Saab Fan Blog Inspires Official Award

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Anybody who made it through the last 12 months or so with their passion for the Saab brand intact deserves some kind of free psychological screening and endangered species protection award. Hell, anyone who made it through the last 20 years… you know what, this isn’t the moment for cynicism. Through the wrenching chaos of GM’s often-abortive attempts to sell Saab, the website SaabsUnited has stood by its brand, aggregating the most complete Saab sale coverage on the web, and generally consoling the faithful. Oh yes, and suffering through a relentless stream of cynicism from yours truly (sorry guys, it’s all we know). Anyway, for being the keepers of hope when all hope seemed lost, Saab has named and annual award after SaabsUnited which

will be made annually as the company’s way of expressing its gratitude to people like [SU founder Steven Wade] and others who continue to show us such great support.

This might seem like so much PR fluff, but having read SU daily during the height of the Saab sale drama, I’m forced to say that SaabsUnited is a testament to the new power of the internet. Never in the history of the autoblogosphere has a blogger ever become so close to the center of a story on the strength of sheer passion alone. Even when it seemed like Spyker and GM were ready to call the brand quits, SU was there, agitating and organizing. At a time when automotive passion seems to be at something of a low tide, SaabsUnited showed that brand loyalty verging on the unreasonably fanatical is still alive. For that, they deserve a moment of recognition… even if some of us still think Saab’s still deep in the doodoo.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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6 of 13 comments
  • Dave M. Dave M. on Aug 07, 2010

    It would be great if borrowing the MINI platform for a new 9-1/2 worked out. People screamed about the 9-2x Saabaru. I thought it was cool.

    • PeriSoft PeriSoft on Aug 07, 2010

      Well, there's a difference between borrowing the platform and slapping a new nose on it, stuffing better seats in, and calling it a day. A car can be totally different even if it's ostensibly on the same platform; at times very few parts are shared - a fact that people here who seem to think that a 9-3 is exactly the same as a Chevy seem to miss.

  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Aug 07, 2010

    Put the ignition switch back in the center console. Then you'll have something. Nice of Saab to recognize their entire customer base in one shot.

  • Trollhattan Saab Trollhattan Saab on Aug 08, 2010

    Edward, thanks for [s]putting the usual stuff on hold[/s] posting our little good news story. It was a kind bit of recognition on Saab's part. I'm not sure that the name on the award is appropriate, but I was happy to accept it on behalf of all those who hung in there. The rest of you.... please postpone your witty one-liners for a few hours and go check out the new 9-5. It's landing at your US dealers about now and is a cracker of a car. Swade (formerly Trollhattan Saab, now SU)

    • Stingray Stingray on Aug 08, 2010

      y0! you better tell those guys over there at Sweden to get their shit together Down Under or the brand will disappear from there.

  • Pig_Iron Pig_Iron on Aug 08, 2010

    Good on Saab fans. What's weird to me is that there was nary a whimper as Volvo fell into foreign hands. I knew old guys who labored under their shade trees to keep their Volvos in tip top shape. They would have popped a vein at the prospect. Are these guys all gone now?

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