ZEEWOLDE, Netherlands -
The last year was certainly one of great transition for Saab Automobile AB, but company executives said Friday they are pleased with the progress the Swedish automaker has made since being purchased by Spyker Cars N.V. in February.
For full-year 2010, Saab’s wholesale unit sales — defined by officials as revenue-generating sale to dealers — reached 31,696 vehicles, up 15 percent year-over-year.
Meanwhile, retail unit sales — defined by officials as dealer sales to end users — fell 29 percent to 28,284 vehicles, but showed improvement late in the year.
In total, 32,048 units were produced, an upswing of 53 percent.
Looking at December results, wholesale sales reached 4,160 units, which was up 216 percent year-over-year. Retail sales hit 4,410 vehicles for 67-percent growth. December production was 2,960 units, marking a 165-percent gain.
As far as the fourth quarter, Saab moved 11,448 vehicles via wholesale, up 129 percent from 2009. Retail sales were 10,139 units, a gain of 41 percent.
The automaker produced 11,404 units in the fourth quarter, which was 113 percent heavier than the year-ago period.
Momentum built for Saab throughout the year in various markets.
“These figures show that Saab Automobile is firmly establishing itself as an independent car manufacturer and reflects the tremendous tenacity shown by all our employees and dealers in what has been an incredibly eventful year for Saab,” said Victor Muller, the chief executive officer of parent company Spyker Cars N.V. and chairman at Saab.
"One of the largest challenges in 2010 was to restock our dealers around the world to normal levels again, especially in a market like the United States, where you need dealer stock in order to be able to sell cars. For instance, when we acquired the company in February 2010, there were a mere 500 cars left on the ground in the United States,” Muller added. “Normal inventory levels in this market should be at 6,000–7,000 units.
"In 2009, Saab Automobile sold 39,800 cars, but built only 21,000. As a result, inventory levels were depleted by almost 19,000 units,” he continued. “In 2010, we only filled the pipeline with less than 4,000 units. All in all, with all the accomplishments made so far, I am very confident that the foundations for delivering on our business plan are in place."
Offering more input, Saab president and CEO Jan Ake Jonsson added: "I am very happy with all our achievements since Saab Automobile embarked on its journey as an independent car manufacturer. While exciting new cars like the 9-4X crossover vehicle and the long-awaited 9-5 SportCombi will go on sale this year, we also continue to expand our distribution network into important growth markets such as China and Russia.
“Furthermore, we will see the full effect of markets we entered in 2010, such as Japan, Canada, Portugal and Australia. I am confident that we can keep up the current sales momentum as we continue to enhance our offering with the biggest-ever product offensive in Saab Automobile’s history,” Jonsson continued.
The all-new 9-4X to which Jonsson referred will be unveiled to Europe at the Brussels Motor Show later this month.
Joining the brand-new model at the show will be all-new 9-5 sedan, the newest 9-3 range and the 9-3 ePower, which is the automaker’s first electric model.
The 9-4X will begin selling during August in Europe.
 “We are currently embarked on the biggest new product offensive in Saab’s history,” Jonsson noted. “The launch of the 9-4X follows the introduction of the new 9-5 sedan just six months ago and the arrival of the much-awaited 9-5 SportCombi later in the year. The Brussels Show is the start of an extremely busy year for us.”