Quote:
Originally Posted by Bravada
In some threads, people applaud Saab for the turbo work (which I have no idea whether it was done by Saab development facilities or any other, or if there is any powertrain development facility left that could be designated "Saab"), in other they bemoan "costly R&D facilities".
And yes, Trollhattan is much more efficient that Ruesselsheim, it was purely political and rather ugly to move any Saab to Germany. Saab knew it had to be efficient in small series long ago, Ruesselsheim just sits there and expects costs to be covered due to being "Opel's Heimatstadt".
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I think people fail to understand the same thing GM failed to understand regarding SAAB. It could share platforms, engines, transmissions and all of that but it could never be run by a 'corporate GM' mentality/approach. It should have remained a niche brand not only in sales but most importantly in philosophy: fun-to-drive cars that offer Swedish attributes of quirky, functional design (hatchback 9-3 should not have been abandonded even if a sedan and wagon were necessary), and safety. SAAB is not BMW.