Where is the Saab 9-5?
Saab. Its a brand that comes with baggage; much like finding the house of your dreams, only its in a bad neighborhood and it has an insect problem. Baggage in this sense, means it requires a little more dedication and effort to overcome said baggage, but in the end, the reward is far greater than risk.
There is a stigma, for better or worse, that comes with owning a Saab. On one hand there is a social stigma of Saab owners- them being uptight intellectuals fiercely loyal to the brand (i.e. "Snaabs"), on the other hand there is the brand stigma that it is a dead brand- brought upon by the frequent change in corporate ownership in the past decade.
In the middle of the Saab circus, their star child has been waiting in the lost and found tent wondering if anybody will come back to find them. The second generation 2010 Saab 9-5 was released into the wild as the vehicle set to bring Saab back into the limelight, but it never quite made it. So where is the Saab 9-5?
Autoblog concluded that "After a belated birth following much disorder and chaos, the new 9-5 paints a promising future for Saab." Enthusiast website SaabsUnited.com, "This is by far the very best Saab ever produced. It leaves previous 9-5 and the current 9-3 far behind." And Left Lane News concluded that "if only Saab can find a few more buyers for what might be the best car that nobody’s noticing."
Have you seen the new Saab 9-5 in person? I see dozens of them everyday in our dealership parking lot, but rarely ever do I see one on the street. Judging by the great reviews and personal experience driving one, I can only conclude that the Saab 9-5 is lost in the circus of the unknown. Without a healthy parent supporting it, the 9-5 was left to wander aimlessly in the massive and ever growing line of mid-sized luxury vehicles like that of BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Acura, Volvo, and its former sister Cadillac.
Amid all the headlines guessing who is going to buy the company or if it will even survive, a great car is being chained to dealers' inventory even with heavy incentives. It has style, it has performance, it has key features, its has comfort, and it is relatively affordable. But what it does not have is a strong guardian to act as a foundation for potential customers, new and loyalists, to overcome the baggage and kick start sales.
Coming up on its 3rd model year in 2012, its a slow start, but not too late for the Saab 9-5. With recent news that Saab will survive under new ownership, its the best time to become a "Snaab."
The next several blog articles will be dedicated to the second generation Saab 9-5. Stay tuned for an in depth look at the car that will bring Saab back.
Saab Village of Norwood New Saab Inventory