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Saab in China

99K views 253 replies 12 participants last post by  erik (laofan), cmvdc 
#1 ·
Since Volvo sells car in China, I figured that the other major Swedish car manufacturer, Saab does as well. and they do. But placing this thread has been a problem. Saab is owned by General Motors who is trying to sell Saab off. So I don't know where to place this thread so I decided to place it under the 'Other' forum since the GM forum mentioned nothing about Saab.



Saab sells three models: 9-3, 9-5 and Turbo X.

The 9-3 comes in Sport Sedan, Convertible or Sporthatch forms.
Prices:
Sport Sedan: RMB349,000 for baseline Linear trim to RMB529,000 for top spec Aero trim.


Convertible: RMB635,000


Sporthatch: RMB459,000
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Saab flagship sedan: The 9-5. It comes in two forms, sedan and wagon

Prices:
9-5 sedan: RMB479,000 for baseline to RMB549,000 for top spec.


9-5 wagon:RMB479,000 for baseline to 549,000 for top spec.


Saab also sells a high performance model called the Turbo X, which is based on the 9-3 sports sedan.


It can come as a wagon and with Saab's "Crosswheel Drive"system. Also, the Turbo X can come in the 9-5 guise as well.
 
#3 ·
KiwiGuy said:
Saab is owned by General Motors who is trying to sell Saab off. So I don't know where to place this thread so I decided to place it under the 'Other' forum since the GM forum mentioned nothing about Saab.
Already DONE! Swedish Governmet is serching for a good player. If some body will buy Saab with an interesting crew plannig, They will put money on to close Saab debts.
 
#8 ·
It looks like Geely will buy Saab as Chery is entering the bidding to buy Volvo.
I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. But then again, info from China Car Times says Geely will be buying Volvo and that Chery could be getting Saab.

I'm so confused. :confused:
 
#11 ·
Yes, but Hyundai and Kia have been booming ever since they started. Saab has been running at loss basically since GM bought it and as such, hasn't had the funds to develop new and exciting models, which is why they've had to soldier on with what they've got. But with GM selling it could this mean a new dawn for Saab?
 
#15 ·
I like the way you think, Mehmet. if this Sheikh is rich enough, Saab might be given enough finances to develop and enhance thier current models and introduce new ones. Many Saabs at the moment are still using techology from the 90's under a revised skin. They desperately need something modern.
 
#16 ·
Saab have released new pictures of new 9-5 to be shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The new car is based on the Opel Insignia platform and will be 14cm longer than the previous model with a heavier weight and a taller body. They have also changed the look so it has a coupe style rear which gives it a more sporty look.



Test Car

 
#20 ·
Well firstly Saab has made a profit at least once under GM ownership, but everyone knows why Saab has not made profits every year is simply because of a lack of funding. GM has canceled many very promising concepts and designs. When the revised 9-3 was launched in 2003 there was a Sedan, Convertible, Wagon, XWD Wagon and a Coupe in the pipeline, the xwd Wagon and the coupe were not far from getting the approval before GM sai NO. So thus the Sedan, Convertible and eventually the Wagon were introduced progressively between 2003 and 2006. Later this 2009 the XWD Wagon named 9-3x will finally be up for sale, this has taken far to long to come to market considering it was thought up in 2003.

Another mistake GM has made with Saab in terms of underfunding and poor management is the 9-5 model, this car was due in Saab's eyes to be revised from the ground up in 2006, however GM said NO and instead Saab's design team were put hard at work trying to make the existing 9-5 look brand new, in my opinion they did an incredible job considering their budget and time.

I forgot to mention yet another hiccup with GM's underfunding and poor management of Saab and that is the 9-2x. These cars were disasters from the start. The 9-2x came first in 2005, basically GM wanted Saab to get another model to market as quick as quick can be so they used Subaru's WRX Imprezza as its base. The 9-2x received very little exterior changes, the front received a cool new look however the back was pretty much untouched. The interior was also mostly untouched by Saab, however they did change the writing on the digital displays to Green on Black to give it a more 9-3 feel. The real changes from the WRX to the 9-2x are under the skin, Saab changed alot when it comes to road performance, they tuned the suspension to make it handle better on the road and more minor things like that. The car was aimed at the young businessman and at the American market only. There were only around 10,000 built so they are pretty rare. There was talk of bringing the model to Australia but Subaru admitted that the 9-2x would destroy the WRX!

Now to a more successful story about GM's money management, the 9-7x which came out in very late 2005, this car is designed of the GM 360 platform which is shared by the Chevy Trialblazer and the Oldsmobile Bravada! Saab really tried hard on this car. They moved the ignition to the centre to be like a true Saab as with the 9-2x they didnt bother. They used the 9-5's cup holder design and also the 9-5's distinctive wood grain in the dash board. The front of the 9-7x is very sporty and looks like a true Saab, as with the 9-2x Saab's designers didnt do allot to the rear, it looks identical to the Oldsmobile Bravada! The 9-7x is still on the market today and while it technically isn’t a Saab I think it looks pretty cool and it is currently Saab's second best selling car in the states behind the 9-3! I could chat all day about the 9-7x and the 9-2x so Ill leave it there but if you have any questions Id like to hear from you.

If you think Saab's 9-7x is badge engineered with other GM cars, then think, what is Acura to Honda, what is Lexus to Toyota? Lexus and Toyota have done 'badge engineering' on plenty of occasions and nobody has said anything but when a poor old car company that tries its hardest under tough conditions every one cries fowl!
 
#21 ·
KiwiGuy said:
That might not be the case, Mehmet. Saab looks as though it might be pruchased by an Arab sheikh, not a Chinese auto manufacturer.
Well it seems that the Arab guy has fallen silent and all eyes are upon a few inetersted parties. There was a tour of the Saab facilities in Sweden recently for the potential buyers. It has been confirmed that Geely are very interested however they have not yet submitted a bid. Fiat are also interested however they have said there only intention is to buy Saab, close down Saab and use its dealer network to sell Fiats in America. I think that sucks and all the executives at Fiat should be lined up and shot next to the GM executives! There are also many interested private American investors who wouldnt mind splashing out a bit to save peoples jobs and bring the fire back into the belly of the angry Griffen.
 
#22 ·
These photos of the 9-5 posted by KiwiGuy WERE NOT RELEASED BY SAAB! They were made by an enthusiast on photoshop. Saab have not released anything on the 9-5 however they are releasing many things by the day about the new 9-4x model. There is now a list of engines to be availible for the 9-4x out on the net.
 
#23 ·
Thank you for your, uh, interesting opinon nzsaab. however, there are a few things that needed to be sorted out. NOBODY cares whether the pictures wer released by Saab or not, and Lexus is owned by Toyota, so the cars you see were not badge egnineered. And about that photoshop thing. This forum is about the Chinese auto industry. Almost everything is photoshopped!
Nice to see you online though my friend.
 
#24 ·
Hello there well firstly this is a forum about Saab so it would only be natural that the people that view this page are somewhat inetersted in knowing factual information about the brand.

You say Lexus is owned by Toyota so the cars are not badge engineered, well Saab is owned by GM, Chevy is Owned by GM and so are alot of other marques, there is no difference. The only difference is that Toyota has less brands.
 
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