Canadian Saab picnic won’t save doomed brand

By John LeBlanc Have you heard? The Saab Club of Canada is planning a “Save Saab” rally on Saturday. The idea is to get the “attention” of the Swedish brand’s parent General Motors and to send a message that Saab should be sold, rather than shut down. I truly sympathize. But you Saabistas are a bit late. Like by over two decades. The only message you’re going to send is that you probably need a marriage counselor, "Saab? Hey buddy, she ain’t coming back…" Here's another newsflash: Saab—as a brand—died when GM first bought a controlling interest in the then financially strapped, niche brand in 1990. Remember? And instead of letting Saab be Saab, GM decided to milk the brand dry, simply rebodying Opels. In the process, it quickly killed the many reasons people gravitated to the brand in the first place. And there were many. Saabs were quirky, and antiestablishment, designed with a form-over-function design ethos. In a barn in the Swedish countryside. When most cars were rear-wheel-drive sedans sporting big V8s, cars like the iconic 1968 to 1984 Saab 99 were hatchbacks, powered by four bangers (some turbocharged) putting power to the road via the front wheels only. In the mid-1970s, in context with the Ford Granadas, Pontiac LeMans or Plymouth Aspens of the day, you couldn’t get any weirder. I mean really, how could you not fall in love with that? It’s why I bought my 1976 99, above, and have always had a soft spot for the brand. But since the 1994 900 (a rebodied Opel Vectra) Saab as mainstream brand has had no compelling reason to exist. Not when cheaper, more reliable, and better performing Acuras, Infinitis and Lexus cars were available. I’m sure your Save Saab picnic tomorrow will be a nice, little get together. I hope you get good weather and a nice turnout. But if any Saab Club of Canada members hope to have GM change its mind, you might as well stay in bed for the day—it ain’t gonna happen.

Comments