View Full Version : August 2009 Sales (US)
SAABISTI
02-09-09, 07:20 AM
It keeps getting worse and worse. Saab sold 484 cars last month in the US, a 67.80% decline v. last year - compared to everyone else, that's the biggest decline in sales and the lowest number of vehicles sold respectively:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/01/by-the-numbers-august-2009-cash-for-clunkers-edition/
I realise this is supposed to be a transition period for the company, but can they at least stop reporting sales figures?! These numbers are beyond embarrassing. Hummer continues to outsell Saab for some strange reason. Jaguar and LR do not report sales, and Saab should follow suit.
SAABISTI
02-09-09, 07:34 AM
80% decline - 36 cars sold. :o
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ford-canada-sales-up-seven-per-cent/article1271931/
To be honest, I wouldn't blame Saab one bit if they end up leaving the Canadian market. With those kind of numbers, who in their right mind would invest in a new distribution network? It would be such a big gamble, and Koenigsegg doesn't seem like the kind of company that has money to throw away. They are struggling to come up with enough money just to close the deal.
On a more positive note though, there really is nowhere to go but up.
80% decline - 36 cars sold. :o
On a more positive note though, there really is nowhere to go but up.
Yes they can decrease, the next step is 0.
I very much doubt if any Canadian Saab dealer is ordering new Saabs from the factory. They seem to have a bunch of used ones on the lots that aren't moving very quickly. They also have the demise of Saturn to deal with.
Perhaps the odd person might come in and order a new Saab to their tastes, but most sane buyers would look for an 09 or 08 for $10k to $20k less.
I think Saab is done for in Canada.
SaabJitty
02-09-09, 05:12 PM
So I guess "Cash for Clunkers" didn't help Saab US sales out much...:roll:
Of course, I doubt that any dealer selling premium or "near-premium" vehicles would have seen a surge from the program.
BennyBlanco
02-09-09, 05:58 PM
80% decline - 36 cars sold. :o
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ford-canada-sales-up-seven-per-cent/article1271931/
To be honest, I wouldn't blame Saab one bit if they end up leaving the Canadian market. With those kind of numbers, who in their right mind would invest in a new distribution network? It would be such a big gamble, and Koenigsegg doesn't seem like the kind of company that has money to throw away. They are struggling to come up with enough money just to close the deal.
On a more positive note though, there really is nowhere to go but up.
What a joke.....36 is embarrassing, why would they even publish that
mike saunders
02-09-09, 06:21 PM
If you had $30K to drop on a car, would you put it into a marque whose outcome is still uncertain?
That's why the numbers are so low.
What a joke.....36 is embarrassing, why would they even publish that
It isn't that embarassing when you compare to the US number, they have 10 times the car market :lol:
A lot of people have complained the dealers won't or can't order new cars. And the car market was generally down, and many Saab dealers have closed here. So there isn't much to complain about... you can't sell many if you won't sell any.
ACBarnett
02-09-09, 06:26 PM
Given Saab's piss-poor sales performance as of late, I think we're going to see a whole lot more dealer closings before things start turning around. Judging by the numbers, it's clear that the current dealer network isn't working and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Saab announced that they were planning on downsizing their network and centering their dealerships on big urban areas where Saab already has a reasonably good market presence, then expanding from there. Mini did it, Smart's done it, and Apple made it work for them as well. With Saab's boutique appeal, I think the "destination dealership" model would suit the brand quite well.
It would probably mean that we'd see a lot of the smaller, older "mom and pop" dealerships close their doors, but in today's era of big superstore-type dealerships for Lexus, Audi, BMW, MB and even Jaguar/LR, the small neighborhood dealership might as well be as anachronistic as the typewriter.
Sure, it might mean that Saab will lose some short-term market presence in poorly performing, secondary markets, but that will come back easily once Saab has rebuilt it's reputation and market share in it's core markets.
It'll be interesting to see how Koenigsegg handles this, these sorts of desperate times will require some pretty extreme interventions that could really change how Saab functions in North America.
SaabKen
02-09-09, 07:05 PM
Given Saab's piss-poor sales performance as of late, I think we're going to see a whole lot more dealer closings before things start turning around. Judging by the numbers, it's clear that the current dealer network isn't working and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Saab announced that they were planning on downsizing their network and centering their dealerships on big urban areas where Saab already has a reasonably good market presence, then expanding from there.
Starting with these four shops (http://www.koenigsegg.com/representatives.php?submenu=5) ;) Wouldn't you love to buy your new Saab on Dean Martin Drive ? :cheesy:
FLORIDA
Koenigsegg North America LLC
7401 Bay Colony Drive
Naples, Florida 34108
NEW YORK
Universal Autosports
112 Glen street
Glen Cove, NewYork 11542
LAS VEGAS
Lamborghini Las Vegas
7770 Dean Martin Drive Ste. 301
Las Vegas, Nevada 89139
Lamborghini Las Vegas At The Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Blvd Ste. 200
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
USA
SAABISTI
02-09-09, 09:58 PM
A lot of people have complained the dealers won't or can't order new cars. And the car market was generally down, and many Saab dealers have closed here. So there isn't much to complain about... you can't sell many if you won't sell any.
That is true and I do realise that this is a supposed to be a transition period for the company. However, does nobody at Saab have the common sense to say "lets not embarrass ourselves in the industry and among car enthusiasts and the car buying public by publishing these laughable sales figures"?
It may be GM's practice to disclose sales data, but Saab is, by all intents and purposes, separate from GM now and if Jaguar/LR can keep those numbers a secret, so can Saab. I just think nobody at Saab fully comprehends the kind of damaging effect that information like this could have on the brand. :roll:
The general public doesn't know and doesn't care to find out about Saab's state of affairs, ownership change etc. All they will know after coming across information like this is that Saab is an irrelevant carmaker that barely manages to move as many cars as Maserati. Since Saab isn't an exotic marque, then it must necessarily mean that there's something seriously wrong with the cars.
That is true and I do realise that this is a supposed to be a transition period for the company. However, does nobody at Saab have the common sense to say "lets not embarrass ourselves in the industry and among car enthusiasts and the car buying public by publishing these laughable sales figures"?
It may be GM's practice to disclose sales data, but Saab is, by all intents and purposes, separate from GM now and if Jaguar/LR can keep those numbers a secret, so can Saab. I just think nobody at Saab fully comprehends the kind of damaging effect that information like this could have on the brand. :roll:
The general public doesn't know and doesn't care to find out about Saab's state of affairs, ownership change etc. All they will know after coming across information like this is that Saab is an irrelevant carmaker that barely manages to move as many cars as Maserati. Since Saab isn't an exotic marque, then it must necessarily mean that there's something seriously wrong with the cars.
Disclosing information is good. I always hate how the Saudis and a lot of the other OPEC nations with nationalized petroleum industries are always tight lipped about what details they provide. Then when they say something, it is almost always a BS figure that cannot be trusted.
Compare to the Canadian and American oil industries where you get production details right down to the wellhead given to anyone who asks or knows how to use Internet. Knowledge is power.
Even if the sales are low, not many people will really care to look. And Saab always tries to market to a "individualist" so maybe less is more :lol:
Maybe we will get some press from that former Ontario AG that had the bike courier trying to strangle him while driving a black Saab convertible... :lol: Sure, those idiot "bicycle only" anti-car nazis won't buy Saab, but they wouldn't anyway :lol:
SAABISTI
03-09-09, 07:41 AM
Maybe we will get some press from that former Ontario AG that had the bike courier trying to strangle him while driving a black Saab convertible... :lol: Sure, those idiot "bicycle only" anti-car nazis won't buy Saab, but they wouldn't anyway :lol:
lol I wish the media were more detailed. I was bored at work today and was trying to find out what kind of Saab convertible it was, but all I found was "black Saab convertible." At least the man has good taste! That cyclist was a raging drunk by all accounts.
EDIT: Research finally paid off; it's an OG9-3 convertible.
lol I wish the media were more detailed. I was bored at work today and was trying to find out what kind of Saab convertible it was, but all I found was "black Saab convertible." At least the man has good taste! That cyclist was a raging drunk by all accounts.
EDIT: Research finally paid off; it's an OG9-3 convertible.
I saw it on the (CTV) news, I could swear it was a 900 SE with 9-3 wheels :p I think I even made out the "900 SE" badge on the trunk... who needs hi-def? :lol:
SAABISTI
03-09-09, 08:23 PM
I saw it on the (CTV) news, I could swear it was a 900 SE with 9-3 wheels :p I think I even made out the "900 SE" badge on the trunk... who needs hi-def? :lol:
Maybe you're right. The pic I saw wasn't very clear and showed only the driver's side of the car (where the damage was). Scroll down for the pic:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090901/fatal_collision_090901/20090901?hub=Canada&s_name=
One news article reported it as a 1995.
audifox
06-09-09, 10:16 PM
Many dealerships have stopped selling SAABs altogether and I'm not aware of one dealership in Calgary where you can actually order one. I think one dealership has one convertible left over to sell that is it and they won't order any more SAAB cars. I'm sure this situation is not unique to the Calgary market. How can SAAB sell cars when they don't have an existing dealership network left to sell their vehicles. Something will have to be done fairly soon or their sale numbers will be down to 0 by October 1st. Besides if you had $45,000 to drop on a premium car right now would it be SAAB?? I think not there are lots of options outhere and SAAB is no longer one of them. It appears to me that SAAB is currently pulling out of North America not by will but by the current circumstances. You have to realize that GM is no longer willing to sell SAABs or spend any more money and K-Segg is not in a position to do anything as they do not officially own and operate SAAB. So, Saab is now in limbo where nothing really gets done until the sale to K-Segg gets done and the sooner the better for Saab as the longer they wait the harder it will be to get the business back up and running. This Saab thing thing is extremely frustrating to watch especially if you are a Saab owner. Either way hopefully this gets resolved soon.
Many dealerships have stopped selling SAABs altogether ...
Our dealership in Ft. Wayne, IN shows a total of 6 new cars on their website: 5 2009 9-3s, and 1 2008 9-3.
woywitka
26-09-09, 01:39 AM
80% decline - 36 cars sold. :o
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ford-canada-sales-up-seven-per-cent/article1271931/
To be honest, I wouldn't blame Saab one bit if they end up leaving the Canadian market. With those kind of numbers, who in their right mind would invest in a new distribution network? It would be such a big gamble, and Koenigsegg doesn't seem like the kind of company that has money to throw away. They are struggling to come up with enough money just to close the deal.
On a more positive note though, there really is nowhere to go but up.
lol.
.