Category: Saab

OK, on this one VehicleVoice is just the messenger. The Truth About Cars website has taken it on itself to identify the ten worst cars and trucks sold in the USA in 2006. Not really sure what their credentials are, but here is their press release... When we feel like commenting, see our notes following the press release writeup.

The Saab 9-5 is a car that you really do want to like. It is a noble attempt to make a modern car that is competitive with European competition, but it falls way short. Likely it suffers from age - a 2006MY facelift modernizes the front end appearance of the car, but that is all - and it is getting creaky even in the face of what Ford's Volvo brand is offering today. General Motors' resource scarcity and inability to keep Saab fresh and competitive really shows in the 9-5. An old Swede not aging well.

Aerospace inspires sports car design.

Automakers often use the Los Angeles Auto Show as the venue to launch their new "green" concepts. Saab revealed its 9-5 Aero Bio-Power Concept at the 2006 LA auto show in January. This 9-5 Aero delivers 310HP from a high-pressure turbocharged 2.3L engine optimized to run on E85 ethanol or on gasoline. While Saab began offering a 2.0t BioPower 9-5 in Sweden in 2005 (and resulting in surprisingly high sales due to Swedish incentives to use bio-fuels), this concept explores U.S. acceptance to the option.

The National Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced its rankings of the ten safest 2006 model year cars on Sunday December 4, 2005. To make the ratings game easier to understand, NIIHS has developed a gold silver rating scheme.

An article in the Saturday, November 19, 2005 Wall Street Journal projects that Toyota may overtake General Motors as the highest selling carmaker in 2006.