Autoblog has learned that newly emancipated Saab is already looking to boost its enthusiast portfolio with higher-output engines and performance parts, albeit in a temporarily limited fashion. According to company sources, the Swedish automaker is seeking to enhance the performance potential of its 9-3 and the new 9-5, but it remains hamstrung by agreements signed with Saab’s previous owners that lay out chapter-and-verse about what power levels its products can offer through 2012. Why? Because “We can’t modify these licensed architectures in such a way that it will compete with General Motors products.” In other words, production-line models with stouter drivetrains have been ruled out for the next couple of years, leaving Saab to pursue other ways to bring more power to the people.

As such, company executives have been in talks with leading European Saab tuner Hirsch Performance AG (with whom it has a longstanding relationship) to develop new dealer-installed performance parts to be offered in North America and other markets. As Hirsch is not a well-known entity outside of Europe and diehard Saab enthusiasts, Saab has not yet decided under which name it will market these upgrades. However, these dealer-installed improvements could take the form of everything from ECU upgrades to aero kits, brakes, exhaust systems and other bolt-ons.

Discussions are ongoing, but names under discussion for the parts range include Hirsch, Saab Performance Group (SPG), as well as the Viggen moniker, both of which have been attached to high-performance Saab models in the past. It’s possible that different names will be adopted for different markets, leaving the door open for Hirsch in Europe and another designation in North America.

Continue reading Saab working with Hirsch Performance on line of dealer-installed go-faster parts

Saab working with Hirsch Performance on line of dealer-installed go-faster parts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:26:00 EST.