A journalist at Forbes wrote the following as an introduction
Sitting in a movie theater a few weeks ago sleepily waiting for the previews to begin, a sleek add jolted me to my senses. It was an advertisement for the latest cars built by Saab, supposedly the automobile brand that had vanished due to bankruptcy.
While many have doubted whether he was really unaware of Saab’s survival, the point is that the advert would of let the average punter know that Saab was still around. Saab in the USA are letting people know they are alive and kicking.
Meanwhile a look at an article in the Sydney Morning Herald written by Elizabeth Farrelly, a columnist, author and architect, on the 3rd March 2011 tells us that Saab have suspended sales in Australia. Farrelly is on the quest for a car that is “green” and has flair.
In the end, I decided a Saab, and only a Saab, had the right mix of intellect, Left Bank queerness and reliability. I do like a car that goes. It was also moderately green, in terms of road-load, with a good turning circle and an enjoyable acoustic, as evidenced not just by the satisfying thunk of its door-closure but also by the lovely flickety-sound its indicator makes.
But the clincher, re the Saab, was the room. It may be Saab’s airplane-making origins that led them to it, for the interior is as much cockpit as car (to the point where you expect push-button machine guns on the dash). But as a room, especially for the driver, immensely flattering. As a good room should, it makes you feel loved. And of course, I love it right back.
Only now, heartbreakingly, I’m back at square one, for Saab has temporarily suspended selling cars in Australia.
A trip out to my Saab independent mechanic always ends up in a chat about all things Saab. A trip out there just last week found us discussing the new offerings from Saab. The guys told me that many of their customers were asking about if Saab were still selling cars in Australia.
The Saab enthusiast would know that Saab is still alive down under. The average punter on the other hand, who recycles the motoring section in the weekend paper and never picks up a Motoring Magazine, thinks that Saab isn’t doing business down under.
Brendan
