Saab goes back to sporty image with new 9-3 range

Saab, since it has been under the control of GM, seems to have lost its identity and appeal to independent minded drivers and consequently sales have stalled.

This year UK sales are down by 10.5 per cent and in 2006 the Swedish brand ended up by selling 1.8 per cent less cars. But looking on the bright side that was better than the 3.9 per cent fall in the UK’s overall new passenger car market last year.

Since GM took over the Saab brand they seem to have been less than focussed on whom they are aiming the brand at. They lost sight of the previous proud heritage of the marque in motorsport, the fact that Saab were the inventors of exhaust-driven turbochargers for volume production passenger cars, not to mention their aviation background and pioneered in-car safety technologies.

All these things seemed to have been overlooked by GM until now and consequently that information had not filtered through to a new generation of premium car owners. Potential Saab owners were lost to the premium and sporting German brands of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Saab BioPower

GM sees Saab as a brand selling above Vauxhall models to premium car buyers in the fleet and business market sectors. Retail customers, the previous heartland for sales, were seemingly unconvinced by the long-in- the-tooth products and dalliances at an early stage with their BioPower flex-fuel technology (Bioethanol).

Saab under GM’s leadership is still promoting the fact that each Saab model range offers an alternative fuel engine. Although alternative fuels might become a significant selling point in the future, for performance-loving independent motorists green fuels are not currently big business.

Now at last GM and Saab seem to have grasped the situation and the new 9-3 range of Saloons and SportsWagons should inject desirability back into this once famous brand and start attracting independent-minded drivers again.

Saab 9-3 pricing

The recent announcement of an additional ‘hero’ model for the new Saab 9-3 range, the 280hp, 2.8-litre V6 Turbo X model with its XWD all wheel drive system will lift the brand’s image further. Available in Saloon and SportsWagon body style 500 of these models will be available in the UK from next March with prices from £32,495.

Prices of the new mainstream Saab 9-3 models start from £18,575 for the Saloon derivatives and £19,575 for the SportWagon versions. The older 9-3 Convertible models remain in the range with prices from £25,975.

For the record for younger readers, Saab was founded in Sweden in 1937 as Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Aircraft Company), revealing the prototype for its first aircraft-inspired passenger car in 1947.

Thirty years ago Saab introduced turbocharging and 60 years since its first car was launched, Saab might now just be back on a flight-path to a brand resurrection.

Name

Comments

Validation	Please enter the text to the left (case sensitive)
Reload