——

Trollhättan, Sweden: The Saab 9-4X crossover and the Saab 9-5 Sedan have both earned a ‘Top Safety Pick’ for 2012, the highest rating for crashworthiness awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States for a second consecutive year.

“Saab Automobile prides itself on its ability to create vehicles which focus on the safety of the driver and its passengers in real-life situations,” said Per Lenhoff, Head of Safety Development at Saab Automobile. “It is rewarding to be recognized by IIHS for a Top Safety Pick award for two of our newest products.”

Saab’s Real-Life Safety philosophy is based on the fact that no two collisions are ever the same. Saab safety engineers continuously study how Saab cars behave in real collisions on public roads. The results of these studies are the basis for continued development of both design and safety solutions in cars as well as Saab’s in-house crash testing methods.

IIHS (www.iihs.org) is a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers in the US. The test procedures include front impact (offset) and side impact crashes. Seat/head restraints are also tested in a simulated rear-end impact to assess the mitigation of whiplash injuries and the roof structure is tested to assess a vehicle rollover crash.

Performance is rated as ’Good’, ’Acceptable’, ’Marginal’ or ’Poor’ in each of the tests and to achieve a ’Top Safety Pick’ award, cars must achieve the highest rating in all four procedures and should also be fitted with ESP®.

Earlier this year, the Saab 9-4X and the Saab 9-5 both earned a Top Safety Pick for 2011.

• Product
• Plant
• People
• Brand, and
• Heritage

Yesterday we had a wonderful example of one of our people being rewarded for his efforts. Even in these difficult times – perhaps especially in these difficult times – Saab people shine through.

If you read a review of the Saab 9-4x, especially a review sourced from North America, you’ll likely read the reviewer say that the vehicle is a Saab version of the Cadillac SRX. Don’t believe it for a second. Both vehicles were developed with distinct identities and that whole project was led by a Saab guy – Peter Dörrich.

Yesterday, Peter received the Manager of the Year award. The award is voted for by members of Unionen, a national body.

Following is a translation of a Saab internal article about Peter and the award.

Peter is a wonderful guy whom I first met a year ago at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where his baby – the Saab 9-4x – finally made its production debut. There wasn’t a bigger smile in the room than the one on Peter’s face that day and I’m ecstatic to see his work as a leader at Saab recognised in this way.

——

A popular executive who sees the big picture: Peter Dörrich is Manager of the Year

- I want to know how my employees feel and how they are doing at home. The job and life at home are not two separate phenomena. They are different parts of a whole. If one does not work, the other will not work properly either.

This from Peter Dörrich, who today was named Manager of the Year, as nominated by Unionen colleagues in the Technical Development Center.

Right: Peter Dörrich and Unionen representative, Annette Hellgren

- Peter is a good manager who will see that staff grow in their roles. He encourages and pushes us and gives us belief in our decisions. He is a great sounding board when you need to discuss possible solutions and problems and always takes time to listen and guide people to a good solution, says Mona Säverhag, who has worked with Peter at different times – about three years combined.

She also highlights Peter’s extensive knowledge of both the vehicle development and production processes.

- He cares about the team, but he is still demands our best.

This includes interaction with other departments where he really stands up for actions that are in line with our focus, says Conny Almkvist, who thinks that Peter is the best manager he has had during his 25 years at Saab.

- He has been a solid leader for us in the difficult times we’ve had recently. He has kept us informed about what is happening, even if it is over a weekend or at night, and his empathy and compassion for how we feel is a strong motivator for us, it leads us to exert ourselves a little more, says Conny.

Peter’s projects

Dörrich is currently known as one of the faces behind the 9-4X and he has travelled to and worked in both the U.S. and Japan at different times.

It’s interesting to see how leadership differs between cultures, he says. In Sweden we are accustomed to taking responsibility at operational level, we delegate responsibility and therefore, leaders often focus on creating conditions and providing support. “Management by fear” is thankfully rare here, he says.

Over his years at Saab, he has worked with several managers, who all had their particular leadership styles. One that he particularly remembers is Ronny Jonsson.

- He saw my capabilities but also helped me to see what what was expected of me in my own role vis-à-vis others. He was straight and honest with me – in a good way – and that is something I still feel gratitude for.

What does he say himself, about his leadership? When he speaks about it, it is the concepts of respect, listening, communication and continuous improvement.

- Everyone deserves and should be treated with respect. As a manager you have to realize that it is important for an employee to feel welcome, so as to promote the idea of a management team and create a good atmosphere. I believe that one should be humble, open and honest about who you are and what you think. A manager should not think he is better than others in the room and there is no reason to sit on a high horse. To be yourself and invite other people to do the same is a win. The worst thing is simply not to be personal, he says.

Rather be a leader than a manager

- I see myself as a leader rather than as a manager, and as a leader I want to be clear and create the right conditions for my staff to do a good job. Maybe I am too explicit sometimes, when I paint a picture of what I want them to do, but I believe in the visualization. I am also convinced that it is important to have the right tools. We can not ask our employees to be able to outperform their competitors if they do not have as good or better tools to assist in completing the job. We have very capable people here at Saab – with the right tools, they can accomplish great things.

He is a keen follower of the lean concept and believes that Saab must work constantly to create conditions for continuous improvement. Spend some time with Peter and it is quite clear that he is a developer and not a manager.

Peter has another belief, too, and it’s about the importance of listening.

- I want to know how my employees feel and if they are OK outside the job. The job and life at home are not two separate phenomena. There is a whole. If one side does not work, the other side won’t work properly, either. This is how it is for me and it’s the same for everyone else. As a leader I want to create the conditions to get the big picture and help to make ends meet. I know from experience that the company ultimately benefits from it, too, says Peter.

Award ceremony in Stockholm

Anette Hellgren is the Unionen spokesperson for Saab, is almost as happy as Peter with regards to the award. She thinks it is wonderful that the award has gone to a Saab manager, and for several reasons:

- First of all, I see it as a sign of strength both to Peter and the organization. He has managed to be the manager we need in these difficult times. People often show their management skills best under tough circumstances, she says. It is also evidence that there are very competent staff at Saab.

- As long as I have known Peter, he has always been dedicated and believed in himself and his cause. During his career he has also developed other important leadership skills: listening, participation and empathy.

At three o’clock yesterday, Peter was at the Skills Fair in Stockholm to receive the award. Five hundred thousand members of the Union had the opportunity to nominate a good manager, regardless of location, sector and nationality, and the jury’s verdict is:

“Peter Dörrich is a worthy recepient of the Manager of the Year prize. He is hailed by his colleagues, employees and Union representatives with words like “safe, encouraging, empathetic, purposeful, informative.”

He cares about all the individuals in the group, supporting and pushing, he takes the time to listen and guide to good practice. In the turbulent situation that Saab has long been in, Peter Dörrich has been a safe and informative leader who has always been available and showed compassion.”

Facts:

Years at Saab

Peter Dörrich began on the line in 1979 and worked there a few years. He became a quality engineer in production in 1981 and then went on to purchasing, working with production techniques.

- It was a good education, he remembers, to work in production and to also be looking at the suppliers. If I am to work with development, it is good to have an understanding of how the various details develop, how they are manufactured and how they should be mounted in the car.

In the 90s he was commissioned to work on parts geometry at Saab. It was a job that took a long time, but which also resulted in the quality of the parts fit for Saab vehicles being so good that it was an area where Saab was a leader in the GM world.

Then he went to the United States for a period. Peter was responsible for when Saab had its first SUV experiments on an architecture that we had been allocated by GM.

- We saw from the beginning that it would be wrong but there was pressure placed on the brand. Eventually, we moved over to a different architecture, but then we stopped the project all together and we had to go home again, Peter remembers.

This was followed by a few years in Japan, where he worked as development manager for 9-2X.

- I was gone up to nine weeks at a time. It was a tough time and it was never easy to leave family, remembers Peter.

The highlight of his Saab career is definitely the 9-4X.

- I really longed for such a mission, to have that responsibility, to accomplish something tangible to be proud of. It has been a great time!

On top of the Saab 9-4x being shortlisted for Truck of the Year in the United States, the Saab 9-5 has just been awarded a Car of the Year award in Singapore. The press release:

Saab 9-5 named Car of the Year in Singapore

Trollhättan, Sweden: The Saab 9-5 Sedan 2.8V6 Turbo has been named Car of the Year in Singapore by a prestigious Consumer Guide, published by Wheels Asia. The annual ”Car Buyer’s Guide 2011/2012” ranks all models on sale in Singapore, and the Saab 9-5 was favorably compared with the Audi A6 and BMW 535i in the Executive Sedan class.

- We are very happy, says Jonas Hernqvist, Regional Manager for the Asian markets. The markets in Asia are demanding and Singapore especially so, since it so restrictive when it comes to car imports. Therefore it is particularly gratifying and encouraging that the Saab 9-5 is honored in this way.

This is great news. We have very dedicated dealers and customers in Asia and it’s wonderful to see our vehicle, and the work of our dealer teams there, being rewarded in this way.

——

And in Taiwan…..

When Saab had its brief production re-start earlier this year, 45 of the cars built were for the Taiwanese market. These 9-3 Griffins landed in Taiwan just two weeks ago.

Dealers held launch events a few weekends ago and took eleven orders for the Griffin, as well as selling a number of vehicles from stock. It’s another great result for one of our dedicated smaller markets. Taiwanese dealers actually sold 150% of their sales target for September in total.

Congratulations to them. It’ll be great to be able to tell stories like this from the global market in the future.

Elegible vehicles are selected based on the fact that are either new, or substantially changed from the previous year’s model and have a reasonable expectation of selling 2,000 units per annum. Vehicles made both in North America and outside are eligible.

Seven vehicles have been shortlisted for the TOTY award and they are as follows:

• BMW X3,
• Honda CR-V,
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque,
• Mercedes-Benz M-Class,
• Mini Countryman,
• Nissan Quest,
• Saab 9-4X

The jury consists of 50 motoring journalists from the US press and the shortlisted vehicles will be pared down further to just three finalists.

The finalists will be announced in December and the winner will be announced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Saab 9-4x would be a worthy winner of this award as it’s a superb vehicle with wonderful driving characteristics, and it’s also a significant story in the life of the little-company-that-could. Jurors consider “value for the dollar, innovation, handling, performance, safety and driver satisfaction” and the Saab 9-4x delivers on all counts. I hope the jury get to spend some seat time in it again before they cast their final ballot.

The field is formidable, however, with the X3 significantly refreshed and the Evoque wowing all-comers at the LA Auto Show last year.

All respect to the winner. And he’s hoping we’ll be raising a glass to the Saab 9-4x in January!

–

The award for Best Design was decided by public poll. The PhoeniX was up against 39 competitors but took a massive 30% of the vote (yes, Saab does indeed have an engaged online community).

Second place in the award went to the Alfa Romeo 4C and the final spot on the podium was occupied by the Jaguar C-X75.

Auto Express’ comments:

Concept cars are designed to grab headlines, and Saab’s PhoeniX did just that when it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The stunner is the first car to be penned from scratch by new design director, Jason Castriota, and its styling gives us a glimpse of what’s to come from the famous brand.

Comments from Saab GB:

Commenting on winning the award, Saab GB Managing Director, Charles Toosey, said: “We are delighted that the PhoeniX has been awarded this prestigious accolade. The PhoeniX symbolises a renaissance of the innovative spirit and passion that drove Saab to build its first car, the iconic Ursaab, and we look forward to launching the next generation of Saab models in 2012.”

Charles Toosey, left. AE’s Graham Hope, right.

——

Below, Jason Castriota talks about PhoeniX – what it is and what it means for Saab.

I’m very, very pleased to pass on that Saab’s Director for the Nordic Region, Magnus Hansson, has received a Rising Star Award from Automotive News Europe.

Automotive News Europe is delighted to announced its first winners of the Rising Stars — a new annual award that honors mid- and upper-level managers who are likely to become CEOs or executive board members in the future. ANE will honor the 2011 Rising Stars, and their mentors, at a gala dinner in Cologne, Germany, June 29.

This is fantastic news. I don’t want to sound like I’m sucking up here, but back when I was writing about Saab independently, I had fantastic communications with Magnus and always thought that big things would come his way. Having the chance to work in the same building with the man has only confirmed this. He’s been a steady hand in Saab’s home market during a difficult period, much like a guy who used to walk the same corridors until recently, Jan-Ake Jonsson.

Congratulations, mate! Some well deserved recognition for you and your team.

Here at Saab we’re very proud to acknowledge the Gold and Silver medals awarded for two of our communications films in association with our agency, Valentin and Byhr.

Saab was awarded a gold medal in the category ‘Advertising: Online’ for Introducing the new Saab 9-5:

–

Saab also won a silver medal in the category ‘Corporate Communications: Press Conferences’ for Introducing the new Saab 9-4X.

–

The Fast Company list of 100 Most Creative People spans entertainment to medicine to technology to social enterprise. People honored in 2010 include artists Lady Gaga and Jay-Z, thinkers such as Chris Andersen from TED Conferences and various executives from Nike, Nokia, Microsoft and Nissan.

Jason Castriota was appointed the head of Saab Design in June 2010. Prior to this appointment he had previously held positions as Design Director at Stile Bertone and Chief Designer, Special Projects at Pininfarina. He began his own US-based design consultancy business prior to taking up the position at Saab Automobile.

Jason Castriota’s first public design statement at Saab was the PhoeniX concept vehicle, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011. He is now leading the design execution for the new Saab 9-3, which is expected for release in the final quarter of 2012.

–