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The new Saab 9-5

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I had no idea the car would never be produced when I took these pictures at the Los Angeles Auto show.
Turns out it would be the car’s last public appearance.

What should happen to it. Could it leave somewhere else?
It would be tough to turn it into a Chevy or Buick. No room for it in either line up, plus. After all these years of rather boring models, this one DOES look like a Saab.
A larger Opel maybe?
Or sell the tooling for it to the Chinese too.

In person, the car looks beautiful and very impressive, it is such a shame.

What do you think should happen to it ?

Conversation 14 comments

  1. It should go on a plinth at GM headquarters under a banner, "Lest we forget" and every GM manager should have to spend his first 2 minutes every morning with his head bowed in silence as he prays for forgiveness.

  2. UGH. This is seriously annoying because I was ready to give that new 9-5 a try next year when I was going to be out looking to buy a new car.

    I agree with ya, Vince… it wouldn't look right/fit in with any other brand.

    I wish they'd maybe just make a few thousand of these as a commemorative model or SOMETHING. I can't believe GM was so desperate to get rid of Saab that they're willing to piss away all this money used to create this gorgeous car.

  4. I do not think that GM would want to sell the new Epsilon 2 platform based 9-5 to a Chinese company. This car will more than likely never be produced. What a shame I think it looks great & might have done well if given a chance. Maybe it will become a larger Opel/Vauxhaul or Holden. I don't see how this car would fit in with as a Chevrolet/Cadillac or Buick. Only GM knows the true future of this car & the 9-4X. Hopefully they can find someway to produce it. The 9-4x would be a great addition to the Buick line up. They need a smaller CUV than the Enclave but it would probably compete with the SRX for sales.

  5. If the number of people crying about poor Saab actually put their money where their mouths are, Saab wouldn't be in the position that it was in.

    "I'd buy it".

    "It's on my short list".

    I don't believe that for a second. You'd buy something else because it's the only sane thing to do.

    "UGH. This is seriously annoying because I was ready to give that new 9-5 a try next year when I was going to be out looking to buy a new car."

    Too bad, because if you did purchase one your purchase would have shown up as a significant percentage of Saabs monthly sales. That's how sucky the company was doing.

  6. I remember the end of last year there were still "new" 2008 models on a dealer's lot here in Oklahoma City. Very sad.

  7. It's just too sad. Again, after the death of Rover, a brand dies when it is better than ever before. And again it is a unique brand. My salutes for Saab. We will all miss ya.

  8. What should GM do with the defucnt Saab's newest models?

    I have a GREAT idea……..see, let's put a Subaru snout on the new 9-5 and call it something that sounds like a Subaru model. I mean, when GM slapped a Saab snout on a Subaru Impreza and tried to sell it as a Saab 9-2, the result was just soooooo successful, right?

    GM is hopeless.

  9. They should produce it in Brazil as a "Chevrolet Omega" or something and sell them there as the top of the line Chevy, or hell create its own name plate and call it the "Brasileira" or something, to denote its local importance. Then they could also sell this same model in the Middle east. It also might be a good idea to just rebadge it as a Buick and sell it in China, no doubt it would sell and they would get some return on it. It's too good of a car to waste.

    As far as the 9-4 goes, rebadge it as a Buick and slot it below the Enclave, they can sell it in the US and China, who knows maybe even Opel wants it they could have a "Touareg fighter".

  10. I'd buy that car in a heartbeat if I could. I hope some other entity figures out a way to resurrect this brand. I'm sorry but losing a company like Pontiac doesn't even compare to the lineage and history of the Saab marque. This company helped revolutionize the automobile in ways we now take for granted. Sure, all Euro cars are overpriced because of currency rates, but this company deserves to have another go now that they finally have some new models. I can't imagine GM screwing this situation up any worse than they did, from the time of their acquisition of Saab to now.

    They should be ASHAMED. Nice of them to do it the week before Christmas too, real classy GM.

  11. This car is BEAUTIFUL and I hate SAABS. The only way I wouldnt mind seeing Saab go, is if GM did a huge move and brought Opel over here

  12. Typical GM.

    After all that R&D, design dollars, quality assurance, tooling and other expenses, GM trashes the design.

    Fuck GM. This is going to end up costing US money, as in the taxpayers.

  13. What a shame. I saw the new 9-5 at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show and thought it look fantastic in person. A very clean and elegant design that felt very Saab.

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