Car Throttle

At the Geneva Motor Show, Saab showed off its styling future with the PheoniX Concept. It appeared that with the new 9-5, 9-4X and refreshed 9-3 either on sale or going on sale, the brand's future prospects were improving. However, things aren't so rosy behind the scenes. While the company's business plan was said to be funded until next year, the company's finances are in bad shape. The financial situation has worsened to a point where Saab is unable to pay key components suppliers, resulting production shutdowns at the Trollhattan plant in Sweden. Russian businessman Vladamir Anotov is looking to invest in the company, helping to supply it with cash until sales recover and losses slow down. Bloomberg is now reporting that the Swedish government is

The back-and-forth during Saab's difficult recent history is finally behind them, and the new company is focusing on products. Products like the 9-5 sedan, 9-4X crossover introduced at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, and an updated 9-3 lineup at Geneva. The company is celebrating its one-year independence from General Motors with a marketing campaign and incentive program. Along with that though, to really seal the deal the Saab has announced a 9-3 Independence Edition. 2011 is set to be a much better year for Saab, and the brand wants to kick it off right. The 9-3 Independence Edition is limited to 366 units, one for each day of the year and an extra for going into 2012 to boot. In addition, this year

Erik "Mr. SAAB" Carlsson, the legendary rally driver who won the first British RAC Rally, and his co-driver, Stuart Turner, are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their victory with a replica of their winning car. Erik, who is an ambassador for SAAB, was a guest of honor at a lunch organized by SAAB Great Britain at the RAC Club in London. On display at the Club was a replica of the SAAB 96 with which Carlsson and Turner won the rally in 1960. The car was shipped from the company's Car Museum in Trollhättan, Sweden, and will be on display at the Club  for a week. Carlsson's victory at the RAC Rally left many dumbfounded in 1960, as the small Swedish car was powered by a diminutive 750 cc,

"We're not dead," said Saab, "yet." That was the general feeling at the Saab display, with the now dutch-owned Swedish carmaker not really having a lot to show.  Still, the fact that they were alive and present for the 2010 Paris Auto Show is reason enough to celebrate the survival of Swedish weirdness. But yes, they did have a concept car.  In a lot of ways, I'd say the new 9-5 Sedan is more exciting than this concept, but that's because you all know how I feel about electric tree-hugging transportation pods.  Still, the 9-3 ePower is probably a good idea for Saab's future viability.  Here's the lowdown. Take one Saab 9-3 Sportcombi (errrm, wagon.)  Remove turbocharged gasoline engine.  Replace with electric motor.  Fill trunk with

When it comes to being a gearhead, these days it's a case of "us vs. them." Us being people who view cars as more than automotive appliances, who won't settle for rolling crapheaps like a Caliber or buy another Camry even though we know it might just kill us.  That's what separates us from them: good enough isn't good enough, and we don't ever leave well enough alone.  Chances are, if you're reading this site there is SOMETHING about your car that's different from the way it left the factory, because you saw room for improvement.  They would say "it's fine the way it is, why mess with it?"  We say, I can make this better. With this in mind, it's still important to start with something

"Saab Cuts 9-3 Prices for 2010" - it is good to see that headline, huh? For a few different reasons. First of all being the fact that the brand has been on the brink of disappearing for months now. It is nice to have the focus be on product for a change. Secondly, because we love Saab product and price cuts are always good! The 2010 lineup has reduced pricing by as much as 4 to 12 percent. One of the additions to the lineup is the range-topping 9-3X, an all-wheel drive Subaru Outback/Audi Avant-style vehicle that starts at $37,800, including destination and shipping charges. The standard 9-3 sedan is available in two trim levels, 2.0T and Aero, and both can be ordered with either front wheel drive

The appeal of the Saab 9-3 Viggen is enigmatic, to say the least. Objectively, it's not that great of a car.  It's reasonably quick (2.3L turbo I4 with 235bhp in a small car will do that!) but suffers from an awful shift linkage, massive wrist-snapping torque steer, and a chassis as stiff as cooked spaghetti in convertible form. Still, I have this deep-seated urge for a Viggen (as you can see in my recent post here).  They have character.  And I like torque steer.  Also, they're quite photogenic. This beautiful Viggen-in-the-sunset picture comes courtesy of the most talented Flickr user Mugley, who seems to have an affinity for blowup sex dolls and jackal masks in his unique photography.  Takes all types, I suppose.  The clarity of

So, one of my favorite automotive mind-stretchers is hypotheticals. "What if...?"  What would you buy if you had $500,000 to spend on automobiles, right now?  What's your favorite great car from an awful brand? (It's a toss-up between the Genesis Coupe and the Buick GNX)  What would you drive if you were Conan O'Brian?  You know, hypotheticals.  It's that tired conversation you have at Denny's at 1 in the morning over a cup of coffee with a car buddy.  It keeps your mind going. But they're usually far-fetched.  So let's be a little more realistic about it.  What's gonna be in your driveway in 5 years?  10 years?  What would you like, that you could feasibly attain?  That one's more challenging.  When the invisible hand of fate

Whether they like it or not, GM is the position where it most likely has to sell the Saab brand for need of cash. I'm sure if they had their way, they'd let the brand just go bankrupt, especially considering yesterday's comments. The Saab buyer process is continuing, with a report claiming just 3 buyers (really 2) are left in the running to purchase the brand. Reports on how many bidders were interested of the brand have varied wildly. I've heard 20, I've heard a dozen, I've heard six. You never really do know for sure!  A German bank, Chinese automaker Geely and ever-present Fiat are the rumored final bidders. The Göteborgs Tidning, a Swedish newspaper, is the author of this latest report. I'm much more

The whole situation going on at GM is turning into an absolute circus! Something as colossal as GM is spread all over the world, and that requires many negotiations to be conducted with individual governments on national, state and local levels. It's crazy the complexity of the whole situation. In the middle of all of this the parent company GM is trying to negotiate with creditors while at the same time preparing for a possible bankruptcy. Stress? You have no idea. It's like running a country! One of the particularly unusual things about the situation is the way the different factions of GM are treating each other. GM Headquarters is at odds with it's different arms and subsidiaries!  A new report has come out in Bloomberg regarding the sale of the Saab brand. Over