A sad day for Saab

[Cheggers]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8421007.stm

 

[Volksy]

Yes it is pretty sad, I think that the nails started to go into Saabs Coffin when GM took over in the early nineties. The quality of the cars produced pre-GM was definatley better, and the company stopped being innovative and ended up only being capable of producing rebodied GM/Subaru products.Shame.

[VWPowered]

bye SAAB you've left us with some great motoring ..

 

 

feel free to post up more pics of hot saab's

[mnde]

A sad state of affairs indeed.

 

 

 

Mark.

[Cavcraft]

Sad day indeed. One of those cars I always promised myself I'd own after being annihilated by a 900 Turbo many years back.

[barrett]

aaah what a shame, so much history in the name, yet another car-maker dissappears....

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Thanks GM for your great work here, please call again! Twats.I was just reading a late 80's issue of 'CAR' yesterday, they were interviewing the top geezers from SAAB and Volvo, its amazing how prosperous and full of energy and ideas those companies were back then, building new factories, looking at joint venture ideas, talking about their latest launches and so on, what a fuggin shame that another once-proud manufacturer hits the rocks. GM are 110% to blame, the deimse has happened entirely on their watch, unlike the rover group for example where the decline was spread over a few different owners. I would say GM's stewardship of SAAB has been as badly executed as any similarly-sized takeover in the car industry that I am aware of. 1.6/10, PISS POOR

[Mr Lobster]

Thats a massive shame. 110% GMs fault, the GM produced cars just weren't good enough for what they are / should have been / were supposed to be and thats what has brought Saab to this position.

[FredTransit]

Will this makes Saabs cheaper or dearer? It didn't do anything for Rovers, but that's not saying much!

[Rusty Pelican]

GM ---------- General Morons

[Lukas]

Saab was too small, they sold too little numbers of cars. In todays economy, there is no place for small manufacturers that are building normal cars for the average man. Subaru is able to sell cars because there is the big and still successful Fuji-combine behind them. Saab had only very few different models, the styling was absolutely average since the 90s, Saab just wasn´t desirable anymore. Only for a very small amount of faithful customers, but only with them there is no survival. It was foreseeable, at least since 10 years.

[fiatdaft]

it will decimate the value of newer saabs just like it did to rover at the time,mechanical parts should be easy to come by in the future for a long time though.

[AnthonyG]

Will this makes Saabs cheaper or dearer? It didn't do anything for Rovers, but that's not saying much!

The new stuff will carry on depreciating like a stone kicked off a cliff, as it has been since the mid1990s. The 9000 saloon was the first that started the rot here - with Granada/Rover 800 residuals, even when it was quite new. The older classics will probably start going up, but, as always, only for really nice examples. Still, European Cadillacs might get better, as they won't be able to base then all on the 9-3 any more!

[pompei]

Absolute disaster.Saab was once a prestige marque noted for its Volvo-like ruggedness and reliability and sporty credentials. Of late it has been none of these.

[pogweasel]

Sad really, as that new 9-5(?) looks super-hawt. I don't understand why they can't make a decent fist of it - surely they would be better off with a 'halo brand' even if it wasn't hugely profitable rather than turning out dreary bilge for the "airport rentals" market??

[Hertz]

Sad news. Never owned one myself but my dad has had a load of them over the years and currently has a £500 9-5 2.3 Turbo which he loves.It will not be long (if not already) where there are only 3 or 4 major manufactures left

[warren t claim]

Saab always was a strange car company. I dont think they ever designed an engine themselves but were able to take unreliable motors like the Ford V4 and the Dolo-might Start unit and turn them into something special. Mind you, I quite fancy a Saab badged Lancia Delta.....

[j-j]

Saab has just been a GM brand for years - shame though. I still really need a Saab 99! will this put the values of the shite old ones up?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sad really, as that new 9-5(?) looks super-hawt. I don't understand why they can't make a decent fist of it - surely they would be better off with a 'halo brand' even if it wasn't hugely profitable rather than turning out dreary bilge for the "airport rentals" market??

GM can't manage 'brands' for toffee, witness how they have got themselves organised so that the Corvette and the Matiz come from the same spurious 'company'. Complete rubbish. I am surprised Opel and Vauxhall have managed for as long as they have done, without having some halfwitted rebranding foisted on them, like calling all 5 door European cars Saturns for a couple of years then changing it back again, or some such.

[CortinaDave]

GM are on the way to total meltdown. I dont think Vauxhall has churned out a decent car since the last cavalier/calibra. The mk2 and 3's with the 8 valve engines were fantastic cars, I've had loads.And yet I struggle to find anything that inspires me less than the late vectras or the deodorant(insignia).. I wouldnt touch one with a bargepole.GM Have ruined Saab in much the same way, although the brand still has enough goodwill behind it that I hoped that if a half decent manufacturer took over and got them back to where they should be then the damage should have been reversible.

[Guest]

GM can't manage 'brands' for toffee, witness how they have got themselves organised so that the Corvette and the Matiz come from the same spurious 'company'. Complete rubbish. I am surprised Opel and Vauxhall have managed for as long as they have done, without having some halfwitted rebranding foisted on them, like calling all 5 door European cars Saturns for a couple of years then changing it back again, or some such.

It was quite funny checking out the Chevrolet UK website in the early days, there were loads of bits where they'd not quite finished it so you'd go on a page and it'd start banging on about the Daewoo Lacetti Wagon or conversely you'd see a car with Daewoo badges on it whilst they description bangs on about it having all the practicality you'd expect from a Chevy.Wish I'd taken some shots before they changed it all, on reflection it summed up GM's "branding" position quite well.

[Wolseley1660man]

I think Government Motors really did a poor think in closing Saab. Maybe it will come back to life later.

[brammy777]

SAAB had become a shadow of its former self anyway, GM should have looked at how Ford managed Volvo and taken some pointers really.

 

The only remanents of SAAB now is this:

 

[myglaren]

What might have been.

 

 

That would stick it to the Prius gang!

[Guest]

SAAB had become a shadow of its former self anyway, GM should have looked at how Ford managed Volvo and taken some pointers really.

The thing is, does Volvo do that well these days. OK, they're still afloat and employing people, but their output consists of dreary updated Foci and a prestige saloon that no one wants. I bet you the only thing that makes Ford any money is the XC 60 and 90.That 4.4 litre Yamaha derived V8 that they brought out a few years ago was nice mind, even though it was blatantly an updated Taurus SHO lump.It's only a matter of time before that engine ends up under the bonnet of an Amazon, 140 or 240. The Swedish tuning circles move really fast these days.

[Lankytim]

I find the late Vectra and Insigina to be great cars. I think the only real shitter Vauxhall have ATM is the Corsa with the 1200cc engine.I do feel bad for SAAB. I guess this is what happens when small firms get gobbled up by huge global firms. They lose their identity and eventually dissapear.

[myglaren]

Ford were trying to divest themselves of Volvo. BMW was interested in acquiring them. Haven't heard anything for over a year though.

[brammy777]

I dont know any figures, but it does seem like Volvo have done better in the takeover by a US company stakes. They have kept some of their identity, and whilst im not at liberties to say how good/bad their cars are, they are and have been for a while, a lot more desirable than SAAB offerings.I think GM tried to make SAAB something it wasnt, and sadly it ended up with them going under. Regarding the tuning of Volvos, Im sure plenty of you have seen that corvette engined OVLOV.

[fotorabia]

local spot

[dollywobbler]

I now own my first Saab. In tribute.