There are many reasons why I like Saab. Such as, the 1986 900 Turbo 16 (in black, ta), XWD, the dials in the new 9-5 and the air vent control levers in the 1993 900.
The brand has, however, also long pleased on a professional level too.
Visiting Trollhättan, for example, is always a treat, because the engineers there are open, enthusiastic, engaging and truly committed to everything Saab. Speaking with them guarantees intellectual chat about subjects diverse, far-reaching but invariably car-related.
They’re not robots, but car nuts. Guys a bit like us, who go to work to do clever things that will enthuse we auto die-hards, no matter how tight the constraints they’re working within.
Not just the engineers, either. On the launch of the Aero X-style 9-3 facelift in June 2007, I received this gem of a press kit from the Saab press office.
The first ‘stylised’ USB stick I’d been given, it was a talking point in the bar that night. We’d never seen anything quite like it.
Packed onto it were all the images from the launch, plus a full set of press packs, tech data sheets and other useful files. Quite something, to motoring journalists still accustomed to paper kits and CD image sets.
Nowadays, fancy USB sticks are commonplace, of course. They’re also now much larger than the Saab’s 1GB capacity (although even that was eye-opening at the time). But, Saab got there first for this journo.
I keep all the cool USB press packs, but have kept this one extra-safe. Just one more small reason why Saab will always appeal.
(There was something else cool from that launch too – the underground bunker in which all the cars were parked at the start of the drive. Perfect way to show off the new lighting ‘signature’ within the new front lamps. Another thing Saab did before many others: note how many makers are today debuting jazzy headlight features…)
As events in Sweden become more worrying by the day, fingers crossed Saab can see them through and continue to do neat things like this. All those committed, loyal and genuinely likeable Saab employees, including the ones behind this press kit classic, deserve nothing less.
+ The auto brands Lotus has links with
