A major focus on Saab’s global dealership network has started with the Swedish automaker’s new owners embarking on a global tour.
Following yesterday’s (22 March) resumption of production at the Trollhattan plant, new owners Spyker Cars’ CEO Victor Muller and Saab CEO Janake Jonsson are touring as many principal dealers as possible in a 10-day worldwide series of visits.
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“It is roughly 1,100 dealers, but they will do all the big markets, [in the] first instance Sweden, they will do a couple of markets a day,” a Saab spokesman in Sweden told just-auto.
“It is pretty intensive – it is to put the dealers in the picture about what is being planned. Victor Muller has not met all the dealers yet, so it is an important chance to remotivate them and undoubtedly there will some questions as well.”
The spokesman added there was a “constant stream” of dealers being added to the network although there “will be a small amount leaving as well”.
Dealer involvement is crucial to Saab’s reincarnation and their importance can be gauged by the fact that five minutes after Saab’s official takeover ceremony by Spyker on 23 February, a live broadcast went worldwide to the network.
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By GlobalData“There are a number of important stakeholders and [in the] whole way through this process, we have regarded dealers as extremely important,” added the Saab spokesman. “This is the first practical time to get out and meet them face to face.”
Production at Trollhattan plant was originally halted for seven weeks but first on the line was a redesigned Saab 9-5 sedan, destined to join a test fleet prior to the model’s official launch later this year.
Jonsson, Muller and Trollhattan plant director Gunnar Brunius also took up positions on the line alongside assembly workers as the first batch of cars was built.
