2011 Saab 9-5. Swan Song Or A Phoenix Rising?

A couple months back, I wrote a post about Saab. As I've mentioned, I was never familiar with the marque. Yet, similar to the way a person can never look away from a train wreck, I couldn't leave Saab and its imminent bankruptcy well alone.

What will happen to an all-but-terminal company when its CEO, Victor Muller, sells his creation, Spyker Cars, just to see the new 9-5 realized? What will happen to a company that has passionate and loyal fans but a tiny, and shrinking, customer base?

I've presented a couple questions in my past article and after so long, not only have they all gone unanswered, but every so often, the questions would come to haunt me. I couldn't leave them alone.

What does the brand stand for? What sets Saab apart? Who are Saab buyers today? What's the one thing the company can do to turn it all around?

There was only one way to find out. I had to drive it.

Buying into another Saab story

In my years of automotive enthusiasm, there's been a particular brand that I never understood. Saab isn't small or attractive enough to be considered prestige, nor is it large and common enough to be considered mainstream.