Saab drops its sales predictions

In a move that’s sure to upset shareholders, Saab has reduced its annual sales targets and is aiming at just breaking even this year. The news comes from parent company General Motors’ European boss Carl-Peter Forster, who spoke with reporters from Automotive News. "There is a natural limit where you can earn," he said, adding “we have much reduced our volume ambitions, to 160,000 to 170,000."

Saab was originally hoping to sell up to 250,000 units per year, a target set last year by Forster’s predecessor Peter Augustsson. However, last year’s sales results of only 133,167 cars worldwide meant that Saab lost money and a more conservative target of just breaking even is more reasonable.

To combat dwindling sales, Saab is launching an onslaught of all-new models and updates including the recently revealed 9-3 facelift and the upcoming 2008 9-5. After that we can expect to see a new crossover model, likely to be a midsized vehicle labelled the 9-4X.