Saab 9-5 Tops Mid-Luxury Segment in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study

    NORCROSS, Ga., May 18 The Saab 9-5 Sedan and Wagon have
been ranked as the Best Mid-Luxury Car in the 2001 J.D. Power and Associates
Initial Quality Study (IQS).  The Saab 9-5 moved up to this segment from the
Entry Luxury group last year.  IQS measures owner-reported problems during the
first three months of ownership.
        
"It is very satisfying that the Saab 9-5 has been upgraded to a segment
where it is compared with the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class," said Peter
Augustsson, CEO of Saab Automobile AB.  "We believe that finishing at the top
of this category shows that the dedicated work that has been done to provide
our customers with world-class quality is paying off. In fact, the entire Saab
line-up demonstrated significant improvements in the study."

    The Saab 9-5 was introduced to the market as a Sedan in 1997 and as a
Wagon in 1999.  In different independent studies the car has shown it has
world class quality and safety.  Apart from J.D. Power and Associates initial
quality studies, the 9-5 has been among the safest cars ever tested in the
Euro NCAP crash tests.
    For more information about the Saab 9-5, see http://www.saabusa.com .