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Voicing your opinion here is not a bad place to start... you can be certain somebody from Saab is reading this board (or if not, management is completely out of touch, and is doomed)...
To some degree, I agree with what you're saying. The materials are cheaper feeling + some ergonomic ideologies of old have been lost (though many have been maintained when you compare to other cars). I don't need (or like) metal trim around everything, or a super aggressive stance with poorer visibility. Otoh, the mechanical reliability seems to be improving... Technological advances are improving the economy, reliability, and safety vs the older cars... that said, the difference in innovation between Saab + the masses seems to be decreasing (eg the difference between a 9-3 and a Honda Civic today is seemingly less than it was between a c900 and a Civic in 1988)...
I'm not convinced it's a problem unique to Saab - it's a matter of competition and globalization... it is a business after all and the Asian competitors are becoming very strong... I know at least one person who has owned numerous (top end) Mercedes cars and is now looking at Saabs because Mercedes quality keeps going downhill (he can pretty much afford whatever car he likes)...
Saab sales are already so low, raising prices substantially is not likely to help even if quality went up proportionately... although sounds like the new 9-5 is going this route to some extent! depending on how expensive, it may have to be a real BMW killer to be profitable...
I hope the new 9-5 will offer some good new engineering innovation (particularly on the environment/efficiency/performance front), and I hope there is a good connection to older Saabs... would really be cool to go back to a wraparound windshield, and some of the other trademark Saab-isms (clamshell hood, etc), while getting rid of some of the cliches that have worked their way in from the masses... might happen? we'll see...
James...
posted by 69.63.52...
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