Jalopnik: gm saab

GM Says Interest In Saab Exists, Brand Not Dead Yet

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:45:00 EST

In the press conference where it was announced Mr. Fritz "No Badge Engineering" Henderson was resigning, GM also stated there were suitors for Saab despite the Koenigsegg deal falling through. The board will considering offers until the end of December.

GM To Shrink Future Saabs, Reverse Brand Bloat

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

According to Automotive News, GM will be shifting the direction of Saab by shrinking the dimensions of future products. Every project manager in the automotive world will lose their minds at this revelation, given that traditionally, across all brands, bigger is always better. Yet forthcoming mid-size Saabs will be underpinned by the Delta platform rather than the larger Epsilon-2. Delta, keep in mind, is what will also be beneath the 2010 Chevy Volt and the 2010 Chevy Cruze, among other vehicles.

How about this for a brain bender: After the shrinking mid-sized cars, they're talking about taking the future entry-level Saab 9-1 and basing it on the popular-in-Europe Opel Corsa! My, my, Saab, how you'll be shrinking.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: We like this idea. Saabs have always been quirky, pocket-sized cars that go against the grain and win admiration for it. Monster-sized Saabrolets like the 9-7X just aren't right. For a brand that embodies European sensibilities, this seems like a choice that should have been made from the get-go. [Auto News Sub. Req]

Exchange Rate Puts Kibosh On Saab 9-3 Employee Purchases; More To Come?

Andrew Stoy — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Starting with the 2009 model year, Saab will no longer allow GM employees to purchase the 9-3 at a discount, citing current exchange rates that make the 7% price cut economically unsound. Saab sold about 23,000 9-3s last year, and the company claims approximately 1,500 of those were employee sales — though we think the total may be significantly higher based on the popularity of the 9-3 in Metro Detroit. If the numbers are accurate, the change would likely mean at least a 6% drop in future 9-3 sales. The bigger question is whether GM will stop at the 9-3 or begin slashing employee purchase discounts on all imported models. Vehicles that could be affected after the jump.

The Chevy Aveo could see its employee discount reduced or removed, particularly since the Korean-built vehicle is actually posting impressive sales numbers thanks to high gas prices. The Pontiac G8, built in Australia, and the Saturn Astra, built in Belgium, were also mentioned in the report as potential candidates for disqualification.

Though the removal of employee discounts may not be big news to most of the country, Detroit-area dealers count on employee sales for a disproportionate share of their income. One Saab dealer claimed up to 40% of his business stemmed from employee purchases, the removal of which would add yet another pressure point on an already-tanking Michigan economy. [Automotive News (Sub. Req.); Photo Credit: trollhattansaab.net]