-detecting devices exist, they are fitted to the dashboard or door locks, not the ignition key.

With the current model 9-5 now more than 10 years old, the newcomer signals the dawn of a new era for the brand. Supercar maker Koenigsegg is stepping in to buy the embattled General Motors-owned carmaker and it will return to Swedish control after more than 20 years. This makes the arrival of the newest 9-5 critical to pave the way for future models, according to Saab Automobile's managing director, Jan-ke Jonsson. The 9-5 is sleek, sophisticated and unmistakably Saab and gets its first airing at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two weeks. It will go on sale here next year. The car's styling is influenced by the award-winning Aero X concept car and pays homage to some traditional Saab design cues. Like Saabs of old, it will have a range of aircraft-inspired innovations like a head-up information display and the car's cabin is an evolution of its cockpit design. Like its rivals, it will get adaptive bi-Xenon headlights, adaptive cruise control, adaptive chassis tuning, keyless entry and starting, dual-zone climate control and dynamic parking assistance. Saab's all-wheel drive, called XWD, and its eLSD limited slip differential will also be available. The range kicks off in Europe with a 134kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with CO2 emissions of 139g/km, as well as a 164kW 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine. All-wheel drive will be available on the top-of-the-line 223kW/400Nm 2.8-litre V6 turbo. Later a smaller 120kW 1.6-litre petrol turbo will be introduced, together with a 2.0-litre BioPower E85 engine. All transmissions will be six-speed. Jonsson says the company has leveraged its heritage in key areas of the car's design. Visually the front is defined by a deep grille flanked with curving, eyebrow headlights. The ‘disguised’ windshield and side A-pillars are reminiscent of the classic 900 model. Other Saab design cues are evident in the hockey stick belt-line, the strong rear C-pillars and the flowing roofline into the boot. Inside the cabin there is more leg and shoulder room, particularly in the back. The driver-focused cockpit is traditional Saab with a stop/start button replacing the ignition key on the centre console next to the gearshift.

The Frankfurt Motor Show literally roared to life this morning when a classic BMW 507 roadster ran laps of a custom-built oval track inside the German carmaker's $30 million stand.

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With the ink drying on the General Motors sale of the carmaker to Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg, images of a sleek new flagship 9-5 have surfaced ahead of its official unveiling at next month's Fr

It's a dictum that 76-year-old Max Monk lives and drives by. It could just as easily have come from Burt Munro who persisted for years with his old Indian motorcycle, turning it into the world's fastest Indian and a brilliant Hollywood movie. Monk never raced against Munro, but he did compete on the same beaches in New Zealand and witnessed the fame and glory of the dogged backyard mechanic at close quarters. "Burt raced in the clubman events so I didn't race against him. He was 60 then and I was just 20," says Monk. "Even at 70 he was still surrounded by 19-year-old girls." If Munro the man impressed the young 20-something apprentice mechanic from Canterbury, his ancient Indian motorcycle left even more of an impression. "I've never seen anything like it," he says. "It wouldn't wheelstand, it wouldn't wheelspin, it would just disappear over the horizon." So Monk became like his fellow South Islander and persisted with old machinery. Today he lives in Brisbane and drives a 1989 Saab 900i that belonged to one of his two daughters. "I bought it for $4500 six years ago and it had 350,000km on it," he says. "It's still going well and I wouldn't part with it." He also owns a 1984 Yamaha RZ500 V4 two-stroke motorcycle he bought 12 years ago for $3500. "They are worth about $10,000 now for a good one," he says although it's obvious he wouldn't part with it. Monk smokes as much as his beloved two-stroke Yamaha, but the wiry septuagenarian is still fit and continues to ride. "I got keen on bikes before I left school so I became a mechanic, but making your hobby your job is hard," he says. "I started racing when I was 20. My mother didn't want me doing it, but she said I could ride on the beach because that looked soft." Little did his mother know that riders like Munro and Monk were doing more than the old ton on those beaches. Monk raced a Triumph Speed Twin, a GP Triumph and then a 350 AJS 7R for about 10 years until one "bad day." "The bike wouldn't start and the field was long gone so I rode like a lunatic to catch up," he says. "Then the gear shift broke. The same thing happened in the second race and then I ran out of fuel in the last lap." "When I got back to the pits my mum and wife looked 30 years older because an ambulance had gone out and they thought it was for me. I had two little girls at that stage so I quit and just tuned bikes after that. I didn't ride again for about 20 years." In that time he worked as a car and bike mechanic, wrecker, welder, farmer, tractor mechanic, gun seller and real estate agent. "You name it, I've done it," he says. Monk moved to Australia six years ago to manage a residential development. "The number of cars and bikes I have owned is longer than your arm," he says. "The first car I owned was a 1937 Chevrolet I found on a farm and restored," he says. "It cost 10. I had it a year and a half and most of the time it was in bits and pieces." He then owned a series of old Chevs, Dodges and Vauxhalls. "The last one (before the Saab) was a 1984 Toyota Corolla hatchback. It was the last of the rear-wheel-drive models." You probably guessed it: "It had about a half a million kilometres on it."

The 2010 Saab 9-5 has been revealed in all its glory across Europe three months ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show debut.