I’d like to take a moment to welcome a new sponsor to Trollhattan Saab and Saabs United – MobilForum from Dresden, in Germany.
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MobilForum are a top tier dealership specialising in Hummer, Cadillac, Corvette and most importantly for readers at this website – Saab. In fact, with the specialised knowledge [...]
This is the final live entry for Trollhattan Saab. For the record, it’s entry #5,431 and there have been 50,962 comments thus far in the life of this blog.
Whilst this is the end of the road for Trollhattan Saab (yes, city of Trollhattan, you can have your Google rank back [...]
It’s certainly a busy weekend over at Auto Motor and Sport.
Yesterday it was naked 9-3x photos and today it’s more photos of the Saab 9-5 in winter testing northern Sweden. This vehicle is the one that’s actually registered as being a Holden, but don’t let that throw you off. It’s [...]
UPDATE: Some facts have been checked and corrected.
Well, at least I know what the problem is with the convertible. And it has a lot to do with this picture of my (former) jumper cables.
Read on for the explaination.
As you may recall, just before Christmas, I [...]
Wow, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here, and it’s been strictly due to the workload forced upon many of us with the weird and wooly business climate that exists at the moment.
On Saab (not) in the newsI’ve not heard much about Saab in the mainsteam news here [...]
This has sort of become a bit of an Australia-watch segment in the last few weeks. Sorry if it bores some, but mainland Australia is going through some dangerous times.
Richo, our former-Viggen-owning mate was at Philip Island in Victoria indulging in his new brand:
And the temperature [...]
Last week I posed the question as to what the diesel offerings will be with the new upcoming Saab 9-3x.
I’ve heard a little more on this issue since then and the answer appears to be both ‘yes’ and ‘no’, though perhaps not in the way [...]
Here they are.
Daytime shots. Proper wheels. No falling snow and no disguises. The Saab 9-3x in all its glory.
I really, REALLY like the look of this vehicle. It’s a subtle change, but a great one.
The Saab 9-3x is due to make its [...]
It’s a long weekend! Woohoo!
Automotive jobs here at TS include the removal exchange of my Monte Carlo’s woodgrain dashboard for the plain dash in one of Drew B’s cars. I’ll then be able to fit my new carbon fibre dash kit.
Website jobs here at TS include the changeover to the [...]
In reponse to the global economic downturn, both Holden and Saab here in Australia are taking the knife to their corporate hospitality commitments.
This is big.
Saab’s involvement in horseracing in Australia is probably it’s biggest single marketing exercise. The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horserace in Australia and the final [...]
Someone named “keeneyes” produced what is my favourite photochop of the 2010 Saab 9-5 so far, basically by taking a couple of real spyphotos and making silhouettes of them.
Robert B has done some digging through the archives and looked at the many [...]
This is little to do with Saab, BUT
1) It was sent in by Bill P, who most recently gave us a 46C temp reading on his SID. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s again for the next week or so.
2) No-one, and I mean no-one, can resist [...]
Bilnorge, from Norway, have some new spyshots of the Saab 9-4x undergoing winter testing.
As you can see, Saab have all but given up on disguising the car, with only a few black triangles covering up the true lines of the vehicle.
Looks great! But how does it drive?
It seems the deck chairs are shifting and the plans slowly unrolling within GM Europe for a more independent and distinct Saab.
There are two main news articles doing the rounds on the web today. The Automotive News article is based on a GM press release that reads as follows:
General [...]
Carpix have been kind enough to send me a full size photo showing the rear badge of the Saab 9-3x vehicle photographed in northern Sweden in the last few days.
With the name settled, you can now resume your normal whining about how this car is too [...]
If you’re looking to freshen up your wheels and tyres tires, or looking just to preserve the good condition they’re already in, then this pack from site sponsor Saab USA Parts will be of interest.
It’s pretty good value. The bag alone would sell for a tidy sum. With the northern [...]
Posting will be light tonight as I’m off to the cinema (Gold Class - yes!) to see Gran Torino.
Should be good.
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I think I’ve found a solution to my dilemma as to whether I sell my Alfa 33 or my 1985 Saab 900: I’ll let the market decide.
In short - [...]
Here’s a crop of one of the 9-3x rear end photos over at Motor Authority….
Things we can see…..
1) The 9-3x badge. whilst you can’t really make out the “x” there, there’s sufficient snow capped on something to the right of the “3″ to believe that [...]
I believe some of the European automotive press are actually either on their way to, or are actually conducting some initial test drives of the Saab 9-3x in northern Sweden as we speak.
The automotive papparazzi seem to be hanging out there as well.
This isn’t going to help slow sales in the US, but it’s potentially a very positive development for the imminent release of the Saab 9-3x.
One of the bugs with the XWD system in the regular Saab 9-3 is that there wasn’t enough room to have both a diesel engine and [...]
I never thought I’d see the words Saab and monster and truck in the same sentence, let alone all running together. But here we are. Maybe it’s not a true monster truck, but it certainly looks capable of traversing some rugged terrain.
The things people do with their Saabs, eh? Better [...]
UPDATES below
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Aussie Saab sales data has come in and like the major markets we’ve covered so far, the Aussies are having a very hard time.
Saab sales were down 59.4% and GM Premium Brands as a group were down 67.9%
There were only 3 Saab 9-5s sold during the month.
Saab 9-3 Sedan [...]
Oh mama!
What a difference a new clutch makes….
For the last 8 months I’ve barely driven my 1985 Saab 900 Aero because I had the Alfa to play with and because the clutch was playing up. It happened gradually so I didn’t really notice the drop in performance until it was [...]
The clutch is being replaced on my C900 today.
I’m going to hate doing this. I’m going to lose heaps of money selling a car that ideally, I’d love to keep. We just don’t have the room, though, and I don’t have the income to [...]
It’s been a tough winter in the north. Whether you’re a Saab dealer, Saab employee or an interested observer, the brand’s taken a battering and it’s been hard to watch.
These cars are born from a pretty tough place, though, and are made to thrive in such conditions. Hopefully a winter [...]
US sales data is in and as we might expect, it’s not been a good month in Saab’s ‘biggest’ market. Inverted commas are used because there were actually more 9-3s and 9-5s (combined) sold in Sweden this month.
The big news from the GM press release on January sales isn’t so [...]
Another shot I’ve seen tonight whilst going through images for Saab Pride book entries.
This C900 is owned by Valter P, a GM employee in Brazil. Click to enlarge.
Character. Cool. Class. Utility. Design. Style.
Discuss.
I thought it high time to provide you all with an update as to how the Saab Pride book project is going.
It’s fair to say that the book has sat on the backburner for a little while. It’s been some time since I asked for extra entries for the book [...]
I just got off the phone with Eric Geers from Saab in Sweden and unfortunately there’s absolutely nothing I can talk about here on the website. Eric is quite happy to keep me posted on the goings-on with Saab, but obviously at the moment everything’s quite delicate in terms of [...]
In November last year I asked if anyone had bought a new Saab in 2008. Well….. new, used or otherwise.
We had a pretty good response rate with 76 commenters chipping in about their new cars. I’m yet to bill Saab for services rendered in that regard 
[...]
Dear Swedish politicians.
Saab is important to us. Saab is important to you, too, though for different reasons, of course. Saab is important to us because we love driving their products and we’d like to see them get the chance to return to continue making the kind of products that no [...]
As seen somewhere near Trollhattan today…..
Hmmmm.
Ill-fitting panels and a sooty rear end.
It could be anything, I suppose. But I bet it’s not just anything…..
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Wins for Saab seem to reasonably rare no matter where the location is these days. Here in Australia, they’re even rarer, and when they do occur there always seems to be some sort of furore.
This week the fuss is over a local mayor in suburban Melbourne choosing a Saab 9-5 [...]
Knut Simonsson in Autovisie, recently:
We knew for a long time that 2008 and 2009 would be lean years for Saab. Actually, these years internally were called just that: The Lean Years.
I’m pretty sure that in all the time that I’ve been writing this website, the Saab 9-3 has been at [...]
January was a nice consistent month here at TS. Traffic was down on last month, but then we didn’t have a bombshell like the GM restructuring plan in December.
There were 251,000 page loads during the month, an average of 8,098 pages viewed per day. That’s 2,000 [...]
The heat wave here in Australia’s causing some serious damage. Several people have died, the new big wheel scenic ride in Melbourne has been closed indefinitely due to damage from the heat, and it’s taken its toll on a huge number of vehicles as well.
The biggest impact was in my [...]
I’m not sure I could be more pleased with the result of the CAR Magazine hot hatch poll.
You have a satisfied crowd, a great result for Saab and a surprise sprint to the finish for a fitting third placegetter.
The final results saw the Lancia Delta Integrale sustain it’s run [...]
It’s Monday morning here in Australia and I’m skipping work to sit at home, relax, munch on some chips and watch the Superbowl!!
I’ve been keeping an eye on the NFL on and off since way back when Joe Montana was firing people’s imaginations back in the 1980s. In recent times [...]
Time for a look at a few specials from our excellent site sponsors:
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State of Nine have a special on their Saab logo mats. State of Nine typically test products from a number of manufacturers prior to choosing one to offer for sale, so you only get the best quality [...]
Following on from his initial effort, covered yesterday, “keeneyes” has produced another 2010 Saab 9-5 silhouette based on spyshots that we’ve seen already.
As ELBOBO said in comments “I haven’t seen it, but I have a feeling you’re darn close”. And I hope that’s right because this looks very tasty [...]
This is swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, commenting on Saab and Volvo at the World Economic Forum this week:
“We do not foresee a Swedish solution to this problem because I think, in the first place, they were sold because they were not able to stand on their own. [...]
Hirsch have been doing a very tasty photoshoot by the looks of things……
Look at that exhaust pipe! Mama!!!
I gotta get me one of these Swiss precision machines one day…..
This is just a few random dot points encompassing some disjointed things I’ve heard in the last few weeks as well as some common knowledge - and I’d also like to address a few lines of thought that came through in the most recent summary post on the 2010 [...]
OK, it’s not my subframe brace, exactly. It’s Lars’ own subframe brace. But shortly after making this one, he made one up for me, too. It arrived in the mail yesterday and will go on to the Monte soon.
So, introductions first.
The man in question is a Swede now living in [...]
Before I start on that…..
I got this email in this afternoon from a guy I know in Sweden:
……I had been invited to a special viewing of the new 9-5 at Saab. The car was showed in a little courtyard and was covered with a nice thick cover. When they pull [...]
I’m pretty confident that the Swedish government won’t hang Saab out to dry. I can’t help but feel that Saab have a bright future with the proposed independence plan being worked on at the moment.
Still, the good people living in Trollhattan - a city I had the distinct pleasure of [...]
It’s nice to be able to tie up the loose ends of stories like this one.
Back in August last year I wrote about a somewhat neglected Saab 900 stretch limousine that was up for sale on Ebay. It was blowing a little smoke and was pretty rough around the [...]
Swedish website Altommotor has come across some new images of the Saab 9-5 in testing. Unlike the last lot, which were shot in Spain, this time it looks like it might be following the 9-4x around in northern Sweden.
These seem to be a bit closer than the Spanish shots, [...]
There are tears all over certain parts of inner-suburban Sydney today as Richo has finally handed over the keys to his Viggen to it’s new owner, Susanne.
Richo and I met because of Viggens, drove to see the Aero-X in his Viggen, we’ve followed his Viggen around Tasmania, [...]
Forget the heated seats, it’s time for the Saab AC system to get cranking!!!
These images are from Turbin, in Melbourne, Australia.
How about this for a high, mid-afternoon yesterday?
And then at 5am this morning, on the way to his workplace?
And an hour later, [...]
Following on from the Djup Strupe comments posted earlier, I’ve just received a translation of an article in Autovisie, a Dutch motoring publication, that reiterates the philosophy that Saab are trying to build for the future.
The article is an interview with Knut Simonsson, Saab’s Executive Director, Global Brand & [...]
Saab Ireland are responding to the global financial crisis and the corresponding drop in demand by adjusting their prices downwards - significantly.
From the Galway Independent:
Prices for Saab 9-3 models in Ireland have been cut in a move to react to the current economic conditions. Prices have been cut [...]
Trollhattan Saab received its 50,000th comment last night.
Unfortunately it was from a guy who didn’t like Saab. Or punctuation. A disappointing way to celebrate a milestone, but it’s noted nonetheless.
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Seen a little while ago by Chris D:
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How cool is this blogging thing?
I write from Tasmania, Australia, [...]
A carrier pigeon dropped this in my mailbox through the week. From parts unknown.
I work at a Saab dealership. A little while ago we had a meeting bringing together a number of dealerships with some senior Saab officials.
We were shown a few pictures of the new 9-5, both the sedan [...]
I mentioned some Saab 9-4x news the other day, but couldn’t write about it until I had it confirmed.
The confirmation I was hoping for hasn’t come through yet and I’ll let you know when it does, but I’ve received enough info from an appropriate source to be able to tell [...]
I’ve had a number of emails in the last few days imploring me to further promote the CAR Magazine Best Hot Hatch Ever poll.
The poll was first picked up by George at TurboNines. I followed suit shortly thereafter when the 99T had just 26 votes. News [...]
I featured a heavily customised Saab convertible a few days ago and I think it’s fair to say that it drew it’s fair share of negativity in comments. Somewhat unwarranted, I think.
But just to prove that that’s not the only heavily customised Saab doing the rounds, I’d like to [...]
This story caught my eye in the news today:
German police were testing a 23-year-old man for traces of alcohol today after his car came off the road and soared 35 metres through the air to land in a church roof.
Police in Chemnitz in eastern Germany said the speeding [...]
A late word from the Detroit Auto Show that got caught in my spam folder. The source shall remain nameless, but he was talking to senior Saab staff:
Within three months it should be ready. Right from the floor in Detroit to……[deleted]
Context: I’m pretty sure the “it” being referred to [...]
Back in 2007, former Saab designer Bjorn Envall was standing outside the Saab Museum during the Saab Festival, handing out A3 sized sheets of paper with a sketch he’d done. I got three of them, got them laminated and they’re currently sitting at my desk, downstairs.
When I asked why he [...]
There’s plenty happening in the next few weeks at our place. Updates will be forthcoming with pics, but little of it’s actually happened yet. Here’s what’s coming up:
1) We have a 9-2x in the family!
Well, not really. Our young fella’s just bought his first car: a 1995 Subaru Impreza SportWagon. [...]
Whilst people in my old hometown in Melboune prepare for what might be the hottest week in 100 years, here in Tassie - just an hour’s flight south - we’re going to enjoy nice 30 degree celcius days (at most) through this week.
And even in the winter, it just [...]
Carl Levine has announced via the Granite Embedded website that the business will close doors at the end of this week.
For the unfamiliar, Carl took on the task of building a unit that would allow iPod connectivity and control for the Saab 9-3 and 9-5, a unit that came [...]
If you’re in Europe and you’re looking for a cheap Viggen, or 9-5, or some other nice Saab, now might be the time to head to Sweden.
Dippen sent this report in, translated from Swedish Public Radio:
The quality of Swedish cars, combined with a weaker swedish krona (SKR) has [...]
The following article was translated and provided by my good T-shirt designing mate from Hungary - Ivan.
The article was originally written by Ăkos ÉgĹ‘, the chairman of the Hungarian Saab 900 Club, and it was orginally published in an online magazine called Vezess.
You can find more photos of [...]
It’s a long weekend here in Australia.
Happy Australia Day, everyone!
Aside from a wedding on Saturday (no, not mine) I’ve been spending a lot of time working on this:
This is the new site that will replace Trollhattan Saab some time early next month. It won’t be called [...]
The Temp Wars continue, this one coming from Saskatchewan, a region in Canada known for two things: It’s majestic rolling hills (NOT!) and it’s fervent, frenzied football fans - the Rider Nation.
Francois sent in this SID reading from there and notes that his previous car, a Mercedes Benz C230, had [...]
Swedish newspaper, Göteborgs-Posten (you can translate that title yourself) has a summary on the current situation facing Saab.
ctm has been kind enough to provide another translation for us. This is interesting reading not just for those interested in Saab, but also for those interested in the wider implications [...]
Dear CAR people,
As I write this, the Saab 99 Turbo still sits at the top of you Best Hot Hatch Ever poll, maintaining a narrow lead over the Lancia Delta Integrale and Volkswagen Golf GTI. As you’ve noted in your updated introductory paragraph to the poll, and as some [...]
I received an email today from a student named Kirsten, in the US.
She’s a Saab owner and has chosen Saab for a major branding project that she’s doing at the moment. I could answer these myself - and have posted a few notes below - but I always think a [...]
TS frequenter and occasional contributor, WooDz, has just sent me a piece on adjusting your driving style to get better mileage from your Saab.
If you’re a little price sensitive when it comes to fuel then here’s a number of things you might want to think a little more on. WooDz [...]
Edmunds Inside Line have a decent little story covering developments with Saab. I particularly liked this bit:
As widely reported this week in Europe, the solution for Saab is to return to its autonomous near-premium car-builder roots. When we asked Saab spokesman Eric Geers recently at the Detroit auto show, [...]
I don’t think writing this is going to make me any more popular in Detroit, but I do want to acknowledge something I saw - and was really happy about - this morning over at Autoblog.
AB have a post there titled Saab responds to oblivion comment for the 9-4x. [...]
Following on from what looks to have been a successful promotion in 2008 (though it’s impact in terms of vehicle sales might be questionable) Saab are teaming up with the Burn Notice TV show in the US to provide another interactive online game in 2009.
From Mediaweek:
Covert Ops 2 will [...]
There’s a couple of reports here in Australia that slipped under my radar. Thankfully , they didn’t slip under PT’s radar and he emailed me to let me know about them.
The first report concerns the cancellation of Cadillac’s launch here in Australia. GM Premium Brands had planned a press [...]
I covered this report in brief a few days ago. At that stage it was most notable for the cat sitting on the convertible.
Here’s a full translation of the article, which originally appeared in Dagens Insustri. This is probably the best summary I’ve seen so far in the [...]
Clive M was the first guy to place an order for a Turbo X here in Australia. He’s pretty passionate about the car, passionate enough to convince someone to customise the message his Turbo X shows at start-up:
He’s also passionate enough to put together some thoughts [...]
If you’re a daily reader here at TS then you may have reacted like I did when you saw the headlines all over the automosphere today saying that the Saab 9-3x and Saab 9-5 would be coming in 2009.
That reaction would be “what took those sites so long?”
Yes, GM did [...]
Our mates at Auto Motor and Sport in Sweden have picked up some more Saab 9-4x spyphotos.
This time the 9-4x was caught testing somewhere in northern Sweden and it’s almost completely nude - including the inside.
I’m diggin this!!
I’m not so hot on the steering wheel or [...]
Welcome, Mr President.
That’s about as political as I’ll get here, aside from saying that it’s nice to be able to say something like that again and feel good about it.
It’s a light day today.
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It certainly is a time for change, isn’t it?
This is a news story. You’ll get why I’m saying that up-front in a moment.
In my brief personal experiences with former Saab USA chief, Bob Sinclair, I came to meet a man who’s left few, if any, stones unturned in his 77 years. His has been a life rich with [...]
A French publication called Autojournal are claiming to have the first pics of the new Saab 9-5 in testing.
Apparently the car was zooming around a facility in Barcelona when these shots were taken.
Now…..if you can tell anything whatsoever from that image, you’re doing better than I [...]
No news here.
This photo was used today in a story from Dagens Industry, a news service in Sweden. The story just summarised all that we have already heard in the last week or so.
So who needs the lives more?
Saab?
…..or the cat?
(Bloody typical of [...]
Plans for the 2009 Saab Cabrio Challenge are taking shape and seeing there’s a complete lack of clarity as to plans for a Saab Festival this year, this might be an event for convertible owners to pencil in to their calendar.
Whilst there are some tasks [...]
As noted by a few in comments, Autoblog have a piece on Saab setting up independently. That article (like many from Autoblog, especially lately) is based on an Automotive News report, which basically re-writes what we’ve been covering here for the last week or so.
General Motors is preparing to [...]
I don’t know if your local Saab club got up to anything last weekend. it certainly looks like some Saab clubs were busy though.
I had heaps of Saab photos on my Flickr feed this morning and thought I’d give them some air time here. It’s always good to see people [...]
Love Saabs? Ever wanted to share your story, your thoughts?
My ability to write here for the next few weeks is going to be hampered by the fact that I’m starting an entirely new blog. It’s very time consuming exercise, but one that will be well worth it when it’s ready. [...]
Saab History discovered back in December that Saab may have to stop using the familiar griffin logo due to a contractual arrangement with Scania that dates back to when GM bought into the company. Under that arrangement, Saab Automobile could have use of the griffin emblem for 20 years, [...]
Some say he formed all of Scandinavia with his own two…..”hands”, and that his urine is actually yellow and blue with remarkable color separation. All we know is he’s named after one of Saab’s best ever rally drivers.
I mean, come on. There’s “The Stig” and then there’s THE STIG. Even [...]
It’s been a very enjoyable week here or so here at Trollhattan Saab.
There were no new Saab vehicles planned for the Detroit Auto Show so I didn’t get an invitation this year (not sure they’d have me back, anyway), but the announcements that came out of the show were, [...]
It’s a festival of ninedom over at State of Nine.
To kick off 2009 they’re offering nine of their top selling products with a 9% discount. To get the discount, you need to enter Promo Code 9FOR2009 during check out. This offer expires February 1st, 2009.
The products [...]
I bet you’re one of those cynics who thinks that Kiefer Sutherland isn’t really capable of saving the world over and over and over again. I bet you don’t believe in getting from one side of a major city to the other in under 20 minutes - and I’m sure [...]
It seems like it’s now open season on GM management in the Swedish press, which is fine with me as long as they’re being accurate.
This latest report is from Dagens Industri, translated once again by ctm. There’s some jewels in this one!
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Production in Sweden can save 30% on every [...]
I know that 99% of you couldn’t give two hoots about my Alfa or the state it’s in, but I spent all of last weekend and all of today cleaning this bugger up, so I’m going to show it somewhere!
Having recently purchased the Monte, I wanted to get into cleanup [...]
Which GM brand sold less than 2,000 units in Japan in 2008?
Would that be Chevrolet, which mainly sells Korean-built compact vehicles there? Or would it be Hummer, who sells….well….Hummers? Would it be Cadillac, marketing their American conspicuous consumerism is the world’s second largest economy? Or would it be Saab?
Which brand?
What [...]
Last night’s post on TedJs’s heated Saab seats has led to a number of people posting the temperatures showing on their SIDs in comments and a few photos coming in as well.
WooDz is definitely enjoying the heated seats in his 9-3 Viggen at the moment….
Whilst Paul [...]
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