Possibly the end of Saab - In Trollhättan...

Hi.

According to different newspapers, it seems that GM is gonna sack the Trollhättan plant, come december.

It's planned that the production of Saab cars will be relocated to Opel in Rüsselsheim, where the cars will be manufactured in one plant, together with Opel Signum, Omega and Vectra.

Seems like I'm gonna have to look for a new car brand....

:'-(

Cheers!

Reply to
Henrik B.
Loading thread data ...

Or just drive vintage cars !

Reply to
Retro Bob

"MeatballTurbo" skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@news.individual.net...

Looks they've brought it forward and made a decission then. Gits. A Saab can be made under license elsewhere, but if it doesn't nave it's heart in Trollhatten, the Trolls won't work properly, and the Gremlins will just run riot. You mark my words, Saab will turn into one of the most unreliable brands ever, instead of one of the most reliable makers of cars.

Yes, in the last 20 years, no quality made car has come out of Rüsselsheim... :o(

Cheers!

Reply to
Henrik B.

My local Saab dealer was looking for a new 9-5 for me to (a) test then (b) possibly buy. However, until this matter is decided in favour of Trollhatten, GM can go whistle for my Saab business. I have asked the dealer to stop looking. FWIW.

Okay, if I bought a new 9-5 now, it would be as much a Saab as a new car can be today. I am thinking ahead, along all those years during which the marque evaporates, leaving an ever-nastier taste in the mouth regarding parts and maintenance.

Any who are inclined to knock this decision should reflect that they don't know the details of my life. Beyond trivial stuff, a few of us have to rely on pro servicing. I'd want it to be well cared for -- without breaking the bank.

I am hoping this will prove to be one of those groundless scares. The dealer claimed ignorance of the news, so I suggested he talk to Saab UK in hopes of getting the pure news. We'll see.

-- Andrew Stephenson

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Or stick with a genuine pre-1990 Saab car (or a model built post-1990 but designed pre-1990) for longer. 8-)

... And here we were assuming GM's head-honcho's were committed to retaining the identity of each 'brand' GM has acquired? GM will lose out in a big way (at least in all markets except the US) if it tries to 'morph' the identities of it's acquired brands into some that looks 'more US-like' which is how all their acquired brands are going at the moment.

I wonder if GM will start making Subaru's (and 'Saab'-badged Subaru's) in Germany as well? Sorry, Saabaru's. 8-)

Regards,

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's C900 Workshop

Has anyone actually confirmed this? I ran an Internet search and could not find a relevant news article anywhere in English, German or Spanish (I don't speak Swedish :-)

If it is true, then the brand is a sham. Just yesterday, driving home, and as a very nicely kept 900 2-door hatch drove by ('early 90s edition), I was thinking how sorely missed that unique shape is, and how I can't believe they could not find buyers for that very design in today's world: if a fake thing like the New Beetle sells decently, a modernized classic 900 could potentially rock. Far more than the more anonymous and undifferentiated 9-3 sedan that Saab thought was the end to its woes...

...pablo

Reply to
pablo

"pablo" skrev i en meddelelse news:M0A6d.2671$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com...

Here's the article posted on a Norwegian carmag-homepage - in norwegian:

formatting link
Cheers!

Reply to
Henrik B.

I Googled for ("general motors" saab trollhattan production) and this English article came up (of many), explaining it is all "speculation":

formatting link

-- MH '72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96 '87 900T8

Reply to
MH

Yet the 900C is something of a hybrid. I remember reading at the time that Saab couldn't afford full development costs, so they based it on the 99 with a longer bonnet for future engines and introduced the hatchback. At the time I thought that the new 900C looked somewhat unbalanced with the large overhangs front and rear on the relatively short 99 wheelbase. Then came the even odder Saab 90 where they re-fitted the old 99 bonnet (I think). Nevertheless, the quirky shape have become something of an icon and I must admit the a well kept 900C cabrio now looks awesome, especially among the bland lookalike soap-shaped cars we have today.

Bringing out a retro 900C would be a great idea, but I doubt it will happen with the current owner. On the other hand, I think they're developing a powerful coupe model with some hints of 900C.

Reply to
Johannes H Andersen

You're almost right. The 900 is based on the 99 Coupé:

formatting link
It was a little more than a simple "nose job" though, ofcourse a different dash was fitted, but otherwise they're pretty much the same.

It was a strange car, they used the newly developed 900 Sedan in 2 door version and fitted a 99 nose, talking about an unbalanced design... It wasn't a succes either.

formatting link

I don't agree on the cabrio, never cared much for it. The best looking

900 (IMHO) is the early turbo coupé:

formatting link

They should give more attention to character, detail, and most of all quality. The current 9-3 Sportsedan (what's in a name...) is to much of a Audi A4 ripoff (is this flamebait? Ahhh, whatever..) and does not stand out. I don't give a s**t if they build it in Germany from now on, if they would have some real swedish Saab designers do the design, add a gallon of quirkyness and make it bulletproof ;-)

Reply to
Zweef®

[...]

Yes, the 9-3SS has a 'safe' styling, not too different from the mainstream soap bar cars. There should at least have been a sleek hatchback version. But the days have gone where you could tell which car was arriving from around the corner, just by the sound of the engine... Then we always used to speculate how future cars would look like. No one imagined the tall MPV style that seem to perpetuate these days; almost any can that comes out nowadays will soon have an ugly MPV or 4x4 derivative, just wait...

Reply to
Johannes H Andersen

Hello folks....

only ppl from Saab in Sweden can make a real Saab. But I have read something interesting today. German and Swedish unions are working together to make it impossible for GM to shut down factories in Europe, either Opel in Rüsselsheim or Saab in Trollhättan.

They should start in the US, where they have a lot of plants that are really not making any profits....they pushed Saab and Opel into something and now they should deal with it. The main problem is...GM has to understand, that we Europeans don't like badge engeneering..it doesn't matter if you buy a Pontiac, a Buick or a Chevrolet..its all the same low level developement. I had a Pontiac Grand Am....after 17000 Miles the car was ratteling and squeaking everywhere...poor performance , noisy...poor quality. The only reason why GM bought Opel and Saab was simple...they wanted to know how to make some good cars.But they are still learning and now...because obviously nobody wants to buy their junk cars.They have to blame the fine European car makers Opel and Saab for their mistakes.

But the German Union allready said....we will work all together...Go Saab...go Opel....

greatings.....from mario...owner of a brand new Saab 9-3 1.9 TIDs

Reply to
Swedishmoose

I rather consider it to be SAAB 99 where you fitted most parts of a 900 2d saloon/sedan aft of the doors. Just a matter of interpretation. :-)

But I liked it. In June 1987 I bought a 90 (5 speed) from 1986 and I traded it for a 2002 9-3 5d Sport Edition only two weeks ago.

I think it's beautiful when viewed from that angle.

/Bengt

Reply to
Bengt Österdahl

Yes, it's just a matter of parking it just on the right spot from your home windows ;-)

Reply to
Zweef®

Sort of. The 900C was nothing other than a 99 with about 20cm of length added in the hood/engine compartment. The hatch had been introduced several years before, and the more time I spend on this 99 I'm working on the more I realize it's very much just a 900 with a more cramped engine compartment. Not a dissimilar change as the bull-nose to long-nose change in 1964/1965.

I think I'll be driving the older ones for a while. Need to get the Sonett going, but it's not looking good for _this_ summer...

Dave Hinz

Reply to
Dave Hinz

Or the change from 96 to 99 through the 'Paddan' (Toad - badged 'Daihatsu'), a 96 cut in half lengthwise and widened 20 cm (8").

-- MH '72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96 '87 900T8

Reply to
MH

Well, that's a totally different thing. A 96 is _very_ dissimilar from a 99, structurally speaking. Total redesign, really the first in Saab's history to that date. Until the 99, they re-did one half of the car at a time:

92 to 92b - new back 92b to 93 - new front 93 to 96 - new back 96 bullnose to 96 longnose - new front

The 99 has neither the front nor the back of the 96. It's a totally different car, altogether. The 99 to 900 transition is trivial in comparison. The Paddan was still a 96, just a bit more than half of each side of two of 'em, welded together. The welds in the hood, to keep the lines looking good, look like it came from about 4 hoods though. The Daihatsu-logo'd car you're thinking of (made from letters cut from Saab Sport emblems) was one of the first 99 chassis cars given road testing in Northern Sweden to get some road time on the design. The Saab Museum in Trollhatten has one of the Toads, and I think the "Daihatsu" car is there as well but I'd have to look at my pictures to be sure.

Dave Hinz

Reply to
Dave Hinz

eh.... the later 96 had the same front seats as the 99 (and window cranks too)....

yes, I see your point :-)

The last one that survived

yes, I know it is, have pics too..

-- MH

Reply to
MH

Right, but not _structurally_. Seats and trim, sure.

I was there when Pelle Rudh (sp?) was still the curator. It was a quiet day, only my dad and I were there. At one point he saw me looking strangely at the Sonett 1 and asked why - I asked him why it had "Soccerball" wheels on it. I wonder if those wheels are still on it.

Reply to
Dave Hinz

Not anymore on the white 94 #001, see pic 11 at

formatting link
it is driven by the current museum director Peter Backström. I 'msurprised to see 5 bolt wheels on it though, I would have expected 4 boltwheels.

-- MH

Reply to
MH

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.