Today, Reuters reports that continued losses at Swedish brand Saab are expected to drag General Motors Corp.'s European operations into the red during the fourth quarter.
That statement is, in my opinion, more telling than at first one may think.
Saab is now referred to as a 'brand' both within GM and by the automotive industry as a whole. The tiny Swedish automaker is no longer considered a marque in its own right.
Whilst this is regrettable it is most likely accurate now that Saab has been stripped of it's own design department, moved to a European design centre in Russelsheim, Germany, and then opened up a design department back in Sweden to 'add Swedishness', whatever that might be.
But it is not just the design, it is the engineering. Saabs have now been based on old GM platforms for the last eleven years so. The Saab GM900/9-3 suffered as a result of being based on an old Cavalier platform, and the 9-5 on a Vectra platform, but the new Epsilon platforms on which the new Saab 9-3 and Vauxhall Vectras are based is reputedly much better. Saab's engineers spent time refining the hand-me-down platform and developing Re-AXS - a passive rear-wheel steering to improve stabilty.
Anyway, I'm in danger of veering away from my point which is in response to this quote from Reuters:
Saab's problems, which analysts say stem from poor brand positioning and an uninspiring product range, overshadow improvements at GM's German unit Opel, bolstered by restructuring effects and strong sales of popular models such as the Astra compact and the Zafira minivan.
That sounds about right, too. Saab does seem to be the poor cousin in many repects. There is not enough to differentiate itself from Vauxhall/Opel, it will soon be built in the same Russelsheim factory in Germany and it now comes under the European design Studio that is not Saab specific.
Much of the engineering expertise appears to have been removed from Trollhattan in preparation for assembly of Saabs in Germany, to make was for the Cadillac BLS (based on the same platform) to be built at Trollhattan. Way to go, GM. Make the Swedes build a car that will compete in the same segment as their own which you have moved to Germany.
So what of Saab's uninspiring product range? How could it have been?
Before Michael Mauer's departure to Porsche, he came up with three exciting indications of the (possible) future of Saab. These were in the Saab 9-X, 9-3X and 9-3 SportHatch concepts. Had GM had the balls to do something brave with Saab then things might have been a bit different. Instead, the procrastination and lack of vision and no strategy to achieve that vision has taken its toll on Saab.
So, GM dragging down Saab results in Saab dragging down Opel in Europe.
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