A look into the future
The vision of a future for our brand is present in the minds, and not only among the readers on saabblog.net. How to see the Saab future depends on the point of view. There have been interesting contributions to this topic in the last few days.
On SU, the backwards-facing variant is preferred. Saab AB would like to reintegrate the former automobile division, Saab should also be Swedish in the future. Turning back the wheel of history, a national reverie, far from reality ... Sweden's small population with its manageable car market had problems with feeding its manufacturers decades ago. Financing problems, production downtime, these were all topics of the Saab Scania era, even back then. The clock has meanwhile continued to turn, the world has grown together. Scania, a manufacturer with recognized high quality products, is now part of the VW Group. Also for the reasons mentioned above.
Much more interesting, not an automotive revanchism, but focused on the future was an article on the TTELA. Robin Sukhia from the Swedish-Indian Business Council talks about Mahindra and praises the company and its owners to the highest standards. Responsibly led, committed to sustainability, with interesting products. And in India, the NEVS Mahindra Saab story is quite a big topic. Positive for NEVS, for Trollhättan, for Sweden.
There is a relatively new and innovative product at Mahindra that we should definitely look at. The Mahindra Reva transports the future into mobility, is a solution for metropolitan regions. If we forget Tesla for a moment with elite products at a competitive price, let's talk Reva! The EV from India has intelligent ideas on board that could come from Saab. Instead of a battery sports car, Mahindra builds a smart city car ...
120 kilometers of range are more than enough if you want to be in the bustle of the big city. Or? The Mahindra Reva is short 3.2 meter, has a small turning circle, is only 820 kilograms light and 81 Km / h fast. For the premium version with lithium-ion batteries, cheap 8.000,00 €, promises Mahindra 120 kilometers or more than action radius. That fits !
If you want to discover a renouncement car behind the low price, you will be disappointed. Automatic transmission, reversing camera, keyless start-stop, recuperation, everything! Mahindra has given some thought and put a smart product on the four wheels. With an app, the Reva cools the interior, yes the Tesla can do that too, and the Mahindra EV can be closed and opened via app from any location.
Another clever idea takes the stress of stranding somewhere with the reva and empty tank, um battery. A reserve function is activated via the app, the Reva has an additional 7 mileage range and is routed via smartphone to the next charging station.
Mahindra stands for sustainability, the owners are said to have green thinking and responsibility for the future. At the Reva, the Indians provide proof. The futuristic Mahindra factory is the first and so far only production facility that has been certified by the Indian Green Building Council. Half of the energy used in production comes from green sources, and every vehicle that leaves the factory is charged with solar energy.
The clever Mahindra Reva is charged with solar power at Sun2Car charging stations with green energy within 10 hours. Or, while enjoying a coffee or tea, it can be brought to 2 percent within an hour on a Quick100Charge column. The third option is charging at the usual socket for 5 hours.
Saab is the company that made the turbo suitable for everyday use. Saab is turbo avant-garde. When the brand comes back under Indian owners, the brand essence, the actual capital, will be cultivated. And add another chapter to the Saab story. Which could be green, innovative, electric.
National, retrospective reveries, or an international future? The question should not actually be asked in cosmopolitan Sweden. Mahindra has the opportunity to combine the best of two cultures. Swedish design, Indian software. And a green factory at Göta Älv. Hydropower, a gift of nature, Sweden has to offer in abundance.
The concept is certainly future-oriented 🙂 and therefore deserves support. You can be divided about the design ;-) ... I would welcome more SAAB 🙂 and competitors on the e-market are increasing the selection! The price is definitely “hot”. It will show what value is there for this price!
If, I would decide Z. Zt. For the eSmart.
Here in Bangalore I just saw two Revas on the way home from the customer, in kind also very attractive ...
Reva is an own company that was recently taken over by Mahindra, say my Indian colleagues, and in terms of range, the part has the same limitations as all other electric cars. Actually, the range “problem” only exists in the head because it is enough for city operations….
So run Reva run and good luck!
All the best from India, Werner
Have recently driven the Tesla S: This is an amazingly mature vehicle, practically newly developed from scratch. So it works, if you know where you want to go. Again, the fun is not too short, the vehicle is tired of performance, practically from scratch.
The variable costs are so low that in the calculation of full costs, despite the high purchase price only slightly above my 9-5 Aero lying costs / km come out. However, the seats are nowhere near the SAAB.
That would have been a niche for SAAB …… .started with the size of the 9-5 and 9-3 and then on with smaller vehicles …… ..
With that we would have been back for years, would, would. SAAB deserves a world champion title for many years on the market and the customer needs over produce.
The Tesla S I find one of the sharpest boxes on the market, as far as the design and the interior is concerned. Only with the costs I do not agree. If I drive the Tesla like my Saab (and why I should not, otherwise it does not make sense) I would have to reload 630 on one of my standard routes (2 km). I would come to electricity costs of about 50 Euro. A tank of diesel is about 90 Euro (ok, currently a little lower). That is not so much less. Free-to-use superchargers could mitigate that, but how long is the service really free? Since enormous amounts of electricity are consumed.
Oh, and I can not pull a horse trailer with it.
In my test with the Tesla S, I could have driven> 400 km on one charge in real terms. The consumption was approx. 22 kWh / 100 km. Converted with 0.2 / kWh, I get electricity costs of 4.40 / 100 km - if I charge at home. My SAAB needs 8 x 1.4 = 11.20 / 100 km. A short while ago it was 8 x 1.90 = 15.20.
As a long-distance driver, Tesla is currently failing for me because I regularly drive> 500 km under time pressure and sometimes have weekly work schedules of 2000 km. The SAAB is currently still the best I know for long distances. With the 9-5 Aero I do 1000 km in a row.
The electricity at the superchargers should be free of charge for life. What also gives, is the maintenance flat-rate with 1850 for 3 years. All exclusive tires are included. The reason lies in the simple drive system of the Tesla. There is another saving compared to a more complex gasoline or diesel in it. On the batteries there is a guarantee for 8 years.
Yes, there is no trailer hitch for the Tesla. The Tesla is not perfect - seats, headrests, the seat depth of the rear bench and the clunky design of the dashboard could use some fine-tuning. It's still fun. And it makes the current gasoline and diesel eateries of the competition look like dinosaurs from another time.
An astonishingly high degree of maturity for a newly developed vehicle. I would have preferred something like this from SAAB ...... would have been .....
Meanwhile, there is a red Tesla in the neighborhood, so the things are also in the province to find. Tesla offers a lease that should be comparable to a well-equipped 5er BMW.
The workmanship has improved, probably because Tesla has it assembled in the Netherlands. But from a 9-5 NG and also the comfort of a 9-5 OG, they are far away, especially in terms of seating comfort.
Incidentally, the Tesla is only moved in the immediate vicinity, as the range at fast speed melts with the snow in the summer. For longer tours of Zuffenhausner is still taken.
By the way, the company in Zuffenhausen assumes that in the next few years 4-500 kilometers at a stretch and moving quickly will no longer be a problem for an EV and will bring a purely electric sedan below the Panamera as a Tesla killer.
400 km? Not with me, I'm a pig. I once had a discussion on Facebook, where I sat down and rumgerechnet. At 200 km / h there is still a range of 170 km or so. That was surprising, because more than I had thought. But not enough.
The batteries have to get better. Unfortunately, many of the new electrochemistry concepts that have come into the media during the euphoric phase of 2008 have not yet manifested themselves. A tenfold increase in energy density seems possible, but that still requires a lot of development and research. But our government prefers to promote research on the environmentally friendly disposal of batteries.
Incidentally, I would not write off hydrogen-fueled fuel cells either. They have some advantages, such as just a tank for proper reach, a lower weight than batteries, and a storage option for wind and solar power.
Fuel cell technology is not yet amortized for me. In general, I have the feeling that the technology of the future, both over and over, is only being worked with low power.
I drive my 9-5 until there is something innovative on the market. Diesel or gasoline is over.
The Tesla Roadster is a smart product as an entry. With sports cars you drive for pleasure, and not necessarily long-haul. Thus, the range problem does not occur. In addition, one expects enough of a sports car, and the electric motors deliver from 0 upm. Finally, you can ask for a sports car and a high price, which is necessary because of the batteries.
With this, Tesla has built up an image that Mahindra can not do with the micro car. There are so many boxes of this kind in Europe too, and so far they have simply not been successful. I do not see where Saab should suddenly have a chance.
As unromantic as it sounds, Saab is not a car for the masses, which we might like was always the problem of Saab. The 9-5 NG is the best proof, we all love this car, but the sales figures were modest. This way, new technologies and developments can not be financed. A future Saab would have to be less Saab to sell better, an Indian variant could guide that, a Saab AB variant not.
I don't like giving advance praise to the company Mahindra - whether they are really there and are really interested is still pure speculation.
If we want to believe the statements from the reconstruction, a pre-contract would have long been signed and the new owner to pay the running costs. So far, nothing has been heard of that.
Time is running out …… ..and SAAB drivers have had enough time to deal with alternatives.
The next time I change my vehicle, I won't wait for anything that might come from SAAB - or not. This disaster has had nothing to do with the original SAAB brand for a long time.
So we see Mahindra could well develop new ideas.
What I understand but less and less: If you have the actual interest in Saab or the (still) functional factory in THN, why wait until 20 seconds before closing time ?? Or is that just a tactic to get something cheap from the Resterampe in April?
firstly let's see what will happen between Saab, NEVS and Mahindra. I think 9-3's are too big. Take a look at Fiat: grown up with small cars.
And set again.
Trotsdem .... something like this has never worked at Saab, has it?
A Saab version of the REVA in decent Saab design for a reasonable price and still conventional Turbo Saabs for medium and long haul would be exactly the combination that would fit for me like the fist on the eye. For the city and surrounding drives I just wanted to get a Renault Zoe as a supplement to my 9-3 2,8T 6V which has thirst in the city. For the city, I currently use a Renault mode with considerably less thirst. But with the prospects that are hopefully becoming reality, my current engine will remain as it is for the time being. if that does not work, I can still order the zoe in march. As a saab fan you are already hardened and happy about every little one, because darker can not be any more. And if Mahindra finally creates a sustainable future for Saab, then there is still plenty of time to save further on a new Saab twin pack: Saab EV Reva and new 9-3 station wagon.
That's exactly what I thought! The Reva can use Swedish design well. And the environmental thought of Mahindra also fits wonderfully with Saab! If it comes so far?
Crash test insist, SAAB-designstift over it and convertible offer!
The variant of SU has quite a charm. The naming problem would be solved and discussions about authenticity nipped in the bud. Maybe as a minority shareholder to the Indians?
But that's all utopia in my eyes. And the more days have passed since the end in 2011, the less likely (if that still works) will be successor products.
I am very much in favor of the “backwards” variant because it is the only one with a future.
Subaru, for example, shows how you can live very well as a reputable manufacturer with 300.000 vehicles a year, without all the megalomaniac world conquest business manure and oligarchs in the neck that let billions out every year.
Subaru has Toyota in the background and so can survive. I do not deny that the constellation Saab AB & Saab Automobile would have charm. But there is no chance of survival for this too small business model. The past has proven it.
I do not find comparability before-after. You also like to rave about the flexibility of the Phoenix platform: it's the answer to the hitherto lacking economies of scale. It would be de facto only a car to build, which could be modulated smart according to customer requirements. Provided you have a brilliant design, you can easily do it as a small manufacturer.
“Made in Europe for Europe” - that would be my car ...
Of course I think the Phoenix platform is awesome. Only: Whoever wants to breathe new life into Saab, has a mammoth task ahead of him. The platform itself is only a small building block among many, everything else that belongs to it almost completely missing. Investments and a long breath over a decade are necessary and you start at zero.
Who wants to lift this must be a big number and necessarily come from the industry.
Or take it easy and specifically give creative newcomers a chance among the suppliers
Only with Saab AB alone, it certainly could not work. But Subaru is absolutely the best example. Because Subaru has primarily Fuji Heavy Industries in the back. A group that is not so dissimilar to Saab AB. From Fuji Heavy Industries you can also buy aircraft for example. And at this parent Toyota holds a minority stake. Just like GM used to. So there are parallels. Only Saab AB has failed to change the partner in time.
Will there be a turbo at all or should it become a pure electric brand?
That's exactly how I see it and of course it's not Saabdesign but as a city car I think it's already modern.
Wow, I'm impressed.
this car is in my opinion exactly what the future needs and where the journey goes. If you combine it with car sharing, it's even better.
But I am particularly impressed that this has really been thought through and affordable and reasonable solution have been tested or implemented. If sustainability and recyclability are still right then, PERFECT.
Because in the future no automaker will sell more millions of cars, let alone increase the number year by year. Only those who set the course will survive. If I look at some German brand, where only growth counts, etc. I do not believe that it will still be there.
The whole may still take a few years or even decades, but I'm convinced that it will happen.
Greetings Cetak
A Saab that looks like this Reva ... NO THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Benito, the Saab brand, of course, has different design requirements. This is about innovation and future, the inner values and the cleverly implemented city car idea count
There is only a future if you dare to do something new. The Mahindra REVA is amazing, I thought they just build tractors, pickups and cheap cars. Seems to be the right partner.
Very exciting story. The car makes a great impression.
It could go on like this. Innovation is in demand and not the reissue of old models, even if we are so attached to it.
Is the Reva already on the market?
Since autumn 2014 the Reva is available in India and seems to be well received by the press and customers.
Let's hope that all before the end of March is underzeigned and the Mahindra let the Saab culture live.