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Saab 9-7X

355 messages,  Last post on Jun 12, 2012 at 9:45 AM

You are in the Saab 9-7X Forum.

What is this discussion about? Saab 9-7X, SUV

Messages Page 7 of 36

#56 of 355 Point is Saab needed an AWD car by buddhabman

Dec 24, 2003 (10:34 am)

No arguements on design, a Subaru is not a Saab, just saying this is the best they could do in such a short time. But also don't diminish the utilitarian / functional quality similarities between the two companies.
 
They want to pull younger buyers in the door. The Saaburu was the best vehicle platform to do this. We will have to see how much brand dilution and canabalism occurs. But they need AWD now. It takes more than 2 years to design and build a nice AWD car. The next iteration of this won't be until 2006/07. I am just amazed they hadn't done AWD sooner as they have very good systems in their mountain climb rally cars. Check out last years Pikes Peak standings and video.

#57 of 355 I'm sure by jchan2

Dec 24, 2003 (2:59 pm)

the next 9-2X will be more Saabish.

#58 of 355 Saab releases first look at 9-7X sport utility by theo2709

Dec 25, 2003 (8:18 pm)

More info from Autoweek.
 
Key points:
 
"The Saab 9-7X will be offered with GM's 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine and 5.3-liter V-8"
 
"The SUV will have different exterior design, interior trim and chassis refinements than the TrailBlazer."
 
"It will have very different handling, with excellent braking and performance."
 
"Sales likely would be between 5,000 and 15,000 units annually. "It is too early to divulge volume, but it would be nothing near 25 percent of our sales," he said."

#59 of 355 9-7X by jchan2

Dec 26, 2003 (7:42 am)

So Saab is positioning the 9-7X as a niche model?

#60 of 355 by theo2709

Dec 26, 2003 (7:53 am)

That volume seems a little off. The SL only sells that much annually.

#61 of 355 Regarding the SUV... by bretaa

Dec 26, 2003 (8:31 am)

To JMing:
I completely agree about Saab needing to get into step with buyer preferences. You can't freeze your brand with the characteristics of one beloved model (the early 90's and 900's) forever.
 
There's enough blame to go around. Saab Europe's strategy has been flawed product wise, GM mistakenly thought Saab could instantly complete on level with BMW/Mercedes, and GM didn't give them the resources to fight.
 
While I again agree Saab needs to adapt to the market, I have a big problem with GM using one flawed strategy (adapting the Trailblazer platform and WRX to Saab) to try to fix all of the above faults.
 
At least these products will exclusive to the US (until they are redone) so the Saab brand will killed only in one country. The coming dilution of the Saab brand in the U.S. was one reason I actually didn't get a 9-3 recently.
 
Bret

#62 of 355 the 9-2X and 9-7X by jchan2

Dec 26, 2003 (3:47 pm)

are stop gap models meant to bring back buyers they lost (9-7X) or bring in newer, younger buyers. (9-2X)

#63 of 355 by regfootball

Dec 26, 2003 (4:30 pm)

and in the process of having stopgaps......the brand gets watered down so it has no equity.
 
'brand' supercedes everything in this day and age. if something doesn't juve with the 'brand', folks see it easily and begin to think the brand is crap.
 
it would seem to me to make sense to wait 18 months and arrive with stellar products rather than water down the brand. that said, the WRX as a stopgap is a great idea....just take 6 more months to do it and give it a real interior. something not so asian budget car looking.

#64 of 355 Regfootball... by bretaa

Dec 26, 2003 (6:51 pm)

has got it 100% right. In this brutal, competitive luxury market filled with top notch products, stopgaps usually only succeed at watering down your brand. Honda got away with using second class Isuzu SUV's for a while because they have such tremendous brand equity.
 
Saab, frankly, doesn't have much in the U.S. except among their fanatic core, and this is just the group the 9-2X and 9-7X is going to put off. I agree they would have been better served to wait 1-3 years for full fledged replacements and really wow the market. Again, I *didn't buy* a new 9-3, in a large part because I'm afraid of what this brand will become and what it will do to the equity of the car I would later sell.
 
Bret

#65 of 355 I think by jchan2

Dec 27, 2003 (6:34 am)

that the stopgaps will be ignored, as many luxury car buyers ignore the Saab brand anyways.

Messages Page 7 of 36

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