I think you’re not seeing the full level of integration that’s possible.

Don’t think of the car’s display as another device, it’s an extension of your current device, with a better screen.
There’s no reason why the interface should be much different from your current phone, and why it shouldn’t switch to your spouse’s phone’s interface when s/he is driving.

As such, the car should be able to pull your calendar out of your phone (or out of the cloud using the logon that’s stored on your phone), associate meetings with mapped locations, weather info, parking info, etc. It should also have access to your music library, your contacts, your preferred mapping provider. No need to take the phone out of your pocket and attach it to a plastic bracket, blocking the heater vent and forcing you to use a tiny screen at arm’s length.

Some of this already exists in Bluetooth interfaces, but most of it does not.

Here’s what I envision: you download a Saab App for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, whatever, onto your phone, pair it to your car. You can choose a level of security that’s warranted (your phone and key are your ID, or you need to enter a PIN, or a fingerprint, or pick an icon from a group of 24). That’s it. At that point, the car knows how you like your mirrors to be adjusted, where you’re going (if it’s in your calendar), what cabin temperature you prefer, and what temperature you want in your house the moment you get home (no sense heating/cooling an empty house if you’re 30 minutes away at a cafe).

You can also turn all of that off and just drive. Your choice.

Does your question imply a second one, i.e., would you then buy a car without Inzernet connection. If that’s correct, my answer is: absolutely. Why? Because I have my phone with me all the time. And I am not inclined having to look after upgrading and learning yet another device. That is why I also decided to buy my next car without built-in navigation system. There’s an app for that on my phone.

IQon, as nice as it is, neglects the thinking if the internet generation. They want their data on a single device, or at least synchronised.

It would be much better if Saab simply offered diverse tablet/phone mounts that could connect the car with said device, including car data and GPS position data transfer.

And Saab is not in a good position for such a future.

Cost shouldn’t be a deterrent once Saab starts shipping their IQon (Android) interface. The extra features are all software (provided the internet connection goes through your Bluetooth phone), and most of that already exists (Google calendar, etc). The hard part is putting it all together in a way that doesn’t suck.

Also, given the fact that Saab has had only a few distinct radio/SID interfaces in the past 20 years, it wouldn’t be too difficult to sell a kit for used cars.

And older, wealthier people probably won’t buy it either. Those who are not flat out afraid of new technology are still very likely to don’t see the point of it, and even if they do, they won’t value it that highly.

In the end, a lot of people will rather buy a perfectly normal car instead of one that makes good use of an internet connection.

So who would buy such a car? Well, except for the older audience valuing safety and comfort, I’d say it’s the classic Saab audience. Not old, not young, but middle-aged people with reasonably good economies and a love for things that are a little special.

I would say that “Nobody does that right now” is the perfect argument for Saab to do it.

On the other hand, the internet is a good thing for niche brands such as Saab. There’s lots of information available now that was hard to get in the past. Sure, most is uninformed opinion, but there’s also service manuals, parts catalogs, real owners, etc…

What can Saab do?
Don’t fight it. Don’t lock-in users. IQon is a great move, but why aren’t the aforementioned parts catalogs and service manuals online (and linked to dealers’ sites so I can order genuine parts)? Why is it that only dealers can read service codes? Why do I have to “upgrade” my entire car to listen to MP3s? Why can’t I search for a manual 9-5 in red or green on saab.com?

Don’t pretend that you can sell a car that doesn’t know about the kid’s soccer game on Thursday, the freezing rain up ahead, or where to find a wet-dry vacuum at two o’clock in the morning. The internet generation doesn’t want to hear excuses.

All of these points add-up to basic internet-era functionality. Some may argue that “nobody does that right now,” but nobody sold a touch-screen phone five years ago… Being ahead of the game counts for a lot, because customers won’t buy unconnected cars once they’ve seen the future.

How will SAAB play it cards to take advantage of these trends?