- Production of showroom-ready 2012 Saab 9-4Xs began last week in Mexico, as scheduled.
- The 2012 9-4X is earmarked to be in U.S. Saab showrooms sometime next month.
- The 9-4X's starting price is $33,380 (plus $825 destination) for a front-drive model using the base, GM-supplied 265-horsepower 3.0-liter V6.
DETROIT — The financial trials of Saab Automobile AB have shut down production in Trollhattan, Sweden, the company's sole assembly plant, for six weeks, but there still is a place where Saabs are being built: Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
The General Motor's assembly plant there is contract-building Saab's all-new 9-4X midsize crossover, which shares its underpinnings and most of its powertrain components with GM's Cadillac SRX luxury crossover. And a Saab spokesperson told Inside Line today that the ongoing financial maelstrom that led suppliers to suspend parts deliveries to Saab's assembly plant in Sweden did not shut down assembly of the 2012 9-4X at the GM plant in Mexico. GM wouldn't comment on the situation, but Saab's spokesperson confirmed that production of showroom-ready 9-4Xs at the Ramos Arizpe plant began last week, as scheduled.
The 2012 9-4X is earmarked to be in U.S. Saab showrooms sometime next month, the company said at a media event last week. The 9-4X's starting price is $33,380 (plus $825 destination) for a front-drive model using the base, GM-supplied 265-horsepower 3.0-liter V6. The top-of-the-line 9-4X, the all-wheel-drive Aero powered by a 300-hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 (similarly supplied by GM and recently suspended for use in the Cadillac SRX), starts at $48,010 plus destination.
The current prices are about $1,000 less than Cadillac's SRX, suggesting that for now, Saab may be accepting a lower margin. The company expects the mix to be 60 percent dominated by the midlevel 3.0-liter Premium — available in front- ($37,250 plus destination) or all-wheel drive ($40,245 plus destination) — with 25 percent of production going to the base model and 15 percent to the highline Aero. There are just three option packages and a handful of stand-alone options, including a trailer-towing package and a panoramic moonroof.
Inside Line says: GM apparently didn't let Saab's low bank balance get in the way of its contract to build Saabs in Mexico, but the deal benefits GM, too. — Bill Visnic, Senior Editor, Edmunds AutoObserver.com
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tbone85 says:
12:10 PM, 05/23/2011
"@tBone85; Lets see, according to your automotive sales info, Porsche wouldn't be in business today if it weren't for its Cayenne... That's odd, seems like Porsche does well with its other four vehicle lines, you might of heard about the 911, its the opposite of a box on wheels with high performance to boot."
You might try to not make things up. I didn't say Porsche wouldn't be in business nor did I supply any sales figures. However, it's a safe bet that the most profitable vehicle in Porsche history helped them to hold on to their independence for as long as they did. Porsche added customers who would never have bought a 911 or Boxter/Cayman. In fact, they'd still be independent with their current lineup had hubris and family disputes not overtaken common sense.
Do I wish they'd added a $30k alternative to the Miata or a $35k alternative to the GTI instead? Sure, but those possibilities while pleasing to my sensibilities make far less business sense than the direction they took instead.
You hate SUVs and crossovers. Fine, it's your choice. The good news is that other people have other needs and make their own choices no matter how much you foam at the mouth. If you hate this class of vehicles so much, then why raise your blood pressure by reading the stories and commenting?
dgmail says:
03:20 AM, 05/23/2011
Probabaly the only SAAB I would consider.
smilez says:
06:52 PM, 05/22/2011
Got me there. Another astounding and fact based argument by you.
openeyes1 says:
06:42 PM, 05/22/2011
@smilez; Spoken like a true SUV owner, well done!
smilez says:
09:00 AM, 05/22/2011
Openeyes. We STILL get it, SUV's will destroy us all, there shouldn't be any, and anyone who has one has it for all the wrong reasons. How many times can you piss and moan?
Did tbone85 say that they wouldn't be in business if it weren't for the Cayenne? Could you please show me the quote? If you ever fact checked instead of just trolling for SUV posts to politic, you'd see that the Cayenne has allowed Porsche to do a lot of things and is by far their biggest moneymaker.
"On the safety side, when it comes to the majority of those who drive these vehicles, and the way they drive them, car drivers are now more than ever at a greater risk from them."
Seriously? Just incredible.
I'm going to have my coffee now.
openeyes1 says:
06:30 PM, 05/21/2011
@tBone85; Lets see, according to your automotive sales info, Porsche wouldn't be in business today if it weren't for its Cayenne... That's odd, seems like Porsche does well with its other four vehicle lines, you might of heard about the 911, its the opposite of a box on wheels with high performance to boot.
@huyracing; Yes, your right they are money makers, that's why auto companies dumped so many of these loaded vehicles on the marketplace, to make a quick any easy buck. Now gas is at $4.00/gallon and their owners are getting pinched at the pump. On the safety side, when it comes to the majority of those who drive these vehicles, and the way they drive them, car drivers are now more than ever at a greater risk from them.
huyracing says:
03:03 PM, 05/21/2011
this car is doing well with magazines, so its definitely not a bad thing to have... and despite what you all may think of SUV's, they are the money makers. Because of SUV's, Porsche even had big dreams of taking over VW for a while... that is until the economy tanked.
colorado1974 says:
02:06 PM, 05/21/2011
I think this will go over as well as the Saabaru 9-2 and the Saab Trailblazer 9-7. Maybe they can have a Saab Titan truck too?
noobnox says:
08:10 AM, 05/21/2011
As an owner of a 2010 Equinox, I can tell you guys that an Equinox based Saab wouldn't be a bad thing. Of course as someone already mentioned, the Nox/Terrain are on the Theta platform while the Saab shares the "Theta premium" with the Caddy SRX. The days of imports being better than domestics by default are over..
typography says:
06:44 AM, 05/21/2011
Regardless of how good or bad it may be, I think it's beautiful vehicle. I'm not a fan of SUVs / Crossovers, but I wouldn't mind being seen in this one.