The past two years have been rough for Saab. Since its independence from General Motors in 2010, the quirky Swedish brand has been beleaguered with financial woes, production stops, and an ever-shrinking customer base for its products...[Despite numerous attempts to resurrect it] there is little chance left for Saab. The board of Saab's parent company -- Swedish Automobile, formally know as Spyker -- has decided that the best solution at this point is to file for bankruptcy and liquidate what is left of the company's asset...
Saab was one of the first automakers to turbocharge its engines. It did so because of its aviation heritage; turbocharging a radial engine was a surefire way to derive more horsepower for a prop.
But after its acquisition by GM, things really started to go south.
Under GM's direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in 2005 with the hope of increase sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were scrapped a few years after production.
Gee, I wonder why.
A Saab Impreza and a Saab Tahoe? Marketing genius.
R.I.P, Saab. I once owned a 1985 Saab 900 Turbo (with the ignition on the floor between the two front bucket seats). It was a great, great car with dozens of unique features that were eviscerated by the bean-counters in Michigan.
We'll miss you.
Image credit: Saab Network.
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