Saab to sustain suckage
Newswheel staff :: 14 September 2005 :: Filed under Saab, Europe & UK, US
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More reskinned GM cars on the way
"If there’s one word that describes Saab owners best, it’s ‘passion.’ As in, passion for the brand, passion for the product, and passion for our rich heritage." So says Jay Spenchian, Saab head honcho in the US.
And if there’s one word that describes Saab’s current product line-up, it’s ‘depressing.’ Indeed, Is there a worthy brand that gets a crappier deal from its parent company than Saab? The Chevy Trailblazer-based 9-7X and Saabaru 9-2X are the most obvious examples of GM’s tight-fisted unwillingness to spend more than chump change on the Swedish automaker’s product portfolio. But it’s actually the most recent addition to the line-up, the tweaked 9-5, that’s most offensive.
It’s a car based on the previous generation Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, a piss-poor platform that has proven entirely incapable of picking up plaudits. The really nasty news is that the latest facelift to the 9-5 must last until 2009 when the all-new model is due to roll up. You have to wonder why GM bother at all.
Brace for impact
Unfortunately, if a recent report in UK mag Car is anything to go by, there’s not much light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, the litany of dodgy reskinned GM metal will continue.
So, let’s get the best bit out of the way first. 2007 could see the launch of a Saab derivative of the Pontiac Solstice rear-drive roadster. Apparently designed by Michael Mauer shortly before he joined the rats and jumped ship to Porsche, the car will be powered by GM’s familiar 2.2-litre four cylinder engine in 250bhp turbo trim.
Less thrilling is the prospect of more 4x4 models in form of 9-4x, a rebodied Chevy S3X and a 9-3V/X based on the Vauxhall/Opel Zafira mini MPV. Does Saab deserve better? Does the Pope poo in the woods?
The raw material for future Saabs. Yuck:
Soon to be Saabs? From the top: Chevy SX3, Opel Zafira and Pontiac Solstice.
Linkage:
Car magazine
The state of Saab: Jay Spenchian (Saab US chief) lays on it with a trowel
Posted 17 December 2005, by Anthony Frausto
Why even bother is right! Didn't GM learn their lesson from the 9-2X. Existing Saab owners will NOT tolerate re-skinned cars as Saabs. No way ever!
The 9-7X is an minor exception. It is designed as a Saab owner SUV supplement (b/c 35% of Saab owners own an SUV by someone else) vehicle and -- and this is important -- a onramp for SUV owners to the core brand. My bet is that more than 50% of 9-7X owners have never owned a Saab before.
But that strategy won't work across the board. You can't keep reskinning GM cars because pretty soon the entire brand image will be known for that. At that point, why even have that brand? You can't tell me GM is stupid enough to think that what is valuable about owning Saab is the badge itself -- ie, people will pay premio prices just for the name.
Not so unless the name means something.