Sorry if this has been answered before, I don't keep up on this forum as much as I should.

I was thinking about what GM is doing with Pontiac, and that got me thinking about Saab. With Pontiac becoming more BMW like by offering performance and European feel, what role is Saab trying to fill? Does Saab have a place in GM's lineup?

Thanks!

 

GM should work on marketing it more heavily as an alternative to BMW and Audi. But they also seem to be angling Caddy toward BMW as well, so I dunno...

 

Maybe as an up level Saturn.

In Europe SAAB is above Opel an Saturn is becoming Opel USA. So why not put SAAB above Saturn? They could even share the same dealerships.

 

I know Lutz has previously said that SAAB is too entrenched within the GM empire.... I might get shot down here, but GM has done nothing to revive a brand that's been dead for decades. SAAB are still without good product and they're not even a tenth the company Opel is. Don't start me on the millions of $$$ burnt over the years just keeping SAAB alive.

Imagine if GM instead invested in Holden 20 years ago...

 

GM really hasn't invested all that much into SAAB. The 9-5 is a shared platform with many other companies and models, and it is as old as dirt. The 2.3T it uses dates back to the 80s, with updates of course. The current 9-3 is one of the finest Epsilon models and has always done well in tests. The 9-7x while useless and made just to give the dealer body what they wanted was a rebadeged Envoy. With a small model lineup they have chugged along for years without much investment. The question is where do you take the brand? And how much do you invest in it?

And I think GM Europe should be fitting the bill for the VAST majority of this as it is primarily a European brand, and in most customers' minds it is the top tier (above Caddy).

 

I was just thinking that the other day. It makes perfect sense.

One of Saturns strengths are that no one knows GM makes it, and its got a somewhat loyal following, the same can be said for Saab. Add to that the fact that both are nominally "imports" and GM has a great oppurtunity.

Rip those damnable "GM" badges off all the Saabs and Saturns, Merge the dealerships since they are hell bent on increasings Saturns dealership capacity. Then market them as Euro mass market and upmarket brands...

If they did it right not only would they get both of those brands out of the domestic brand's hair, they could also probably assuage the purist for both who are upset that each brand is becoming another corporate rebadge. Im sure you could make a much better case for a product that could be used on two brands and two markets as apposed to just knocking off another Buick or Pontiac...

 

... or just sell SAAB althogether. I'm sure VW would do a better job of resurrecting the brand.

 

Yeah I agree the 9-7x was a terrible move on their part and probably caused a lot of people who might not have otherwise realized it to realize that Saab is no longer completely European. The 9-3x is enough of a cover that only people who research the car extensively or know enough about car mechanics and corporate structuring would realize anything tricky was going on.

 

Can't, SAAB is to integrated with GM. It doesn't have its own engineers, they are engineered by GME, and its (1) plant is also building Caddy BLSs and that plant may not even build SAABs in the near future. Besides VW has their hands full.

 

9-7x was a profitable success for Saab, opened a lot of people up into Saab, people that would might have picked themselves a XC90 or other.

Saab should deffinatly fit the same type of "Euro" buyer that Saturn is sorta going for. Bit more quirky qualities about it. The new EPII should give them a nice AWD platform, maybe to take on a Volvo/Audi type market. Could benifit GM to have that both here in the US and in Europe.

 

Given Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo are so integrated into Ford... Ford aren't exactly shy about selling some of their brands off, or at least contemplating doing so!

I personally think its easy to detach a brand if the right owner can be found. History is littered with car companies that have changed ownership on numerous occasions... those companies still exist today in some form or another.

 

Volvo is the only one of those that is really integrated into Ford. While not autonomous LR and AM are boutique models with boutique factories and boutique dealers and everything else. Its not like they're getting parts bin stuff.