Francis F
16/06/2005, 22h48
Glitch delays arrival of Saab 9-7X; invoicing system problem slows dealership debut of new ute
JAMIE LAREAU | Automotive News
Posted Date: 6/15/05
LA MALBAIE, Quebec -- You can see the new Saab 9-7X in TV commercials and newspaper ads. Just don't expect to see Saab's first SUV in a showroom yet.
Saab dealers thought they would have the mid-range SUV in their stores last month. But because of a failure to integrate Saab's computer invoicing system with General Motors' software, many of the 2005 vehicles remain to be shipped. That delay has created an estimated 409-day supply of the 9-7X.
Meanwhile, Saab has launched its media marketing campaign for the 9-7X. That campaign is creating consumer demand for a vehicle many dealers can't deliver, sell or even show, they complain. And they note the 2006 9-7X is due to reach their showrooms in mid-September.
"It's a little frustrating for us, not knowing when the vehicles are coming," says Rob Collins, vice president of Trio Motors in Burton, Mich. "It's pretty tough to sell them out of a book. You need some hardware in the showroom."
Jay Spenchian, general manager of Saab Cars USA Inc., says he expects the problem to be solved and the vehicles to arrive in the next few weeks. He blamed the glitch on Saab's move last year from Atlanta to GM headquarters in Detroit. Spenchian moved to Saab in April from Cadillac, where he was marketing director.
A nightmare
"We're still integrating our Saab systems," Spenchian said at a press event here last week. "We still don't have the basic GM systems. So trying to invoice a vehicle to a dealer and then match that up to a vehicle that's been shipped has just been a nightmare."
A TV commercial for the 9-7X began airing June 5.
Spenchian says he isn't worried about running the commercial while many Saab dealerships lack the vehicles. Product awareness through commercials takes a long time to build, he says.
Spenchian says he postponed the print campaign for the 9-7X until late July or early August. But a two-page ad for the SUV ran in the June 7 edition of USA Today.
That and other print ads "were scheduled for two or three weeks" in advance, he says. "We didn't get notification of the continued invoice problems in time to pull them."
Spenchian acknowledges dealers' frustration over the delay. He says Saab took about 5,000 orders for the 9-7X. Saab says it expects to sell about 7,000 units in the vehicle's first full calendar year.
"We probably overpromised on how quickly it could get to their dealerships," he says. "I probably should have managed that communication a little better."
Buyer interest
Tony Malouf, general manager of Saab of Troy in Troy, Mich., says his dealership has received three 9-7X vehicles and is overdue to get 26 more.
"Fortunately, customers have been very understanding," Malouf says. "We have not lost any customers so far."
Jenny Trostel, a Saab dealer in Hunt Valley, Md., says her customers have expressed "a lot of interest" in the 9-7X. "So there's a natural frustration that they're not here," she says.
The lack of an SUV in its lineup has cost Saab as much as 30 percent of customers who otherwise would have stayed with the brand, Spenchian estimates. About 40 percent of Saab customers own an SUV built by another automaker, he adds.
The 9-7X is built at GM's Moraine, Ohio, plant.
A base 2005 9-7X with a 4.2-liter inline six lists for $38,990, including shipping.
GM et Saab préparent ce véhicule depuis plusieurs années. Et un problème de matchage de système informatique empêche la livraison des véhicules. Ça fait pitié de voir que tant d'efforts pour le lancement d'un véhicule sont anéantis par des tatas qui n'ont pas pensé à ce petit détail avant. On voit bien qu'on fait affaire avec la General Mistake...
JAMIE LAREAU | Automotive News
Posted Date: 6/15/05
LA MALBAIE, Quebec -- You can see the new Saab 9-7X in TV commercials and newspaper ads. Just don't expect to see Saab's first SUV in a showroom yet.
Saab dealers thought they would have the mid-range SUV in their stores last month. But because of a failure to integrate Saab's computer invoicing system with General Motors' software, many of the 2005 vehicles remain to be shipped. That delay has created an estimated 409-day supply of the 9-7X.
Meanwhile, Saab has launched its media marketing campaign for the 9-7X. That campaign is creating consumer demand for a vehicle many dealers can't deliver, sell or even show, they complain. And they note the 2006 9-7X is due to reach their showrooms in mid-September.
"It's a little frustrating for us, not knowing when the vehicles are coming," says Rob Collins, vice president of Trio Motors in Burton, Mich. "It's pretty tough to sell them out of a book. You need some hardware in the showroom."
Jay Spenchian, general manager of Saab Cars USA Inc., says he expects the problem to be solved and the vehicles to arrive in the next few weeks. He blamed the glitch on Saab's move last year from Atlanta to GM headquarters in Detroit. Spenchian moved to Saab in April from Cadillac, where he was marketing director.
A nightmare
"We're still integrating our Saab systems," Spenchian said at a press event here last week. "We still don't have the basic GM systems. So trying to invoice a vehicle to a dealer and then match that up to a vehicle that's been shipped has just been a nightmare."
A TV commercial for the 9-7X began airing June 5.
Spenchian says he isn't worried about running the commercial while many Saab dealerships lack the vehicles. Product awareness through commercials takes a long time to build, he says.
Spenchian says he postponed the print campaign for the 9-7X until late July or early August. But a two-page ad for the SUV ran in the June 7 edition of USA Today.
That and other print ads "were scheduled for two or three weeks" in advance, he says. "We didn't get notification of the continued invoice problems in time to pull them."
Spenchian acknowledges dealers' frustration over the delay. He says Saab took about 5,000 orders for the 9-7X. Saab says it expects to sell about 7,000 units in the vehicle's first full calendar year.
"We probably overpromised on how quickly it could get to their dealerships," he says. "I probably should have managed that communication a little better."
Buyer interest
Tony Malouf, general manager of Saab of Troy in Troy, Mich., says his dealership has received three 9-7X vehicles and is overdue to get 26 more.
"Fortunately, customers have been very understanding," Malouf says. "We have not lost any customers so far."
Jenny Trostel, a Saab dealer in Hunt Valley, Md., says her customers have expressed "a lot of interest" in the 9-7X. "So there's a natural frustration that they're not here," she says.
The lack of an SUV in its lineup has cost Saab as much as 30 percent of customers who otherwise would have stayed with the brand, Spenchian estimates. About 40 percent of Saab customers own an SUV built by another automaker, he adds.
The 9-7X is built at GM's Moraine, Ohio, plant.
A base 2005 9-7X with a 4.2-liter inline six lists for $38,990, including shipping.
GM et Saab préparent ce véhicule depuis plusieurs années. Et un problème de matchage de système informatique empêche la livraison des véhicules. Ça fait pitié de voir que tant d'efforts pour le lancement d'un véhicule sont anéantis par des tatas qui n'ont pas pensé à ce petit détail avant. On voit bien qu'on fait affaire avec la General Mistake...