Born from jets? Gimme a break.

1592 Views 50 Replies 34 Participants Last post by Ducman69, Nov 1, 2005

BUR_ZX3

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2005

GM has really done it now.

Their latest ad campaign for Saab touts how the company was started by a handful of aircraft engineers. One commercial (the only I've seen) has a Saab 9-3 running through the desert, being chased by a formation of some non descript fighter jets. The car out runs this formation. Yeah right.

So now their tagline is "Born from jets."

According to Saab Cars USA general manager Jay Spenchian... "Jets are inherently cool"

Yeah? So? What on earth does that have to do with being a car?

I don't think I want Boeing or Airbus making a car... nor do I want Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grunman getting into the game. Sorry... this campaign just doesn't fly for me.

See the ads for yourself @ http://www.saabusa.com/saabjsp/about/

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BUR_ZX3

Discussion Starter · #2 · Oct 30, 2005

And footnote. I'm sure they're not the only automotive company to claim such aviation heritage. BMW was originally an aircraft company till after WWII when the allies broke em up and said "you can't make planes anymore" so they started making cars. Hence the "propeller" logo.

Mr. Zetec

· #3 · Oct 30, 2005

saw this, this morning and thought WTF

icemanZX3

· #4 · Oct 30, 2005

No..Saab i think just made jet engines.. before cars or so ive been told

the ad is still stupid though.

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Majikal

· #5 · Oct 30, 2005

I think the car in that commercial looks great... regardless of the moronic commercial itself

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SVT Pilot

· #6 · Oct 30, 2005

Saab builds fighters and other defense items for the Swedish Air Force/military. The jet in the commercial is the SAAB JAS 39 Gripen. Saab also made cars until GM bought them out.

Ozmotear

· #7 · Oct 30, 2005

GM shoiuld do a re-make of the Saab ballet.

buzzbomb

· #8 · Oct 30, 2005

Subaru (AKA Fuji Heavy Industries) used to make airplanes for the Japanese navy.

Cameroon

· #9 · Oct 30, 2005

Just do a google images search for saab jets.

I may be mistaken but, if I recall correctly Saab automotive was split off from the aircraft side when sold to GM in '96 ( or was it '97? sometime in the mid '90's).

Saab auto is quickly becoming "just another badge engineered branch" of GM.

Once the 9-5 is redone as some version of an Opel Saab's connection to anything Swedish (including their very aircraft heritage) will be gone.

Saab's now separate aircraft division is still alive and well as a wholey separte company.

Saab Aircraft AB

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blkfocus

· #10 · Oct 30, 2005

Didn't/doesn't Rolls Royce make jet engines? Maybe they could work that into a marketing campaign, too...

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pitchblack23

· #11 · Oct 30, 2005

Saab also made cars until GM bought them out.

So what do they make now?

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SilverZXIII

· #12 · Oct 30, 2005

I think its a good campaign. Since jet aircraft are just a little more complicated, just a little,

, it says that they can put that engineering into their cars. But, since the Saab car company was bought by GM, it doesn't make that much sense. I don't think I'd want GM making planes. Also Rolls Royce does make jet engines. They are found on alot of commercial jets today.

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acnon

· #13 · Oct 30, 2005

3

Rolls-Royce does indeed make turbofans. In the commercial airline industry, their engines are the best when it comes to NVH. General Electric has nothing on them... (It'll cost ya though.) It's quite common to see Boeing jumbo jets owned by european companies with 4 of these under their wings. (As indicated by the RR logo.) They've also been mounted on countless other aircraft including fighters.

As far as SAAB goes, I'd say that ad campaign is perfectly fine. The only issue as some have already stated here is that the car division is indeed just GM...

Would it also bug you guys, if Mitsubishi ran an ad with a Mitsubishi F-2? (Japanese purpose-built F-16)

Honestly, some of you are a bit too critical of this stuff.

IMO: That commercial is far better that the really stupid one of the Civic I just saw. You know, the one with the annoying music and the car hopping around town like a frickin' grasshopper!

Just my .02

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Cameroon

· #14 · Oct 30, 2005

Would it also bug you guys, if Mitsubishi ran an ad with a Mitsubishi F-2? (Japanese purpose-built F-16)

Actually that would be better since both Mitsu's are actually the same company.

The only thing Saab air and Saab auto have in common is the name.

Ducman69

· #15 · Oct 30, 2005

2

Hmmm... perhaps other manufacturers should make similar campaigns:

<font color="red"> Mitsubishi</font>
-We're baaaaaack

Have a bunch of Zeros drop some twin 250lb high-explosive bombs on some air-force base, then seconds later a new Eclipse bursts through the flames, and pan back to a burning American flag with treadmarks on it as the Eclipse blasts away in formation with the figher/bombers!

Mitsubishi... We're Baaaaaack!

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Ozmotear

· #16 · Oct 30, 2005

2

Saab also made cars until GM bought them out.

Click to expand...

So what do they make now?

Subarus.

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BackNFocus

· #17 · Oct 31, 2005

3

Saab also made cars until GM bought them out.

Click to expand...

So what do they make now?

Click to expand...

Subarus.

and GM is murdering them 1 by 1, the tribecca and now the redo of subaru's WRX

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bluebyutoo

· #18 · Oct 31, 2005

Hate the commercial too.

My family has owned 10 Saabs and I was a Saab fanatic for years but no longer.

Spoke with a guy today who owns a 71 Sonnet that is in mint condition.

He said that he and his wife were now done with Saabs because they feel that GM has destroyed the company. This coming from a guy who has owned Saabs since they started importing them...

Sad because while the Volvo / Ford relationship has been symbiotic the GM / Saab relationship has been parasitic.

Rumors abound that Renault may attempt to buy Saab. Not a be Renault fan but could they do any worse than GM???

Hope somebody saves this historic company.

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bluebyutoo

· #19 · Oct 31, 2005

One of the comments we hear most is how Saabs seem to be built around the driver, almost as if they were more the ****pit of a plane than the cabin of a car.

People who make this claim are more right than they could possibly know.

Because the fact is, before Saab made cars, Saab made airplanes.

And the very first Saab car was designed and hand built by 16 aeronautical engineers. Only one of which had a driver's license. Amusing as it sounds, this anecdote sums up all that makes Saab different: Clean, aerodynamic lines, efficiency and functionality, and innovations beyond what people would expect from a car.

P-51

· #20 · Oct 31, 2005

My boss used to work for Boeing. You're damn right I wish they made cars! My boss is the best engineer I've met in the auto industry by far.

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