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      03-01-2012, 03:38 AM   #78
tranism
Care Bears vs Klingons
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyV View Post
What Saab models are you talking about, all current Saabs sit on Opel plafroms and have done for a long time. FYI the Subaru Tribeca was co developed with Saab, there was a model with a Saab front and rear end with a Saab interior booked for the Geneva show in 2005, GM killed it at the 11th hour, instrad we got the 9-7.
They were referring to the 9-3 and current 9-5. GM apparently told Saab to create a variant of the vauxhall vectra aka opel vectra. The Saabs ended up sharing only about 30% of the same parts. Everything else required custom tooling and parts. Moreover, GM felt Saab wasted resources like spending loads of money on creating their own navigation system instead of using GM's. On top of that, Saab was falling way behind BMW, Audi, and Merc in the infotainment research space. By the time they created their Phoenix platform and new iQon infotainment system, the company had no money left. They lost money on every 9-3 sold. The 9-5 was rushed to production before it was completed to try and make some cash. In the end, it was all too little, too late. Their new owners Spyker simply did not have the finances to keep the company afloat.
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