Video: Saab’s Dubious Independence Day, 23 February 2010
Fast Tube by Casper
Its a bit premature to call Saab independent. Sure, the company is now its own business entity under the ownership of Spyker and other shareholders. And yes, the cloud of being GM’s most-neglected division is gone. Indeed, it has the freedom to do what it wants without worrying about stepping on the toes of Cadillac, Saturn, or Chevrolet.
But no, Saab is not independent. Leaving mom and dad behind at the age of 64 (Saab auto division founded 1947, owned by GM from 1990-2010) is hardly a declaration of autonomy.
The new 9-5 sedan and wagon are built on GM’s Epsilon II global architecture, shared with the Buick Lacrosse and the upcoming Cadillac XTS. The new 9-4x crossover is built on GM’s Theta platform, shared with the Cadillac SRX, GMC Terrain, and Chevy Equinox. The 9-3 has been an Epsilon car since 2003.
With Saab’s Triumph-derived Ecopower turbo-4 relegated to the history books (except for a Chinese manufacturer that bought the rights), the company has relied on General Motors for its engines. GM’s 2.8L Turbo V6 and 2.0L Turbo Ecotec have powered Saab’s lineup for years. Saabs are equipped with GM sound systems too, and in the 9-3 you’ll see the familiar GM factory radio.
Because of all this shared technology, Saab is now GM’s largest single customer. Every one of the 80,000 or so Saabs sold over the past year sends a bag of change back to Detroit.
Saab’s next largest partnership is with BMW, providing Saab with BMW’s four-cylinder engine for use in the next generation 9-3 and the new 9-2. The companies are negotiating a sharing agreement of Mini’s front-wheel drive platform for use in a future Saab.
Saab’s questionable future will depend heavily on its ability to leverage partnerships to compensate for a lack of scale.
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