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Mr. Lienert,
Interesting article. My first two cars were Volvos, a hand-me-down 240 wagon in high school and a new 240 sedan bought upon college graduation in 1993. Great, massive cars, though seriously outdated in their features compared to today’s cars; Hence, partly at least, the need for the current changes in Volvo’s features and styling. Renting Volvo S60s at Hertz now makes me wonder if this was such a smart move either though. The new Volvo’s are bland driving experiences, with almost exclusively bad interiors by today’s standards, not at all that different in both respects than a good Ford, with styling that you may think is pure Scandinavian but that anyone in the Design & Interior Design worlds will quickly point out is more Italian-redux than modern Scando. You need to be clear on that.
Of course, the inevitable next thing I will tell you is that I currently own a Saab, in fact a 2002 Saab 9-5. The newer Saab 9-3SS, like the 9-5, may be understated styling, but, in fact, this perceived understatement is part and parcel to the functionality that qualifies it as Scandinavian design. In fact, it is much more minimalist and as such clever in its design than the Buicks or Saturns to which you rather offhandedly compare it. Think of the new 9-3SS as the step up for all of those wonderfully simply styled VW Jettas, and even the lower-end Passats. Saab saw Jetta and Passat entering its Scando design terrain (ie, the simple, swooping half circle arc that marks a Saab) and responds with styling as ‘IKEA’ as we’ve ever seen. The result is the 9-3SS. The 9-2 and 9-7, though hampered by their ‘sharedness’, seem to keep one thing very clear: The styling, almost more than anything else, will be Scando, will be Saab. Saab concept drawings for these are on the mark with current 9-3SS and 9-5 models.
You are right to bring up the issue, though, about whether both brands can survive. Ford is in such bad shape, even its turnaround is at best simply a stalling of its incredible debt, and although GM is supposedly still in cash reserves this, no doubt, will not last if experience about GM tells us anything. Still, the US will not let its two major motor companies fail. All that said, to me, if I had to bet today Volvo looks much the weaker since its products no longer can stand out only on safety—everyone gets five-star ratings these days. And, the nail in the coffin, Ford has no ability to save Volvo if Volvo were ever to get to Saab’s previously horrible sales levels, something that may be sooner than we think with some recently nagging quality issues. Saab, on the other hand, simply needs to reach its more modest sales goals, which it obviously will with the new product offerings—check out the stunning new 9-3SS wagon photos, for example--, and then maintain these levels with consistency and quality; quality, too, you forgot to mention is now the top rated among European lux models sold in the US. If Saab does this, even breaking even only, GM is not going to give up its one Euro prestige brand, as it shines well on Saturn, Cadillac, & massive selling Pontiac.
Jon
8/20/2003
posted by 12.100.24...
, Wed, 20 Aug 2003 10:01:35
, Wed, 20 Aug 2003 04:57:37
, Tue, 19 Aug 2003 13:38:10
, Tue, 19 Aug 2003 16:04:40
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