Saab

• Saab’s UK sales recovery picks up pace
• Q1, 2011 sales up 73.5 per cent versus Q1, 2010
• Sales growth outperforms segment
• Saab now UK’s fastest-growing premium brand
• New product roll-out continues in 2011

Saab Great Britain enters 2011 with sales momentum building in the UK following a steady improvement throughout last year, culminating in its best December sales performance since 2007. With improving sales and exciting new products in the pipeline for 2011, Saab GB looks to the future with renewed confidence.

2010 began with sales for the first quarter almost 60 percent down against the same period in 2009 as Saab Automobile resumed production following its purchase from General Motors by Spyker Cars N.V. of the Netherlands. UK sales then improved throughout the year, with the final quarter showing a 107 percent increase.

This upturn resulted in a full year volume of 5,898 units, down 21 percent, but a significant improvement against the first quarter position. December sales of 750 units reflected a market share of 0.61 per cent, three times higher than in December 2009.
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Jan 12 (Reuters) - Car maker Saab, owned by Dutch sportscar maker Spyker, (SPYKR.AS) said it will reduce production due to typically slower sales in winter, but raise it again later and is sticking to its target of 80,000 cars this year.

Spokesman Eric Geers said Saab would reduce output to 28 cars an hour from 39 on a temporary basis. "This is normal for the winter months, when we face early spring we will go up again," he said. "Our target for 80,000 remains." ...

Shares in loss-making Dutch car maker Spyker Cars (SPYKR.AS) surged more than 30 percent to the highest in almost a year, in a sign the market is taking notice of the stock, the chief executive said on Tuesday.

Spyker shares have made strong gains for four consecutive trading days after the company, which bought Swedish car manufacturer Saab a year ago, reported a 129 percent jump in fourth-quarter sales at the unit. "We have no other information than the fourth-quarter results and I think that clearly the market is finally starting to see some interest in this company," Victor Muller, chief executive, told Reuters.
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Kevin Miller from Autosavant reports from Detroit and shares what's going on in Saab's SNÖ HUS, across from Cobo Hall.

Matthias Seidl, Victor Muller and Jan Åke Jonsson at the SNÖ HUS

The 9-4X is on display and Mr. Seidl revealed a few details on the Saab 9-5 SportCombi being introduced this year.
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Charles Gould is a vintage Saab collector from the Boston area who discovered a 1962 Saab 96 in surprisingly good condition stored in a garage since 1978. The story is not much different from discovering treasure in a time capsule.

Although the details of the Saab 96 are well known to Saab experts, the car is a refreshing look at a nice Saab from a different era. The Saab 96 discovered was a 1962 model of car first introduced in 1960. The car’s length is approximately the same length as a modern day MINI Cooper.

The engine is a 38 hp 841 cc (as in 0.8 liters) two stroke 3 cylinder engine where motor oil is not changed periodically but added to the gas tank regularly. While some think this is primitive, it also makes oil changes a thing of the past (or present)! There is even a reminder on the dash to add oil to the gasoline akin to the warning on today's cars to use unleaded fuel only.
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Saab Cars North America and Hirsch Performance AG of Switzerland announced today that Hirsch Performance aftermarket products will be available for the 2007-11 model year, Saab 9-3 and 2010-11 model year 9-5 cars through select Saab dealers in the US beginning in the spring of 2011.

John Anderson, director of aftermarket sales and new business for Saab Cars North America, said, "Saab has had a long relationship with Hirsch in Europe and now we can offer performance enhancements for Saab customers' vehicles in the US. The advantage to Hirsch Performance parts is they are installed at authorized Saab dealers, do not affect the warranty or emission system performance of the vehicle and are high quality systems designed especially for Saab cars. Installation of the Hirsch Performance parts within 60 days of sale of the new vehicle will give the consumer the same warranty as a new vehicle, an advantage for our customers."
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Saab Cars North America today announced a $100,000 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® as a result of Saab's Test Drive campaign that ran November 22, 2010 through January 3, 2011. Through the thousands of Saab test drives at dealerships across the US, Saab will help the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant the wishes of many more children with life-threatening medical conditions nationwide.

"Saab is proud to be associated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its incredible efforts toward children facing life-threatening medical conditions," said Matthias Seidl, Interim COO for Saab Cars North America and Executive Director Global Sales. "It gives me great pleasure to present a donation of $100,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to spread the life-affirming impact of its wish-granting mission to deserving children across the country."
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The 8 finalists have been selected! Voting is now open. CLICK HERE to view and vote for your favorite.

Now it's up to you and your friends to vote and determine whose Scandinavian spirit will win them a trip to the ICE HOTEL. You can only vote once per day, so get your family, friends and Facebook acquaintances to boost your numbers everyday to win. Voting will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 16, 2011. The top two winning videos will be announced on Monday, January 17, 2011.
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The North American International Auto Show (formerly the Detroit Auto Show until 1989) is opening today with Saab participating near the show. In recent years, several automakers have skipped the show, presumably as a cost cutting measure, including Nissan, Porsche, Suzuki, and Saab. Porsche returns this year after four years. Nissan returns next year after a three year absence.

Saab is meeting with show officials today to discuss return to the show. However, Saab is returning to Detroit even this year, albeit not in the exhibition hall. Saab has set up an outdoor exhibition on the patio of the former Hotel Pontchartrain, across the street from the convention center.
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