Soft-roader will be crucial for Saab Down Under

SAAB Automobile Australia officials say four-wheel drive will play an integral role in helping the local arm of General Motors' prestige brand do its part to increase Saab sales worldwide from a current 140,000 to more than 200,000 annually.

In fact, some SAA executives believe the all-wheel drive 9-3X crossover has the potential to comprise about 40 per cent of total 9-3 volumes.

"Four-wheel drive is a point of difference and for an ultimate performance car I think it's seen as a key requirement, but in the volume areas I don't think it's a key requirement," SAA managing director Tony Jennett told GoAuto at the new 9-3's recent launch in Stockholm, Sweden.

"But if you're looking at the crossover wagon segment, clearly a regular height, regularly configured two-wheel drive wagon simply doesn't cut the mustard any more - four-wheel drive's critical.

"Obviously this car (the 9-3) is going to pitch us into the biggest segment.

The segment that is growing the quickest and either now or very shortly will represent the second largest segment in the prestige market is the crossover 4x4 segment.

"So it's going to be very exciting to have a competitor in that segment given today we don't."Mr Jennett played down the sales potential of other all-wheel drive 9-3s.

"I don't know that a four-wheel drive version of the sedan exists, but if it did, price-wise it's going to have to be at the top end of the scale," he said.

"Clearly a four-wheel drive platform is going to exist with the crossover car, so if the car was made then yes it would be a certainty for Australia, but there's no guarantee it will follow."SAA national marketing manager Ray Webb was more upbeat about the 9-3X's sales potential, saying the new 9-3-based off-roader could comprise a massive 40 per cent of all 9-3 sales after it goes on sale here around 2005.

"I think we should be able to hold at least 30 per cent with a soft-roader based on the 9-3. I think you could even see it being up to 40 per cent of your volume," he said.

"There are certain categories we're not competing in and some of them are the growth segments, so that's really restricting our volumes.

"You look at the growth areas and we're just missing out - until we get the product in there there's nothing we can do about it."Mr Webb confirmed a new 9-3 convertible would be the first cab off the 9-3 sedan rank, by around September, 2003.

"The current convertible just continues to sell - we haven't had to work that hard. It's very advertising sensitive: as soon as we do some marketing on the car it just takes off," he said.

"So it's been a remarkably successful car for us and the new one will continue that. We'd be looking at a September, 2003, launch."The new 9-3 convertible will be followed by a new 9-3 wagon in 2004, before the 9-3X crossover appears in 2005 - the same year an all-new 9-5 sedan is due. Four-wheel drive derivatives of existing 9-3 variants should then follow, along with a coupe version of the 9-3.

The new 9-3 sedan is the first Saab to be developed under GM control and will play a vital role in Saab's comeback plans.

But Mr Jennett was keen to point out that much of the sales growth would come from under-represented markets outside Australia.

"As a company globally there are clearly parts of the world where Saab is just way under represented," he said.

"Japan is a seven million-unit market and I think will do 1200 units this year.

Now for the company to grow and prosper - and these things are all in train - the company clearly needs to have a strong and established presence in all markets.

"Sales have been under-represented in Germany, for example, for many years and they're going through rapid change right now. They'll probably hit 10-12,000 - when they probably sold 2000 three or four years ago.

"So a lot of the growth will come out of areas where Saab is under-represented, but I think outside of Sweden we're the strongest market share performers for Saab of any country in the world.

"We're the closest to Volvo and, if you only look at the passenger segment (not including Cross-Country), we actually outsell them.

"So in a relative terms we're tracking okay and we've come up about 20 per cent in the last couple of years at a time when we've had no new product."What's coming from Saab:
2003: 9-3 convertible
2004: 9-3 wagon
2005: 9-3X crossover,new 9-5
2006: 9X coupe, 4WD sedan