I’d like to tackle a couple of themes running through the comments and perhaps narrow the discussion down a little bit.

Firstly, I’d like to tackle one misconception that was mentioned. This is a fair assumption on Steve’s part, however…..

With Swade’s status as an employee, I’m assuming he has seen more details of the design. Perhaps he sees something that we can’t yet appreciate.

Actually, I haven’t. The Saab Design studio is a mere 200 meters or so from where I sit, but I haven’t visited there yet. I know that if I see the vehicle it’ll be really, really hard for me to not talk about it. So I’ve made a conscious decision to keep away for the time being. I know a little bit more about the car than the average Saab nut right now, but I’ve not gone to see it for myself.

So with that out of the way, what about a few of the other themes that came through in comments?

Saab should change the range of names to …..

I don’t suggest, nor think, that there’s any value in changing the entire Saab nomenclature. That would require an extraordinary marketing investment and time that we just don’t have. And aside from that, as I mentioned in the original piece, I actually like the 9-3, 9-5, 9-4x way of labelling vehicles. It’s logical, sensible and it looks good on the cars. I’m not writing this with the idea in my head of changing the whole setup.

What I’m suggesting here is that Saab retain the 9-* nomenclature for the entire range, except for the vehicle that will replace the 9-3. I’m suggesting that we change that one and call it a Saab 900. So, when that vehicle comes out, we would have the 900, a 9-5 and a 9-4x.

…….tangent:

/tangent

I know it will be a point of contention for many to have two different naming conventions: 9-* and 900. But is it that much of a problem, really? Step outside the regimented initial thought process for just a moment and I think you’ll see it can work quite easily. The naming convention remains the same except for one model, which uses a classic Saab nameplate.

IMHO, It’s not that hard and still way more understandable and coherent than a bunch of unrelated alpha-based names.

Saab should look forwards, not back

A fair call, but I’m not convinced that it’s right in the context of what I’m suggesting.

I’m not suggesting that Saab should track down the tooling for the original 900 and start building it again. That’s re-tracing one’s steps in a manner that can only lead to oblivion.

What I’m suggesting here is that the 900 moniker still has a lot of value, and that value is better being unlocked and used for the company’s benefit, creating connections between former owners and the new vehicle. It’s better than that value only being saved for retrospective pieces and owners’ gatherings.

If what I’m suggesting is so wrong, then why do we have the Mini today, the Fiat 500, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the Dodge Challenger, the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro, and of course, the continued existence of the Porsche 911. It’s a mix of successful older badge names attached to new vehicles that carry on the heritage and help to build links with former owners, or new owners who idealised the original cars in their youth.

They key, once again, is to have the right car. If the replacement for the Saab 9-3 has those key Saab features that we all hope for, that combination of performance, utility, safety and comfort/luxury that the 900 did so well, then why not adorn it with Saab’s most purchased and most revered nameplate?

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Thanks again for your input and thoughts. I don’t know what’s actually going to happen with the naming of the 9-3 successor, but it’s nice to toss around this idea and perhaps the people who will actually make that decision are reading this and considering the issue.

Saab’s next vehicle release will be the most important vehicle release in the company’s history. Why? Because it will replace the current Saab 9-3. This is Saab’s bread-and-butter. Traditionally, it’s the vehicle size that we sell the most, and it’s the vehicle segment that our customers spend the most time shopping around in. I don’t want to sound too dramatic about this (though I’m not sure I can be too dramatic about it, to be honest), but if this vehicle fails, we’re toast.

Given those dire, all-encompassing consequences, I think it’s worth a little extra time thinking about every aspect of this vehicle, including something that can set the tone just right, if it’s done correctly – the vehicle’s name.

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Saab has used a couple of different nomenclature schemes over its history. The common thread is that all but a few of them have involved the number 9. We started with an ascending two-digit code in the Saab 92, got all the way up to the Saab 99 and then went to three digits. Then four digits.

Finally, in a bid to do something new for a new generation of vehicles, we went to our current nomenclature, which is written 9-3 and 9-5 but badged rather cleverly with a to-the-power-of look. It’s modern, it places our vehicles in segments that are logically ordered, segments that can be compared with other manufacturers.

But is it right?

Personally speaking, I’d say both yes and no. I don’t have a problem with our current nomenclature at all, except that I wonder if it’s going to set our new vehicle, our most important vehicle, apart from the rest like it should.

Can we do better? Well, after watching a video a few days ago, an idea came into my head and personally speaking, I think we can.

Some have accused Saab of going too much into BMW territory by naming our vehicles with similar names to the ones that BMW use to segment their vehicle series (3, 5, etc). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. As I said before, it’s logical, clean it looks great on the cars.

But I think there’s another German manufacturer that we can take a look at and perhaps learn something from. Check out this video from the Frankfurt Motor Show……

The particular part that you’re looking for occurs at 1:51 in the video.

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Right there, you have legendary Porsche driver Walter Röhrl saying the following:

For me, if I talk of Porsche, I talk of 911.

And what he says is absolutely true.

Porsche have made a range of outstanding purpose-built sports cars over the years but the one that traces a line through the last four decades of the company’s history is the 911. When they tried to replace it with the 928 in the 1980′s they learned very quickly, and it almost cost them their very existence, that the 911 was what their fans wanted.

Porsche now have different names to differentiate the generations – 993, 996, 997, etc – but the over-arching name that I can guarantee they’ll never let go of again is 911. And with that, I can also offer extremely short odds on them ever changing the basic formula that makes that car – boxer engine hanging out the back, race breeding, etc. Porsche now make a full line including a sedan and SUV, but I’ll wager those high-profit vehicles are primarily built to finance the cars that the company stakes its reputation on – its sports cars.

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So what of the replacement for the Saab 9-3?

After reading the section above, you shouldn’t be too surprised to hear me say that I think Saab should bring back the 900 name.

Note: I’m not talking about rebuilding old 900s here. What I’m talking about creating a new legend and then attaching Saab’s most iconic name to it.

So why bring back the 900 badge? The reasons are many:

• The 900 badge still has plenty of currency. Poll after poll asking people what their favourite Saab is has shown that the 900 is still the people’s favourite after all these years.
• Saab made their early reputation on rally wins in Europe. They gained a worldwide following in the showroom because of the 900. Take my home market in Australia, for example. In Australia, you’ll find a handful of Saab 96s and a larger number of 99s. It was the 900, though, that saw the company get real brand recognition downunder. And that story would be the same for many markets around the world. The 900 is the model that really globalised Saab Automobile in a big way.
• Perhaps the biggest reason of all is to create the expectation of excellence. The Saab 900 is a vehicle that people loved for a number of reasons. It’s going to be up to our engineers and designers to recreate those experiences in a modern vehicle that fulfills the expectations of Saab customers in this segment. There can be no higher or more worthy expectation or goal than the Saab 900.

Basically, what I’m suggesting here is that we rebuild, preserve and hang on to one of our icons. I don’t even think they’d need to change the other badges in the range to do it, either. Porsche has the 911 and then it has a range of badges for other vehicles. Granted, those badges are alpha names rather than numerical, but I’m not sure it would make that big a difference.

Companies around the world pour millions into branding and trying to build iconic imagery for themselves. Saab had an icon in the 900 that it was forced to abandon, to some degree, but has a genuine opportunity to reclaim – and it’s an icon that’s still got plenty of value. I’d be happy to argue that the 900 badge still has as much currency as the 9-3 badge we use right now.

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There’s one thing that must be present for Saab to do this. It’s non-negotiable and Saab shouldn’t even consider this without the following condition being present.

It has to be the right car. The Saab 900 became a cult hero because it offered so much to its owners:

• It had curious styling that forced people to have an opinion. It wasn’t a classical beauty, but a functional beauty that could end up looking damn hot in the right clothes.
• It had the typical no-compromises approach to safety that Saab was famous for.
• It had fantastic equipment, wonderful interior design and materials.
• It had a combination of practicality and performance that was unmatched by any regular sedan in its time. You could take it to the track in the morning, the hardware store in the afternoon and the opera in the evening – and it wouldn’t be out of place in any of them.

The replacement for the Saab 9-3 has to offer these qualities as well as a few new ones that the modern age allows for. If it does these things, it’s a chance to win those customers we need, and it’ll also be a worthy inheritor of Saab’s most famous name.

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I can hear the protests now…… WE CAN’T GO RETRO!

And I agree.

But this is talking about a name only, and a name that symbolises Saab for many people like the 911 symbolises Porsche for many others. The key, once again, is to get the car right. If the car is thoroughly modern and delivers an outstanding driving and ownership experience, then any concerns about being ‘retro’ will go out the window.

Again, we’re not talking about rebuilding old 900s here. Or even cars that look like the 900. We’re talking about creating a new legend, with the real and intangible qualities that made the 900 outstanding, and then attaching Saab’s most famous name to it.

Instant warmth. Instant recognition. An icon that has currency built-in from the start. And for Saab’s own creative types – it’s one hell of a reputation to live up to.

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Your thoughts are welcome below…….

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Carsales.com.au featured a great review of the Saab 9-5 today, including some of the best photography I’ve seen for a web review.

Well worth your reading.

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There’s nothing like a good spirited discussion and Saabs United had one a few days ago, debating the various options available for marketing and pricing Saab cars in the US. I read through the entire discussion when it was around 180 comments in length. It’s at 358 comments as I write this and that’s substantial, both in terms of quantity and in most cases, quality.

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Arild has posted an interesting summary of what the community knows so far about the upcoming Saab 9-3 replacement. It’s about as comprehensive a document as you can see on this subject right now and no, I can’t comment on the accuracy of the summary

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‘BaileyUSA115′ has a fantastic set of photos from the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals held a week or so ago in Pennsylvania, including some great shots from the Saab Heritage Collection displayed at the show, and other Saabs that were gathered at the event (close to 300 of them!)

You should out his full set of Carlisle images on Flickr.

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Saab was involved in sponsorships of two different golf events in Wales over the last week.

PowerPlay Golf is a new type of golf tournament, with the rules formulated to make the short form of the game more interesting and engaging for viewers and players alike.

For the golf fans out there, Colin Montgomery can explain it better than I can…..

The first PowerPlay Golf Tournament was held just over a week ago, at Celtic Manor, in Wales. With Saab sponsorship in place it seems fitting that the tournament, which features men and women playing in the same competition against one another, was won by a Swede:

Caroline Hedwall upstaged major champions and Ryder Cup stars by winning the inaugural PowerPlay Golf event at the Celtic Manor in Wales.

The 22-year Swede scored 32 Stableford points, 18 of which came on the final three holes, in a new shortened version of the game played over nine holes.

And in a rare double for Saab, Golf and Wales, last weekend saw another Swede winning a Saab-sponsored tournament, the Saab Wales Open.

Alexander Noren of Sweden beat Denmark’s Anders Hansen and Gregory Bourdy of France by two shots to win the Saab Wales Open at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

Noren began the final round one clear of the field and he fired a solid closing 70 that included two birdies and just one bogey at the driveable par-4 15th. It was a second European Tour title for the Swede and he was delighted with his consistency through the week.

Congratulations from Saab to both Caroline and Alexander for their success this week!

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Robin M was actually at the Saab Wales Open over the weekend and snapped some wonderful photographs of the event. You can see them all at his Flickr account.

Great to see Saab so prominently featured in such a wonderful setting….

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