Saab develops global brand strategy to compete with premium marques

Saab has created a new global marketing and retail strategy in an attempt to raise and clearly define the car company’s brand.

The project is called Saab Unlimited and is intended to give Saab’s sales network an edge over other car companies in the premium sector.

It will also create a commercial network capable of selling more than 250,000 cars each year.

Saab is to redesign all its dealerships, build sales units in cities, called City Centers, and launch a new concept called Brand Centers at various locations around the globe including Paris and New York.

The first Brand Centers to open in the UK will be at Heathrow Airport and Birmingham International Airport (BIA), to target business travellers.

The Brand Centers, which are wholly owned by Saab, have just one car on display. Travellers at airports will have access to a plasma screen showing technical data and advertisements, interactive touchscreens and Saab staff to answer questions. There will be no direct sales from these centres.

The City Center locations, which will be run jointly by Saab and major dealers, will be in premium locations in major cities. In London the site will be on Piccadilly.

The changes in strategy precedes Saab’s plans to launch between five and seven new models over the next six years.