The announcement of the 2003 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is backed by the biggest investment program in new models and production facilities in Saab’s history.
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The new car, launched in four-door sedan form this week, will be followed by cabriolet, five-door hatchback, station wagon and crossover versions and is the first step in a five-year growth plan intended to boost annual sales to over 200,000 cars from the current 130,000.
Saab says the reason it launched the four-door first is that the premium car segment is dominated by sales of sedans, which account for almost 60% of total sales. The remaining 40% are wagons, convertibles and coupes.
The company has already had some success with its 9-5 sedan, which replaced the 9000 hatchback in 1998. Annual US sales of the 9-5 have been nearly 70% higher than the 9000’s best sales of 11,858 units in 1988.
To build the new 9-3, Saab has spent $450 million on new facilities and machinery at its Trollhattan plant in Sweden, effectively building the equivalent of a new factory.
Production of the new 9-3 will utilise a 226,000-square-foot expansion to the assembly shop – the biggest investment in this area for more than 40 years.
Last year, a 135,000-square-foot addition to the body shop was completed, allowing different body parts for various models to be produced simultaneously. And a new, fifth press line has also been added to the press shop, as well as new efficiencies that allow a 30% increase in productivity.
These include an entirely new paint shop, among the most modern and cleanest in the world, and all the main production processes at Trollhattan have been enlarged and modernised.
“We have the tools to do the job,” said Saab Automobile’s president and CEO, Peter Augustsson.
“We have the products we need under development and we have the capacity we need to meet our goals, including the highest levels of quality assurance.
“It is fair to say that Saab is raising its game.”
