New owner wants to take Saab back to its roots; sees US sales doubling in 2010 with new 9-5

New owner expects US Saab sales to double in 2010

NEW YORK — The new owner of Saab has a two-pronged strategy to boost its ailing sales: assure customers that the company is here to stay, and return the Swedish car brand to its roots as a maker of offbeat luxury cars.

Victor Muller, CEO of the Dutch sports car company Spyker Cars NV, rescued Saab from demise by buying it from General Motors Co. earlier this year. Now the brand has a product plan and sales goals that he hopes will enable it to turn a profit by 2012.

“We don’t need any new customers. We only need our old customers back,” Muller said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday. “Saab is OK and well-funded and will last as an independent car manufacturer.”

Over the years, the Swedish brand had attracted a small but devoted following in the U.S. and elsewhere, where enthusiasts took to its quirky design, sporty ride and technological sophistication. The company was a pioneer in using turbocharged engines. It was also the first carmaker to offer heated seats.

But many Saab fans complained that GM, during its 10-year ownership, diluted the Swedish brand by simply putting new Saabs on Opel — GM’s European company — and other GM platforms and stripping the cars of their uniqueness.

Now Muller expects Saab sales in the U.S. to double to around 16,000 this year, as the company benefits from the stability of a new owner and the introduction of the new 9-5 sedan later this summer.

Customers and dealers also have access to loans through a new Saab lender, Ally Financial Inc. The lack of a lender last year was a big barrier to sales.

But even if Saab doubles sales in 2010, that is well below the peak of 41,000 sold in 2001. Longer term, sales should climb back to between 30,000 and 35,000 per year in the U.S., Muller said. The last time Americans bought that many Saabs was 2007.

Muller also has the long-term goal of taking Saab back to its roots. That, he said, will help the brand win back the customers lost over the years to rivals such as Audi, BMW and Mini.

He said the company is spending about 150 million euros ($186 million) globally to market the brand this year. That figure is likely to remain constant the next two years as new products come to market.

“We are convinced the customer will flock back to us over time because we will provide him with true Saabs, Saab Saabs,” Muller said.

Spyker bought Saab, headquartered in Trollhattan, Sweden, from GM for $74 million in cash plus $326 million worth of preferred shares in Saab. GM had been trying to sell the money-losing brand as part of its turnaround plan. Saab sold just 39,000 cars globally last year, down from 94,000 a year earlier.

Although the 9-5, which goes on sale in the U.S. this summer, was designed by GM, Saab is working on new models that will be solely designed by Spyker and Saab designers.

Last week, Saab announced it hired Jason Castriota, a former designer of Italian sports cars, as its new design director.

Next year, Saab will release the 9-4X SUV. That vehicle is based on an Opel platform, but most of the car parts will be distinct to Saab, Muller said.

One highly anticipated model is the 92 minicar, a Saab sports car that first went on sale in the 1950s and boasted a teardrop silhouette that became the brand’s signature look.

Muller hopes to have a redesigned 92 on sale by 2013 with hybrid and even all-electric capabilities, as long as he finds a technology-sharing partner to help bear the costs of bringing the new car to market.

In the meantime, Muller has been working on the initial sketches for the new 92 himself. Although he declined to provide the sketch for publication, he showed an AP reporter a recent rendering on his cell phone. Like the old 92, the two-door car resembles a teardrop and has front-facing suicide doors.

“If we manage to put that car on the road, it’s going to be a blast,” he said.