Modern Classic: Saab
The Saab 900 CD sedan was produced from 1984 to 1998. Photo: Supplied
If there is one car company I pine for it is Saab and since their demise in 2012 enthusiasts of the quirky Swedish brand have been crying into their Knäckebröd.
I was one of those and I live in hope one day someone will recreate the ability for us to buy Saab cars again.
As an exchange student in Sweden as a teenager in the mid 1990’s, I admired the almost exclusivity of Volvo and Saab vehicles on local roads.
“Mum and Dad, my host family the Guldbrandssens have a Saab!!,” I wrote back to my parents excited excitedly, like I had won Swedish lotto.
Saab Automobile began in 1945 when its parent company, Saab AB, began a project to design a small car, which culminated in the Saab 92. By 1978, the Saab 900 had been launched, followed by the 9000 in the mid-80’s. With both styles later morphing into what was known as the 9-3 and 9-5.
Saab 900
Production of the 900 ran for 20 years from 1978 to 1998 and it was produced in two- and four-door sedan, three- and five-door hatchback and a two-door cabriolet (which made a real statement, even if did bear just a little resemblance to a bathtub).
The upgraded 1994 models, known as the new generation 900, still look good and quite a number are still on New Zealand roads. They added the “black panel” technology, whereby all the gauges except the speedometer could be shut off, and the Sensonic gearbox (a manual gearbox without a clutch).
My favourite though was the 9000, running from 1984 to 1998, before it was replaced by the 9-5. With over 500,000 produced, my pick was the 9000 CD sedan.
Saab 9000
Model designations and variations were notoriously complicated at Saab so I won’t even attempt to go into all derivatives. But the 1995 top spec Griffin CDE Sedan with the 3-litre, V6 engine putting out 154kW of power, with its second rear air conditioning unit, eucalyptus paint, rear blinds and walnut trim was the sweet spot.
When Saab hit difficult financial times in 1989, General Motors took a 50 per cent ownership and It limped on until 2011 when the company hit bankruptcy. A Chinese consortium wanted to buy Saab but General Motors blocked the decision.
Newly-formed company National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) bought Saab in mid-2012 and production re-began in late 2013, with a petrol powered 9-3. But that was stopped in 2014 when it lost its manufacturing licence due to Saab (the parent aerospace company) continuing to own it.
NEVS ended up creating a way to sell the 9-3 style under its own brand but only in China. Interestingly, it has three upcoming vehicles due for release in 2021. The 9-3x, a compact crossover version of the 9-3; the 9-4, a compact electric sedan based on the cancelled Saab 9-3 successor; and the 9-4x, a compact electric SUV.
Looking at the success of Volvo, via its acquisition by Geely, one always wonders if the “Scandinavian cool” halo from Volvo’s resurgence could have rubbed off on Saab.
Of course it would have taken deep pockets and also have needed the parent company, Saab, to not take back the brand.
Who knows, with NEVS launching several models in China in 2021 and Chinese cars being exported more around the world, if you’re like me, be careful what you wish for!
