[desmo9]

Originally posted by mgescuro@Jan 2 2004, 11:51 PM

But suffice it to say... people who buy Subarus won't step into a Saab dealership... and vice versa.

Hogwash! I certainly would. Am I the only one in this 17million/yr market? There's certainly some emotional overlap, too, or Saab would not have chosen a Subaru as the basis for the 9-2 !!! Geez. This comment of yours sounds like the "VW is cheap" stuff.

As I said, the performance compact crowd is one of the least brand loyal. We're not talking F-150s here... people will jump around to whatever's hot. The 9-2X will wind up outside of that market, though, because performance/dollar is much weaker than the identical but less-expensive WRX. The 9-2X will be a chick car. Guaranteed.

 

[pbcello]

Lets face it. Real, dyed-in-the-wool Saab nuts will hate this car for a lot of reasons, no matter how fine the car is. The 9-7 they'll hate even more. That's OK. At worst these cars are an experiment to see if the Saab brand and its dealer bodies can be made profitable by adding incremental business in areas where they don't compete at all right now. At best, these two badge-jobs will test the water for replacements with more Saab/Opel DNA if the segments seem viable under the Saab umbrella. I have heard rumor that the 92X, in fact, will have more Saab content each year of production through it's run, and then be replaced with a 92X built again by Fuji, or--if this experiment doesn't work out--on an Opel platform.

Saab has a long history of outsourcing and platform sharing, even before it was partnered with GM. There are still plenty of Ford-powered and a few Triumph-powered Saabs on the road, and the 9000, which captured the true essence of Saab better than any other Saab (the Saab nuts are wincing) in my opinion, was built on a platform it shared with AR and Fiat. So let's give this experiment some time and see what develops. It sure beats seeing the brand fade into oblivion.....

 

[desmo9]

Originally posted by pbcello@Jan 21 2004, 10:16 PM
At best, these two badge-jobs will test the water for replacements with more Saab/Opel DNA if the segments seem viable under the Saab umbrella. I have heard rumor that the 92X, in fact, will have more Saab content each year of production through it's run, and then be replaced with a 92X built again by Fuji, or--if this experiment doesn't work out--on an Opel platform.

It sure beats seeing the brand fade into oblivion.....

There's an old proverb about testing the water.... something like..if you get scalded, you'll never approach it again. In a few cases, GM has experimented with something before going in full force, and the experiment was a half-baked effort. The experiment fails, so it misguided the company into backing away... even though the idea was truly right if done right.

There is absolutely no doubt a small, $24K Saab hatch would do well -- particularly now that 9-3 has gotten larger and become a sedan. If GM's gauging 9-2's success before investing in something original and great, good luck. Even stellar prospects for a nice Saab hatch won't guarantee the 9-2WRX alot of success. The WRX is a nice car, but people in that segment aren't idiots.

As for your other comment, that anything's better than loss of the brand? I, for one, would rather see the brand go away than cast into a pool of mediocrity. As I said in another thread...if all Saab's worth is a new face on somebody else's body, powertrain, and interior, then let it die. If ANY brand in a multi-branded company doesn't offer something the sister brands cannot, then let it die cuz it's just baggage.