Volvo and Saab

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 02/27/2015 at 00:26 • Filed to: Volvo, Saab, Sweden, China, Geely, NEVS

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I was reading this article right !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and thinking about Volvo as they have been (awesome, RWD) and how they are today (FWD, kind of boring but great all the same) and that in the future, if Geely gave them the means and the funding, how it would be interesting to have Volvo and the remains of Saab from NEVS under one family. Saab could be the 'performance' brand and Volvo could be the 'luxury' brand like VW and Audi, or they could compete in the same market like Hyundai and Kia. Anyway, just a thought since Geely is probably more interested in using Volvo for themselves to gain a market foothold but would you be behind it if Saab was relaunched as a branch of Volvo/Geely?

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bob and john > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 00:26

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....THAT WOULD BE AWESOME

ranwhenparked > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 00:31

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I kind of wonder if Saab and Volvo didn't miss a chance to amalgamate into a PSA-style company (VAB Volvo-Saab?)decades ago, when they were both financially stable but obviously in need of greater scale to survive long term. By the time Saab was really on the ropes, it was too late - they were basically untouchable.

Amoore100 > ranwhenparked 02/27/2015 at 00:38

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Exactly, but I think that at the time they were just too different to consider assimilation...Volvo was headed towards family and safety while Saab was headed for performance and safety...not so much of a problem on the second one, but the first one was definitely a dividing factor...

ranwhenparked > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 00:45

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That, and Saab saw better opportunities in linking up with GM, a larger and wealthier global automaker; while Volvo AB wasn't ready to think about off-loading its car business for another decade after that. By the time they were, Saab was no longer available as a merger partner, and, at any rate, Saab AB and Volvo AB both wanted out of the car business, not to just wind up 50-50 shareholders in a bigger car company.

Chef Keff Ramsey > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 00:46

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What is that ad. I guess I'm supposed to like the Saab more, 'cuz their name is on the bottom? Neither looks particularly better in that photo to me. I'm just... they both look bland. Honestly it looks like a Malibu and a Civic. One looks gaudy, big and bland and the other looks small, cheap and bland. Maybe I'm just not enough into the Swede/Euro design.

Amoore100 > Chef Keff Ramsey 02/27/2015 at 00:56

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Yeah, it's a matter of choice...the ad comes up if you Google 'Volvo and Saab', and being a Euro(Swede)-o-phile, both look awesome to me! It is true, though, that neither of those cars are or were particularly representative of the brand and its origins...out of curiosity, are you more of an American car or Asian car guy?

Viggen9er3 > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 02:47

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Love these Brands. I own a Saab 9-3 Aero, but am looking for a new car to replace my wifes rusty Mazda 3.

Volvo might be next one my list.

Amoore100 > Viggen9er3 02/27/2015 at 02:57

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Yep, gotta collect all of them Swedes! Your next option is Koenigsegg... Anyways, Volvo wagons are always awesome, especially if you get one with a Turbo...my dad has an '01 V70 T5 and though I believe that that year has been notorious for maintenance difficulties, his car is just past 200K miles after he bought it used at around 160K miles for only $4500...(he did have to do some work after he first bought it though, so more like around $6000 I would estimate...) As always, you have to be careful, but I think we got relatively lucky...

AMC/Renauledge > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 02:59

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This one's real and I like it better.

I don't think SAAB and Volvo would have made it work together. They were direct competitors. Sharing platforms and components might have helped both out. But I'm not sure they'd have been able to offer each other much more than that.

I miss SAAB, though. If they were still around, I wouldn't bat an eye at buying a used 9-3 convertible.

Amoore100 > AMC/Renauledge 02/27/2015 at 03:22

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Yeah, I still want to buy a Saab since I think that there are probably some technicians and service centers here in the Bay Area that specialize in them...also, what I mean by a merger is just like not really a 'could have been' but more of a 'should happen' since both are held by Chinese companies (although distant) and could perhaps benefit from a corporate merger, allowing Volvo to go upmarket a little and bringing Saab back to life with a Phoenix rising from the ashes... :)

Viggen9er3 > Amoore100 02/27/2015 at 03:22

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What we could use is a Volvo V60 Cross Country. That would pretty much fit all my needs and wants, but the problem is price. I have the money, I am not cheap, I love my fancy and rugged cars, but I just don't see the need to spend over 30 large on a car.

Amoore100 > Viggen9er3 02/27/2015 at 09:20

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You could get an earlier XC70, though those are a bit dull from any standpoint whatsoever...