There was hectic activity in Detroit, Rüsselheim and Trollhättan in the last few years before Saab went bankrupt. Time was short. They had to sell more cars. They did that by putting Saab badges on other models. But they managed to make a brand new Saab as well.
Shared technology with others
The Saab 9-5 with the type designation YS3G was more American than ever. It shared a platform with the Cadillac XTS and Buick LaCrosse. The Opel Insignia had the same platform but a shorter wheelbase. GM wanted to strengthen Saab's popularity by profiling the brand in line with Cadillac. Both Cadillac and Saab could be supplied with GM's 2,8 turbo V6 engine and Turbo4 2,0 T. Saab's 2-liter engine was adapted to E85 biofuel. In Europe, customers could also choose the 1,6 T with 180 HP and turbodiesel – TiD4 2,0D with 160 HP or twin-turbodiesel TTiD4 2,0D with 190 HP – engines likely to originate from Isuzu. Saab's four-wheel system XWD (Cross Wheel Drive) was also possible as an option together with the largest engines. The XWD system installed in the new 9-5 was a Haldex-4 system with enhanced active electronic differential lock (eLSD)
Wasn't a big seller in Scandinavia
The new generation of Saab 9-5 did not go down particularly well in Norway - for several reasons. Some may have thought that the new 9-5 model was too expensive. The station wagon was not yet ready, and large sedans were hard to sell. Moreover, it was no secret that GM's Saab division was struggling with red numbers. No more than 244 cars were sold. It didn't go much better in Sweden either. 668 cars were sold there, of which 628 are still on the road. Nevertheless, Saab managed to roll out 11 cars during the 280 months that production lasted.
Looks good
It is rare to come across a Saab 9-5 NG. But lately I've actually seen two different cars in daily use. Both TiD4 2,0D. It has been over 10 years since the first cars hit the road. When I study them with "new" eyes, I see that the design has held up very well. Over the years, we've grown accustomed to large sedans - albeit with Tesla logos - not Saab. But the shape of the 9-5 resembles a thought of the Tesla S. I think it looks best from the side and from the back. The front would probably have received a facelift if Saab had still existed.
Children's diseases
“Incredible ergonomics", says an American 9-5 owner after almost 10 years with the same car. He says that the XWD system has never produced a single wheel slip. On the minus side, he complains about "lag" in both engine and gearbox - GM's 2,8 V6 with automatic. He also mentions the childhood illnesses that "all" owners have had to fix on their own after the bankruptcy. The brake light and the strip of light between the rear lights which failed and which have long since been sold out at the dealers. Fortunately, you can buy newly manufactured parts on eBay. When the battery begins to run low, occasional error messages may appear on the screen that have scared the wits out of owners. The infotainment system is vulnerable. A small technical error can cause a lot of trouble. Or when the engine stops and cannot be started. Teknikens Värld experienced stalling with 2 different cars. Saab replied that they believed the fault lay in the car's software.
No guarantees
Software can become difficult to fix over the years when the manufacturer and dealers are gone. Fortunately, there are many who still know a lot about Saab. They like to share experiences on social media. Old Saab mechanics do not meet Saab owners with a cold shoulder. This means that Saab can live a long time - including the new 9-5 generation. Because there is little doubt that it can quickly gain status as a collector's car.
Let's go 20 years into the future. Then all Saabs will be vintage cars. Will all cars with the Saab logo gain collector value? Hardly! Some bastards were also made.
To put it bluntly, GM's takeover of Saab was a rape of Saab's soul. The Trollhättan was managed from Opel in Rüsselheim, which in turn received orders from GM in Detroit. After all, Saab has previously collaborated with other car manufacturers - without losing its soul, such as for example with Italian Lancia. That collaboration resulted in the Saab 9000. Early collaboration with Opel did not cause any major damage to the soul either. That the new 900 model shared a platform with the Vectra did not create sour faces. After all, the beautiful bodywork was designed by the Norwegian Einar Hareide - and the engines were mainly Swedish. But at one point or another, everything took a different turn. If Saab were to exist as a separate car brand, the production volume would have to be increased - quickly and a lot! The economists' speech was clear.
The remedy was re-badging
GM had been doing this for many years. You take a fully developed car and replace the grill and logos. This allows you to sell the same product on different markets or different customer groups. Here are some examples:
"Saabaru"
Do you recognize this one? It's the Saab 9-2X. It sold GM 10 copies of. This is a car Trollhättan hardly had any influence on. Maybe you should call it the Saabaru Impreza?
"Saabrolet"
Another example is this mediocre creature. The Chevrolet Trailblazer wasn't much to write home about. GM created re-badged models in the East and West – though the Saab 9-7X was perhaps the most successful of them all. There was no Saab. It was a Saabrolet of which GM managed to sell 20 units.
"Saabillac"
The most visually successful re-badging was the one that happened in 2011. Then the Cadillac SRX mk2 was re-badged into the Saab 9-4X. But the Saabillac was launched just before Saab went bankrupt. Therefore, only a few hundred cars were sold. You can make your own 9-4X. Just get an Opel Antara and a Saab font.
When did Saab stop being Saab?
For many, Saab is about memories and feelings. There are many of us who practically grew up in the back seat of a Saab 96 enveloped in tobacco smoke from the front seats. We took the first groping drives with a companion in a Saab V4 - and went around the country and coast in my father-in-law's red Saab 99. For me, the Saab feeling disappeared when the Saab was equipped with MultiJet diesel engines from Fiat. I'm sure someone said the same thing when Saab switched from two-strokes to the Ford V4. But I think we can all agree on one thing:
Saabillac, Saabrolet and Saabaru must never have a prominent place in Saab's history!
Is the new 9-5 a proper Saab?
Although time was short, the 9-5 NG was not a re-badged Chevrolet or Cadillac. It was developed on one of GM's most widely used full-size platforms. It got engines that were adapted to Europe, including 2 diesel engines and an engine that could run on E85 biofuel to appeal to Swedish environmental enthusiasts. But none of the engines were Swedish. The XWD system, on the other hand, was undoubtedly Swedish. So were the car's designers. It links the car to Sweden. It is the which allows you to place it by a Swedish "majstång" in front of a "röd stuga" and claim that it is a Swedish car. When you study the miserable "re-badging" you can think with horror and horror...
- it could have been much worse!
Facts about the Saab 9-5 NG
Production
Number: 11
Production time: 2010.04-2011.03
Model year: 2010-2011
Production locations: Trollhättan and Rüsselheim
VIN digit#11: 9-preproduction, 3 and 4-Trollhättan
Measurements
Outer dimensions (l/w/h cm): 501 / 187 / 147
Wheelbase: 284
1,6 T
Turbo - petrol - 6 speed manual
Horsepower: 180@5500 rpm
Torque: 230@2200 rpm
Top speed: 220 km/h
0-100: 9,5 seconds
List price 2010: Linear 465, Vector 000
Turbo4 2,0T
Turbo – E85 biofuel – 6 speed manual
Horsepower: 220@5300 rpm
Torque: 350@2500 rpm
Top speed: 240 km/h
0-100: 7,9 seconds
List price 2010: Linear 579, Vector 000
2,8 T XWD Aut
Turbo - V6 petrol - 6-speed automatic
Horsepower: 300@5500 rpm
Torque: 400@2000 rpm
Top speed: 249 km/h
0-100: 6,9 seconds
List price 2010: 995
TiD4 2,0 D
Turbo - diesel - 6-speed manual
Horsepower: 160@4000 rpm
Torque: 350@1750 rpm
Top speed: 216 km/h
0-100: 9,9 seconds
List price 2010: Linear 465, Vector 000
TTiD4 2,0 D
Twin turbo – diesel – 6-speed manual
Horsepower: 190@4000 rpm
Torque: 400@1750 rpm
Top speed: 230 km/h
0-100: 8,8 seconds
List price 2010: Linear 539, Vector 000
Sources
Saab History 1947-2011
Svenska Saabklubben
Vibilagare.se "Tvärstopp för new Saab 9-5"
Skatteetaten.no "List price as new"
Autoevolution.com "Saab 9-5 2010-2012"
Saab 9-5 pictures
See
The Saab 9-4x is definitely not a GM rebadge. The only rebadge in this story is the SRX. Both the 9-4x and the SRX where developed by Saab engineers together with GM under the leadership of Peter Dörrich, who also developed the last Saab 9-5 Sportcombi 2012.