320 HP Saab or Hybrid?

[DanS]

There has been lively banter about Saab needing to up the ante and produce a 320 HP sports car. Well sorry to say guys, but that isn't what Saab is about. Saab should produce a "spirited" hybrid car. Forget the ethanol stopgap BS. Produce a state of the art, performance hybrid. Back in the 70's and 80's, Saab turbo charged the four cylinder and stole the market.

I'll go back to my corner now and shut up.

[boon94]

hybrid shmybrid, i say skip straight to hydrogen

[DanS]

Originally Posted by boon94

hybrid shmybrid, i say skip straight to hydrogen

Mercedes Benz had a 1,200 HP hydrogen vehicle called the Hindenberg. It was hot.

[SaabKen]

berg

Originally Posted by DanS

Mercedes Benz had a 1,200 HP hydrogen vehicle called the Hindenberg. It was hot.

26 people were tragically killed. I don't see any humour there ?

[DanF.]

If I recall correctly, It wasn't the Hydrogen that was the culprit, but, the crappy paint that covered the ship.

[GearHead]

yea something about how the aluminum mixed with the paint...Creating something that is very hot...I might just be off my tree then...

[mike saunders]

Originally Posted by DanS

There has been lively banter about Saab needing to up the ante and produce a 320 HP sports car. Well sorry to say guys, but that isn't what Saab is about. Saab should produce a "spirited" hybrid car. Forget the ethanol stopgap BS. Produce a state of the art, performance hybrid. Back in the 70's and 80's, Saab turbo charged the four cylinder and stole the market.

I'll go back to my corner now and shut up.

Isn't there an inverse relationship between performance and economy with hybrids?

[Tweek's Turbos]

I think the whole construction of hybrids, sort of takes away from the economy of them.

Saab does have some awesome diesels, and E100 cars making some good HP. But they aren't sold in the States.

[4saabstoomany]

Originally Posted by SaabKen

26 people were tragically killed. I don't see any humour there ?

Is it wrong that as much as I understand this is a serious comment, that I Can't help but chuckle just a little, at the way 'you guys' spell humor.

[saabassguy]

I support the ethanol cause, but would like to see cellulosic ethanol come into the market and hit straight to E100 as short term. I see electric vehicles the way of the future with batteries or fuel cells. Hydrogen would be good too if the process is not too expensive.

[4saabstoomany]

and violent? My buddy works on hydrogen fuel cell research at Penn State University and he said getting the stuff together to work correctly is easy, it's the making it save to drive around not feeling like this guy is the tough part.

[Tennisdad]

as I understand it, diesels will become available in California soon, thanks to the new cleaner models and better fuel, which can meet the state's stringent requirements. Also, biofuel is prevelant here as many people are using older models of Mercedes and VW and they support to biofuel stations right here in Santa Cruz*. [*politically correct center of the universe]

When the new models start arriving they should challenge hybrids for high gas mileage and with reclaimed cooking oils and biofuel run without dependence on foreign oil.

I would think GM's logical player in this scenario would be a diesel SAAB

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by 4saabstoomany

Is it wrong that as much as I understand this is a serious comment, that I Can't help but chuckle just a little, at the way 'you guys' spell humor.

The chuckling is all ours. Being English we spell in English, not the *******ized version of English you septics speak. Its humour and colour, and men wear trousers not pants.

[TooMany2cvs]

Originally Posted by Kermit

men wear trousers not pants.

Speaking personally, I tend to wear both...

BMW's 7-series Hydrogen puts the lie to the practicality of that currently - a vast amount of electricity to create and pressurise the gas, the entire boot (that's trunk for our leftpondian friends) full of pressure cylinder - for 100 miles range.

Oh, and if you don't use it within a week, it escapes anyway.

Mmm. Practical.

For Scandi markets, E85 is the current "golden-boy" solution - and is very widely available. Most if not all manufacturers are selling E85 cars over there. For other markets, there isn't the agricultural land available, so it won't work - LPG is often a good fit.

I've never understood why the US has this total blind spot over diesels - sure, they have cons, but they have a lot of pros, too. Many European markets have diesels as the vast majority of new car sales.

[Thirsty9000]

Originally Posted by TooMany2cvs

I've never understood why the US has this total blind spot over diesels - sure, they have cons, but they have a lot of pros, too. Many European markets have diesels as the vast majority of new car sales.

GM diesel cars of the 80's... nuff said. It's kind of like trying shrimp for the first time, and you get a bad one. It will take years before you can even stomach the thoughts of trying it again, and even decades later it'll still remind you of that first nasty bugger.

[DanS]

Yes I should extend my apologies to the surviving family members of that crash 70 years ago and any of the other 900 billion people that sacrificed their life in the name of a better living.

First of all I would like to personally thank the inventor of the wheel. Second I would like to thank the inventor of fire. Third I would like to thank the metal workers of the "brass age". Finally I would like to thank the Geico Cavemen for great car insurance and apologize for any disparaging stereotypes our society has cast upon them through insensistive and calous marketing campaigns. Without these groundbreaking individuals, I wouldn't be driving the car I am today.

[SnowgodCCR]

Originally Posted by DanS

Yes I should extend my apologies to the surviving family members of that crash 70 years ago and any of the other 900 billion people that sacrificed their life in the name of a better living.

First of all I would like to personally thank the inventor of the wheel. Second I would like to thank the inventor of fire. Third I would like to thank the metal workers of the "brass age". Finally I would like to thank the Geico Cavemen for great car insurance and apologize for any disparaging stereotypes our society has cast upon them through insensistive and calous marketing campaigns. Without these groundbreaking individuals, I wouldn't be driving the car I am today.

Have my children.

[16saabs]

the classic 900 is a sports car on it's own, and i wish i could by a new one, if they made them(even though i don't have the money ) but since gm have messed about with it and put a gm 1.8 engine or is that a vectra /cavalier hybrid, neverlasting engine, and now they are having to knock £8000 of to try and sell apiece of crap, with no character.
get some extra tuning mods etc and i believe you can get 320+, there was a story on here about some OZ racing team who got 400 bhp ???out of there C900's cars but we don't want to pi** on the subaru's to much , but as said that's not what we are about.

[DanS]

Saab needs some type of innovative break through that would make them stand out from the crowd again. Otherwise they are just going to have a really small market share.

I'm glad GM got involved in terms of electrical quality control and suspension (handling). Other areas may have suffered, but if GM didn't save Saab, we wouldn't be driving them. Saab needed/still needs GM's dealer network and mass production know how to survive.

Lets see GM use Saab for limited production innovative fuel alternative vehicles.

[boon94]

Originally Posted by DanS

but if GM didn't save Saab, we wouldn't be driving them.

I'd be driving a saab regardless of GM's intervention