For me and many other Saab owners and lovers, today is a sad day in automotive history. General Motors (GM) has officially pulled the plug on its Saab brand as it was unable to find a suitable buyer.

GM will now begin what they are calling “an orderly wind-down of Saab operations”, the meaning of which is not entirely clear to anyone. GM is assuring customers that their Saab will still be serviced and the warranties will still be honored although they are yet to tell anyone where/how to get the service done.

I received a letter from GM a couple weeks ago which was dated Nov 14 informing me that as of October 31, my local Saab dealership is no longer an authorized Saab dealer/service center. Nice of them to be on time with things… letter was dated two weeks after my local dealership was closed and I didn’t even receive the letter till the first week of December. I’m a bit bitter about this whole Saab thing.

Ultimately, it is a sad day for the automotive industry as a whole, Saab were innovators and the industry, let alone current car models, owe a lot of their successes to Saab’s innovations. A quick Wikipedia read reveals the following innovations from Saab:

• 1958: The GT 750 is the first car fitted with seatbelts as standard.
• 1963: Saab becomes the first volume maker to offer diagonally-split dual brake circuits.
• 1970: Saab introduces a world-first – headlamp wipers and washers.
• 1971: Heated front seats are introduced, the first time in the world they are fitted as standard.
• 1971: Saab develops the impact-absorbing, self-repairing bumper.
• 1976: Saab was the first manufacturer to produce a turbo engine with wastegate to control boost.
• 1978: Saab introduces another ‘world-first,’ the passenger compartment air filter (pollen filter).
• 1980: Saab introduces Automatic Performance Control (APC), and an anti-knock sensor that allowed higher fuel economy and the use of lower grade fuel without engine damage.
• 1985: Saab pioneers direct ignition, eliminating the distributor and spark plug wires.
• 1991: Saab is the first manufacturer to offer CFC-free air-conditioning.
• 1996: Saab introduces active head restraints (SAHR), which help minimize the risk of whiplash.
• 1997: Saab introduces Electronic Brake-force Distribution

… and the list goes on. How many modern cars use and profit from these innovations? A sad day indeed.

R.I.P. Saab Automobile AB

I sincerely hope that someone with the right intentions, proper financial backing, and sustainable plan picks up this brand in the future and returns it to its former glory. I will buy another Saab in a heartbeat, as quirky as my Saab is I love every little thing about it.