The tour will conclude Friday and Saturday, the 16th and 17th, with viewings available both days at the Tuvisa dealership in Madrid.

If you’re near Madrid and haven’t seen the new Saabs yet, give Tuvisa a call and book you place.

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Here’s how it feels to enter a competition and WIN a brand new Saab

The Snap Up a Saab competition, run by Saab of North Olmsted, was won recently by a guy named Tim Greer. Tim, his wife Jennifer and their two kids are now the proud owners of a new Saab 9-5 Aero, their chosen prize from the Saab range.

Tim was a contestant in week 1 of the four-week competition, driving a Saab 9-4x during that time. Saab of North Olmsted is part of the Collection Auto Group and Tim heard about the competition because he’s on their email list, having been a customer for some years now. I spoke with Tim and Jennifer last week about their experience.

“I couldn’t believe that they were letting people test drive cars for a week, and then win one. I signed up, probably within three minutes of getting the email.” said Tim.

Whilst this was Tim and Jennifer’s first experience with Saab of North Olmsted, it’s not their first Saab.

“When we got married, a Saab was actually the first vehicle that we purchased together. We got a white 9-3 Convertible with a blue top…..” said Tim.

“….which I loved!” said Jennifer. “Unfortunately our family grew and it wasn’t practical anymore, just because it was a convertible. I’d love to eventually get one of those for our daughter, for her first car.”

As mentioned earlier, Tim drove the Saab 9-4x during his week in the competition, which he was quite impressed with. Tim’s brother had a Saab 9-7x, Saab’s earlier model SUV, and Tim compared the 9-4x very favourably to its older brother.

“The handling, the way it sat on the road….. I’d much prefer the 9-4x to the 9-7x.” he said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

Despite this, they chose a 9-5 Aero for their prize. Jet black metallic with a shark grey interior. The model choice was largely Jennifer’s to make, as she would be driving the car the most.

“I just love the idea of having a car that handled well, is luxurious inside, but also has four-wheel-drive. We live in Cleveland and we get loads and loads of snow. To be able to have that utility is great.”

Tim and Jennifer have two kids, aged 3 and 4. Jennifer: “They have been talking about ‘The Saab’ ever since we entered the competition. To them, it was a given that we’d bring it home. I don’t think they had any thought in their mind that we wouldn’t win. They were really excited because it had TV’s in the back and when we won it, the first thing they did was take off their shoes and jump in the back. They were treating it like a formal dining room.”

This was, of course, a promotional competition and Tim and Jennifer promoted the company a LOT during their time driving the Saab 9-4x. Many other contestants did, too, providing a lot of publicity for both Saab and for the North Olmsted dealership.

They worked quite hard during that week in the competition, emailing and calling friends and getting people engaged in the competition, to see the car and to vote for their efforts. Whilst the competition built momentum towards the end of the four weeks, it had a slower beginning, something that Jennifer thinks would change if they ran it again.

“When it started, I don’t think people realised so much what was involved. Once it got going, people got a better idea of what was happening. I think they ran another one now, they’d have a lineup with people trying to enter.” said Jennifer.

The final saw 5 contestants gather at Saab of North Olmsted. Each was given a key that was randomly selected. Only one key would open the doors of a Saab in the showroom, indicating the winner.

“We didn’t talk a whole lot. I think everyone was pretty nervous. I don’t know if I was more nervous because I was going to be on live TV, or because I had a chance to win a car.” said Tim. “There were a few sweaty palms there.”

In TV terms, it might have been a bit of an anti-climax that Tim was the first to try his key – no added tension from a couple of unsuccessful attempts before the winner is revealed. For Tim, it was happiness, then confusion, then a whole LOT of happiness.

“When we picked our keys, the dealer told us that when someone wins, we should be prepared because it was going to be loud. They set up the scene so that I could see the car as I hit my button. I saw the lights go on and I heard the locks pop, but no-one said anything. Because it was quiet for that first few seconds, I thought something had gone wrong, that it had gone off accidentally. Then we heard a few alarm beeps and that’s when everyone started cheering.”

Here’s the live recorded video of the win. Skip ahead to 8m30s to see the action.

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I have to feel a little sorry (and a little bit amused) for the other four contestants being ushered away so quickly. Tim going first really did take some of the air out of the room.

But what an exciting moment!! And what a conclusion and reward for a week or so’s hard (but fun) work, driving and promoting the new Saab 9-4x.

Tim and Jennifer picked up their new Saab 9-5 Aero last Friday. On behalf of Saab Automobile, and I’m sure I speak for Saab of North Olmsted as well, I’d like to congratulate them on their win and wish them many happy years with their new Saab 9-5.

I’d also like to thank all of the participants in the Snap Up a Saab competition, who I hope had a wonderful time participating.

There’s a great collection of images from this event at Saab Actu

As mentioned in today’s Saabosphere entry, Saab fans gathered in Paris to put on a show of support for the brand.

Around 100 fans in 60 vehicles braved the chilly 4 degree temperatures in order to share some Glögg* and some good natured Saab fellowship at Place des Invalides. Of course, most attendees were from France, but there were also some cars registered from the Netherlands and even from Poland at the event.

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As a Saab person, it’s heartening to see this kind of support shown for the company at such a critical time in its history.

My thanks to all who attended.

I’m sure more photos will appear at French/Belgian sites: Saab Actu, Saablog-in and Saabsunited.fr.

* Glögg – mulled wine, common in Sweden during the festive season.

We have some new photos and stories from the engagements, below.

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Zaragoza

Below are some pictures from Artal en Zaragoza.

We had the local television station (Aragon TV) taking images, as well as the most important newspaper in the Aragon region (El diario de Aragón) were also there. Both of them are going to prepare reports.

This dealer has Lexus and Porsche showrooms and customers from these brands were invited. One customer who was going to renew his lease with Porsche, upon seeing the 9-4x came to ask about it and now he is thinking of changing his mind. Let’s see what happens!

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Burgos

Again, the local TV station was there, plus a lot of other local media. We get a lot of press coverage (without paying, which is always good!). Manuel Alcázar (our country director) gave an interview to “Burgos Televisión” and he talked about the products and a little bit about the company situation.

The manager of this dealer (Julián Alonso) is the president of the “Burgos Entrepreneur Association” so we had all the directors form local companies at the burgos event. It was very well received.

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Click to enlarge.

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As I’m writing this, it’s nearly 5.30pm in Ohio. At 7pm, the five finalists, their friends and family and other guests will gather at Saab of North Olmsted and someone’s going to win a car.

Each finalist will be given a key, and one of those keys will pop the locks on a display car in the showroom. The person holding that key will win the Saab of their choice up to a value of $50,000.

The five finalists are:

• Brian Perez – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-5 during in the competition
• Mike Tetreault – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
• Matthew Stipe – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
• Steve McAlonis – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-3 during the competition
• Timothy Greer – who drove a 2011 Saab 9-4x during the competition

Who will win? And will they choose the same model Saab as the one they drove during their week in the competition?

We’ll have all the details as soon as they’re available.

Good luck to all the finalists and thanks to all the competitors during the whole Snap Up a Saab campaign.

We’ve got a gallery of images from those stops below. Click.

Spirits are high amongst the attendees and Irene from Saab España even passed along a little story from the Barcelona stop:

I was talking to some customers (a family) in Barcelona and they told me that they don’t have a car at all right now. They ordered a new Saab 9-5 three months ago, and are still waiting. Their old car (an old 9-3) “died”, so they were looking for an alternative but weren’t able to find one that was suitable. So they have decided to use public transport and wait for the new 9-5 to come. Their words were “it is a sacrifice we do now, and we are sure that it will be worth it in the future”

Isn’t that awesome?

We have the best owners and fans in the world.

These tours are getting a lot of attention, especially in Barcelona. From that one tour stop alone, they had 5 orders for the new Saabs on display. The media also took a big interest in the tour: 7 radio interviews, BTV Television, the #1 newspaper in Catalonia (La Vanguardia), the most important motoring magazine in Catalonia (Cotxes), the #1 motoring website in Spain (coches.com), the top 10 renting & leasing companies in Barcelona – all took a look at the vehicles during the Barcelona tour stop.

Tour dates and venues for the Spanish Dealer Tour can be found here. Make sure you get along if the tour passes through your area.

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Click the link above for dates and locations. Click the image below to enlarge.

Saabludos!

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Let me ask the question before you do – What’s that silver/grey convertible?????

I’ve made enquiries and will let you know what I hear. It looks like on of Leif Mellberg’s custom creations to me. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.

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It’s emails like this that give me such a boost as a Saab person, knowing that grass-roots efforts like the Dealer Tour are reaching people in a very personal way. One-to-one opportunities to see our new vehicles up close are very important at a time when support for our company is so crucial.

I get the chance to attend the event in Paris : it was fantastic! I have made a little video of the event

The video has some images from the Paris event, as well as a quick 9-4x test drive at the hands of a Porsche Cayenne owner, who comes away very impressed with the 9-4x……

Saab Actu, along with Saablog-in, is running a photo competition from the Tour….

I have received great photos from enthusiasts for our Photos Contest – from customers as well as from dealers.

This Tour has given everybody a good smile. The 9-4X seduced most people, even the “900 lovers”. I also had the chance to take a ride and this car is much more than a SUV. It reaches a premium top level on every point, really. And with a Saab design.

The people at Saab France are worth meeting. This tour has been a good outcome from the Saab financial issues. It has made us closer and given us unexpected occasion to meet skilled people who generally work behind the curtains. The Saab Team is like a family of car lovers, of Saab history builders.

Thanks a lot for this Saab Tour and whatever happens (the better way I want to imagine) I hope there is going to be another Saab Tour de France in 2012

And I guess that’s the big payoff here. The sense of camaraderie, the relationships that get built in tough times.

Of course, we all want those tough times to end and some good times to begin. We want to start to create some good Saab Family memories based on positive circumstances. Personally speaking, I’d love to do an Inside Saab tour around the world, bringing the cars and some of the stories from inside the gates to dealerships, clubs and fans all over the globe. I’d love to expand the Saab Family across all borders.

We need a few things to go our way before that can happen, but it’s good to see the Dealer Tour concept that started with the guys at Saab Germany catching on and spreading so well.

Congratulations to Saab France and the participating dealers for conducting such a wonderful set of events. And thanks very much to Remi for the feedback.

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BONUS

Some images from recent stops on the Tour de France….. from Limoges and the very picturesque La Rochelle.

Click to enlarge.

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With dealer tours now successfully completed in Germany, Austria and France (well, almost), it’s time to announce the dates for the Saab Dealer Tour España!

The Saab Dealer Tour of Spain will begin on November 25 and continue through until its conclusion in Madrid on December 17. See dates and locations below.

The tour will criss-cross the country with one group whilst another group will host corporate customers in Madrid and Barcelona. The Saab 9-4x and Saab 9-5 SportCombi will be available for both groups to view at all times, so no-one will miss either car.

The dates and locations are as follows:

• 25-Nov – Gerona – Gerona- Scandiauto Gerona Event
• 26-Nov – Barcelona – Barcelona- Masternou dealer Event
• 28-Nov – Zaragoza – Zaragoza- Artal Motor dealer Event
• 29-Nov – Vitoria – Vitoria-Lasacar Dealer Event
• 30-Nov – Burgos – Burgos- Julián Auto Car dealer event
• 1-Dec – León – León- Lesauto dealer event
• 2-Dec – La Coruña – La Coruña-Dársena dealer event
• 12-Dec – Almería – Almería-Indamotor dealer event
• 13-Dec – Málaga – Málaga-Automóviles Nieto dealer event
• 14-Dec – Palma de Mallorca – Palma de Mallorca-Iceasa Motor dealer event
• 16-Dec – Madrid – Tuvisa Dealer Event
• 17-Dec – Madrid – Tuvisa Dealer Event

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