GM bungles another deal. After failing to sell off its Saturn line to Penske, GM's proposed deal to sell Saab to Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg has now fallen apart as well. Now Saab, like Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn, will likely be consigned to the dustbin of automotive history. Of those four, Saab had the smallest market penetration but, for a time, had perhaps the strongest brand character. The company was an early pioneer of front wheel drive and turbocharging small engines, practices that are now industry standards.
Except for a very few exceptions, Pontiac and Oldsmobile products were differentiated from their Chevrolet and Buick brethren only by styling and marketing. Saturn started with great promise with an innovative (albeit crude) product and a way of building and selling its cars that was unique in the American automotive industry, but lost its way and became another "badge-engineered" GM line. Saab, in its day, particularly before GM took it over, did things differently. Nothing in the world was quite like a Saab, which was usually a good thing for the motoring public.
As a Saab fan, the demise of this venerable company saddens me, while I am indifferent to the elimination of other GM nameplates. GM has been far too big for its own good for decades. It is a shame that its comeuppance is delivered at the cost of one of the few lines that retained some real design quality.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Yeah, i am sorry to see Saab go, even if I was not a big fan of their cars. They were unique. I made it to the LA Show this year and was suprised at how scaled back it was. Most of the premium brands had skiped the show. Ford seemed to dominate half the main hall - they do have the best lineup in decades. Chrysler was a ghost. At least they put down carpet for the cars. GM - mixed bag, really. Sitting in the Camero made me want to get out of the Camero. Suprise: 2010 Buick LaCross. Hubba-Hubba. Take it over a Lexus anyday. Chevy Cruze? look out Mazda3? Bottom line: American cars (GM and Ford) might make a strong comeback. Chrysler? Who Knows.
I managed to get to the LA show when I had an unexpected break in my schedule on a trip. I agree that it was a bit of a ghost town. Did you notice that Nissan did not even show up? Very odd, especially considering the roots they have in SoCal. The Chrysler/Dodge exhibit was pathetic. I'm surprised they spent the money to appear, given the lack of effort they put into their display.
Ah yes, Saab. I lusted after the 900 Turbo when I was in high school. Not particularly fast, but what a looker. Sadly the brand diminished considerably in the decades since. I lamented that Saabs had lost their Saabiness, becoming generic Euro sedans. Under the pleasant-but-indistinctive skin cowered an aging platform that simply couldn't keep up with the competition. Volvo in particular just steamrolled over them. Although I think it was really the Japanese that did them in. Saab's decline seemed to coincide with the introduction of Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti, which siphoned off those mid-level luxury buyers who were looking for something different.
Now those buyers might be turning to... Hyundai? Did anyone notice the Equus sedan tucked in a back corner of the Hyundai exhibit at the LA show? A Hyundai with a hood ornament!
Post a Comment