I'm not sure about Saft in particular; with how ridiculously bad their tech is I'm convinced they are a French government jobs program, and nobody I know has ever voluntarily used their cells (except years ago for non-rechargeable.) For reference, their highest energy density Li-Ion cell is 169 Wh/kg. I'm not sure how they managed to be that bad; I just literally taped a rock (14g) to the cheapest battery in my apartment (45.8g, the $2.49 NCR18650PF) and the combined energy density of my new Rock-Lithium-Ion Battery is 170 Wh/kg, better than that of Saft's highest energy density rechargeable cell.
But yes; if you want newer battery technology direct from the manufacturer, you'll probably be flat-out ignored even if you're inquiring at a medium-large scale. The way to do it is to hunt around for semi-reputable resellers, who will usually give you what you want at an acceptable price.
