Hey, some good news – Koenigsegg is buying Saab! Time for a cheer, I say.
I can still remember how bummed I was when I heard that GM had bought Saab. I guess they felt that Ford had acquired Volvo and so they needed their own Scandinavian nameplate. Bummer. Because I’ve always liked Saabs. Saabs were quirky and cool. They didn’t do sedans – they were too normal. The dash looked like it came from a fighter jet, the overall style was distinctive, and the cars always had a touch of innovation. Innovative, daring, and distinctive. Excellent. And just when I thought I might be ready to own one they were bought by the General and I promptly lost interest, convinced that GM would simply suck the Saab out of Saab. Which it immediately did.
And why is Koenigsegg such a good thing? Well, Christian von Koenigsegg is a guy who has been making outrageous supercars for over ten years now. They cost over a million bucks, they’re fast as hell, and they are in no way shy and retiring in terms of style. If there’s one thing that Koenigsegg doesn’t do, it’s make cars that are plain vanilla (or even french vanilla).
So now, maybe, Saab can come back from the walking dead. I just hope enough engineers and designers are left who remember what the brand was all about and have the passion and ability and resources to transform it into a viable product. It’s certainly clear that business as usual isn’t going to cut it. And that’s why I’m pumped up about the Koenigsegg news. Because business as usual doesn’t describe the Koenigsegg way at all.
So a quiet cheer and crossed fingers. Now it’s wait and see time.
- And that’s today’s word from the bird
