GM sends SAAB goes to Valhalla
December 20th 2009 03:42
The suffering went on for just too long. Terminally ill some time, it had previously been resuscitated a couple of times but this time they turned off life support for good. GM has pulled the plug on SAAB, It had to happen really, and it was after all, the kindest thing to do.
SAAB was once a builder of cars that had character. Remember the 900 series? That was the one with key between the seats and the doors that curved under at the bottom allowing easier access. Go back further and there was the early versions of the 95 complete with freewheel and that lovely aeronautically styled bodywork.
As has been the case in just about every other arrangement that GM enter into, when GM took over, the rot set in. GM decided to base the 9-3 and 9-5 on the very average Vectra and let them get on with competing with BMW and everyone else, slowly killing the brand values as they went.
The poor old 9-5 soldiered on for about 300 years until they announced the new model which I am guessing is now dead before it is actually born. The worst thing that GM were to inflict on SAAB was the 9-2 Saabaru and also the 9-7. These USA only models were meant to entice buyers to the brand by providing a SAAB S-YOOVEE based on a Chevy of some kind and also a small sedan based on another GM product (at the time) the Subaru Impreza.
Not wanting to insult anyone’s intelligence, Americans are not known for exhibiting good taste when it comes to buying cars. In this case they did and Americans did the most sensible thing and stayed away in droves. Unfortunately for SAAB not only did Americans in general stay away but so did traditional SAAB buyers! Doh!
Never having been to a Swedish funeral I am unsure what to at this stage, perhaps in true Viking tradition someone, somewhere should place a 9-3 on a barge and then let loose a flaming arrow thus carrying the soul of SAAB to Valhalla. This is GM we are talking about, so they will just call the B-52s in and torch them in their own special American way using napalm!
Oh, they already have!
SAAB was once a builder of cars that had character. Remember the 900 series? That was the one with key between the seats and the doors that curved under at the bottom allowing easier access. Go back further and there was the early versions of the 95 complete with freewheel and that lovely aeronautically styled bodywork.
The poor old 9-5 soldiered on for about 300 years until they announced the new model which I am guessing is now dead before it is actually born. The worst thing that GM were to inflict on SAAB was the 9-2 Saabaru and also the 9-7. These USA only models were meant to entice buyers to the brand by providing a SAAB S-YOOVEE based on a Chevy of some kind and also a small sedan based on another GM product (at the time) the Subaru Impreza.
Not wanting to insult anyone’s intelligence, Americans are not known for exhibiting good taste when it comes to buying cars. In this case they did and Americans did the most sensible thing and stayed away in droves. Unfortunately for SAAB not only did Americans in general stay away but so did traditional SAAB buyers! Doh!
Never having been to a Swedish funeral I am unsure what to at this stage, perhaps in true Viking tradition someone, somewhere should place a 9-3 on a barge and then let loose a flaming arrow thus carrying the soul of SAAB to Valhalla. This is GM we are talking about, so they will just call the B-52s in and torch them in their own special American way using napalm!
Oh, they already have!
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