The February "Where's My Saab?" photo has been posted. Can you guess where it was taken? Send your guess to photos [at] saabclub [dot] ca

Click here for more info and the high resolution version.

"Where's My Saab?" is back and the January photo has been posted. Can you guess where it was taken? Send your guess to photos [at] saabclub [dot] ca

Click here for more info and the high resolution version.

Dear Members,

It's been a difficult week for Saab enthusiasts in Canada and around the world. As Scott mentioned earlier this week, the recent events at Saab make the work of our club more relevant than ever.

As 2011 draws to a close we want to invite all members to send in photos and stories of anything related to Saab, for inclusion in our January newsletter. Without a full-time editor we are not able to publish as often as we would like to, but during the holidays we will be preparing a special edition which will celebrate Saab's proud history in Canada and in the lives of our members. We'll also be including an updated Discount List - one of the benefits of paid membership. This issue will be mailed out after our January meeting.

Please send your photos, stories and other contributions to the newsletter to editor [at] saabclub [dot] ca

We also want to wish our members a safe and happy holiday and we look forward to 2012.

Fred Hopper
Vice President, The Saab Club of Canada

Saab Club of Canada Members,

As most of you are probably already aware, Saab corporate yesterday announced that they have filed for bankruptcy. This is no longer protection from creditors, but rather full on closure.

While there has been no official statements yet from either the dealers in Canada or Saab Cars North America, it is very obvious that there will be an impact to them. Given that I haven't been around to see a car company go under like this before, I have no idea what is going to happen or what sort of issues this is going to cause for us Saab owners.

What I do know is that the Saab Club of Canada has never been more relevant than it is right now. Saab owners across Canada are going to need each other's support and help. I for one have over 215,000 miles on my 2005 9-5 Aero Sport Combi and I plan on driving it for many more years. To do this, I will need to be connected to the Saab community even more than I am right now. I think it is safe to say that most of us are in the same situation.

I encourage you to get the word out there that the Saab Club is not going anywhere and that we collectively, as one of the stronger "fan groups" will do what we can to help others out. Please, if you see someone with a Saab that you don't recognize, let them know about the club, let them know that we have ways to help them take care of their Saabs so they can get many more years of enjoyment from them.

And while I am not going to hold my breath on this, there is a very slim chance that this isn't the last we have heard from Saab.

Thanks,

Scott Hutchings
President, The Saab Club of Canada

Click here for more info and the high resolution version.

The February photo has been posted. Can you guess where it was taken? Click here for more info and the high resolution version.

These are challenging times for all Saab enthusiasts but we are confident that there is still a chance that our marque will survive. There is currently a global E-mail campaign underway to persuade GM to sell Saab instead of wind it down.

Steven Wade of saabsunited.com has articulated it perfectly:

"We have one chance only to put across our point of view as Saab owners and enthusiasts. Saab have a business plan, new vehicles and an efficient factory to produce them. They have a passionate base of supporters and the right cars to win new customers to the brand.

The time is now.

The email address for Ed Whitacre, the Chairman and CEO of GM is eewjr [at] gm [dot] com

If you care about the future of Saab then I invite you to write a brief, polite and passionate message to Mr Whitacre, outlining why you think Saab should be sold, rather than closed.

I can't emphasise this enough: make your message passionate, but polite. A passionate message that clearly states a point of view will be read and considered. An angry message will only find its way into the trash."

Subject: Saab
From: Scott Hutchings
Date: Sun, December 20, 2009 8:30 pm
To: Ed Whitacre

Sir, I write to you as a passionate Saab owner and as the President of one of the longer standing Saab clubs around the world.

“Passionate Saab Owner” - This was the phrase that Magnus Hansson had printed on shirts used by myself and my club members when representing Saab at the Toronto International Auto Show when he was the head of Saab Canada. Our goal at the show was to simply to talk to people about Saab. We weren’t trying to sell them a Saab, but we were trying to sell them on Saab.
Saab to us is not just a car, not just an appliance to get you from point A to point B and back again.
A Saab is about making a choice.
A choice for something different, something better.
We attempted (and succeeded in many cases) to get this message across to them.

I drive a Saab first and foremost because it is one of, if not the, safest car on the road today.
I also drive a Saab because it is fun to drive, but at the same time, one of the more economical cars out there.
Saab uses a phrase; “Responsible performance”.
That just about sums it up for me.
Saab has never been about extremes. They take the concept of an average car and make it better.
Saabs are safer, more fun to drive, more ergonomically sound, much more fuel efficient than their competitors, and they make the best seats in the industry.

Saab is also a company with a vision driven by passion.
They have always been at the forefront of technology and innovation and I have confidence, given the opportunity, they could be there again in no time.
There is talk of over production in the automotive industry. There is additional talk that because of that, Saab should be left to die.
But I ask you, without Saab, would the automotive world be the same as it is today?
Would we have headlight washing systems to ensure that we can see where we are going? Would cars today have ABS systems as advanced? Would BMW, one of the premiere auto makers, be pushing turbo charging technology? Would we have heated seats? Would we have cabin air filters? Would we have active read restraints to help prevent neck injuries? Would we have ventilated seats?
Today Saab has the most advanced AWD system on the road in the XWD. Saab has the safest complete line up of cars of any manufacturer. One of Saabs safest vehicles today is the 9-5, a car that started its life more than 12 years ago … and yet is still able to lead the industry in safety. Saab has one on the Top 10 engines in the world available in the 9-3 Aero.
The list goes on.
Saab has made a significant mark on the automotive industry even with the few vehicles they sell every year.

I would ask you to look at the recent history of Saab.
During this last calendar year, Saab has spent most of it fighting for their life.
Yet during this, they have been able to bring the latest Saab, the 2010 9-5, to the verge of hitting the street.
This is a Saab that has already done more than any other Saab ever … it has won the praise of the automotive press around the world.
The management team in Sweden has also managed to trim the company down significantly.
All while trying their damndest to save the company they love so much.

Given all of this, plus a customer and fan loyalty second to none in the automotive industry, strike that … second to none in any industry, I ask you, can their not be a better end to the GM / Saab relationship than for Saab to close up shop?
The world has lost some really good companies recently.
With the interest that exists in Saab, you have an opportunity in front of you to save one of them.

As opposed to closing the brand and putting additional financial burden on General Motors (not to mention the US and Canadian tax payers), I implore you to go that extra mile and find a way, any way, to work out a deal to sell Saab to someone willing to help them get back on their feet and back to a leadership position among the automotive elite.

Thanks,
Scott Hutchings
President, The Saab Club of Canada

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by Scott Hutchings, President
June 2008

First of all, I would like to acknowledge the people that made this day possible. Since I know I have a good chance in missing someone (and I don’t want to do that), I will talk about the groups of people as opposed to the individuals (with the exception of our Chair who deserves to be singled out).

The committee, led by our new Enhanced Driving School Chair, Fred Hopper, put everything together in such a way that we pulled it off without huge amounts of individual effort. This team met via conference call weekly and ironed out all of the details we needed to ensure a successful event. Fred’s project management skills made sure that we didn’t loose track of any detail, regardless of how small. They also made sure that each individual of the committee was accountable for their tasks and completing them in a timely fashion.
The entire committee worked together like a well oil machine … well, like a Saab in its prime. Communication was forthcoming and timely.

The second group of people were the driving instructors. Again, this group of very professional amateurs taught our students, made up mostly of novices, what we hoped they would. They are all very personable folks and each of our students seemed to enjoy working with the instructors throughout the day.
Again, without each one of them taking their time to help us out, we would not be able to run our schools nor would we be able to achieve the high level of instruction our club has been known for throughout the 20 years we have been running them.

The last group, and some could say the most important, is the volunteers who help us on the day of the event. These people help us set up, take down, greet, register, and direct the students and instructors throughout the day. Their understanding of how our schools run and the jobs that need to be completed is unparallel.

We need each of these groups to make our schools happen and we could not do it without each and every single person working towards the same goal. The fact that we also go out there and have fun with each other and the students is a side benefit that can’t be over looked.

Every single person who helped out that day has my personal gratitude!

So, how about the day itself?
The morning started as cool and windy … OK … it was downright COLD! It did warm up as the day went on … but one topic we are not going to talk about is the sunburn that a certain individual got that day. ;-)

Registration went fairly smoothly as most of the students and instructors arrived early.
We started out with a total of 16 students, 12 novices and 4 intermediate/advanced.

We started the day with all of the students on the track participating in exercises. From there we split them into 2 groups and they alternated between sitting in the classroom learning the cerebral side of driving to spending a lot of time on the track (with instructors in the cars) putting what they learned into practice. This gave everyone a lot of seat time … more than normal as we only had 2 groups. At the end of the day, I don’t think there was a single person who wasn’t just a little tired.

Every single student enjoyed an increased level of ability when the day was over which of course is our number 2 goal of the Enhanced Driving School (#1 being to have fun!).

One of the benefits of the SOCCI EDS is that you drive your own car … you get to learn your ability in the vehicle you drive every day … or if you choose to bring a different vehicle, you are more than welcome to. The real point is that we don’t put you into a car that you are never going to see again.
Case in point was a student who brought his weekend car … and had no problem with his instructor taking the car out with other students, instructors, or helpers along for the ride so they could all experience a once in a life time ride. My thanks to Mario for being the type of guy who can own a car like this and not only realizes that other people will drool over it, but allows them to live out, what in some cases, can only be called a dream. I hope he had enough fun and got enough out of the day that he will be back in October (especially because I didn’t get a ride ;-) ).

I hope to see you all there in October.

Scott