Auto Express has some exclusive news about Saab developing a competitor to the Audi TT. The picture to the left is what they imagine the car could look like. A higher-resolution version along with other imaginings can be found at the link. According to the Auto Express, the new car will officially carry the name Sonett, and it will not be a retro design, but will be a completely new model designed by Jason Castriota, newly appointed head of design at Saab. There are also a couple of juicy quotes from Jason over at the site, so head on over to Auto Express and check out the latest Saab news!

Reprinted from Nines Magazine

The 2010 Saab Owners Convention was extremely successful. This and subsequent issues of Nines will have many details of the events that occurred. My thanks go out to our membership for your outstanding support. Based on feedback from you we are already working on after action items.

The biggest highlight of the SOC was the participation by Saab Automobile and Saab Cars of North America. Victor Muller and Jan Ake Jonsson were accompanied to the Bertram Convention Center on Saturday by Mike Colleran. Victor and Jan Ake had a brief meeting with Stephen Goldberger and me and then they were out on the grounds and attending seminars for several hours before participating in the group photo session. In the evening, they gave a great presentation at the Awards banquet. As a surprise to the membership, Victor announced Saab’s giving a $500 certificate to SCNA members towards the purchase of a new Saab automobile. Click here for details. All present assured Victor that they will be doing their best to buy a new Saab ASAP. There was a good representation of Saab staff there including Peter Backstrom, John Libbos and Michele Tinson.

This article from the Webmaster also appears in issue #307 of Nines

It didn’t take long for the automobile press to start hammering Saab Chairman Victor Muller about the viability of his business plan after he bought/saved the company. He responded on a number of occasions that “Saab doesn’t need any new customers; it only needs to get its old customers back.” Of course, he was probably speaking a bit of hyperbole – I mean, I’m sure he’d be happy with a few hundred thousand new customers. What chairman wouldn’t be?

It’s a fact though that there are many present and former Saab owners who started shopping Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Volvo because they saw a little too much “GM DNA” in the modern Saabs, and they had lost faith that Saab was “the most intelligent car ever built.” Perhaps a good first step toward convincing Saab’s old customers (as well as new ones) that the company is now ready once again to “move their minds,” would be to revive a marketing tactic previously used to lure car buyers to the Saab brand in decades past.

In 1981, my brother and I were growing pre-teens, and the back seat of our family’s little red 1973 VW Beetle was getting a bit short on leg space. I’m sure my dad was also getting a little sick of the car belching oil out of the dipstick hole on particularly cold New Hampshire mornings. He had resorted to packing the engine compartment with insulation and a contractor’s work lamp overnight to help stave off the car’s morning sickness. It was time to get a new, bigger, car.

The Beetle had been paid off for a couple years, and my parents had continued to sock away the monthly payment to get a head start on their next automobile. As this was not something they had been able to do in the past, they started thinking perhaps with a bit of up-front cash lowering the monthly payments they might be able to afford something a little more upscale, more luxurious for their next automobile.

With the new Saab 9-5 finally making its way into US showrooms, we thought this would be a good time to point out some of the positive press that has accompanied the launch of Saab's latest flagship. First off is this review from Autoblog, which promotes the new 9-5 as "paint[ing] a promising future for Saab," and claims the car has a driving feel that exhibits "none of that artificial forced heaviness that has creeped in to some Germanic rivals." Automobile Magazine highlights Saab's traditional driver-centric qualities in its online review, saying the 9-5 Aero's seats "get more comfortable the longer you're in them," and "Saab has done a better-than-usual job of grouping the various buttons by function, which makes things easy to find." Meanwhile, Car & Driver drove both the Aero and 2.0T models, and notes that the 2.0T "is actually more likable than the Aero, if only because it manages to make more from less,..." and summarizes that the car "is a very competent luxury sedan that looks good, drives decently, and offers a lot of room for its occupants. The clean interior design is certainly different from the class norm, and the car is priced below its German rivals." We should note that the MSRP for the Aero has been officially set at $47,565 for the US launch. Autoweek praises the new 9-5 Aero's V6, saying it was "smoother than any Saab engine in memory, and it's strong enough to move a substantial car with some urgency," then also notes that "the 9-5 also rides more comfortably than any previous Saab."

To check out the all new Saab 9-5 in person, find your local Saab dealership and give them a call! And don't forget to download your Saab Club Member Purchase Program certificate for $500 toward the purchase of any new Saab! If you're not currently a member of the Saab Club of North America, follow the link on the right-hand side of this page to join (just below the SOC2010 button).

UPDATE: We've just received word from one of our member dealers that effective August 19th, 2010, Saab Cars North America announced an enhancement to the Saab Owner Loyalty Discount, up to $2,000 off, to include 1995 and newer Saab Owners. This discount applies to anyone who has EVER owned a 1995 or newer Saab! All other current Saab new car incentives still apply! Combine all these discounts, and Saab enthusiasts -- club members and former and present Saab owners -- have a tremendous incentive to pick up a brand new Saab! Thanks to Reinertsen Motors Inc. in Denville, NJ for the heads up!