Saab in the news

Good News for Saab, >sales up 7.6% for May 2005 compared to May 2004. Bad news is sales are still down 6.7% on the year but a few more good months should turn that around and with sales of the 9-7X starting they year should finish out well.

Also is the news of the 2.8l all aluminum V6 for the ’06 9-3. This motor is based on the 3.5l V6 available in the Cadillac CTS, however it has been well massaged by the Saab engineers.

The new 9-3 Sportcombi for 2006 will also feature the 250hp 2.8l V6.
The Saab version differs from its larger Cadillac brother with stronger aluminum cylinder heads (with sodium-filled exhaust valves) than does the normally aspirated version, as well as piston-cooling oil squirters, forged crank and connecting rods, unique cam profiles, dual-skin exhaust manifolds and of course, it’s turbo charged as well. The Saab 2.8 delivers 250hp compared to the 260hp of the much larger 3.5 naturally aspirated version and it makes the 250 with a low 8.5lbs of boost.

The current 9-5 Aero makes 250hp in a 2.0l I4 but needs 15lbs of boost to get there. Also with only 8.5lbs of boost that leaves room to grow. Could a 300hp monster be in the offing?

To my Saabophile friends that have recoiled in horror to the idea of a Saab having a V6 I say, get over it. Saab loses sales every month precisely because they don’t have a V6 to offer in a segment full of V6’s. I the American market the top hp rating and the offering of a V6 help move the lower cars. Is the American market wrong to think that the 4 cylinder motor is for economy cars only? That’s completely moot. The fact is that the American market does and to ignore that is to risk oblivion, which is close at hand for Saab if sales don’t start to move up.

I guess I’m just not as big of a car snob as some people, which is saying something.