Saab Bankruptcy - Is this the End?

My friend Fred at work loved his Saab. He says he liked the "Quirkiness" factor. You have to admit that Saab has not been mainstream, although after two decades of ownership by General Motors most of its "Saabness" was filtered out. And, sadly, GM never managed to make the brand profitable.

Saab was shed by GM in its own bankruptcy proceedings two years ago and it looked like the end then. But Spyker, a small Danish specialty sportcar manufacturer, bought the brand. Almost immediately, they saw what they were facing and started looking for help. After selling their original sportcar business and renaming themselves Saab, they went looking for money from Chinese manufacturers, much in the way that the other Swedish brand, Volvo, was saved through a sale to Geely by Ford.

In any case, sales volumes have been slim, consumer confidence is surely low, and what's going to happen to Saab is anyone's guess.

I've driven a few Saabs over the years and they were fun, especially the turbo convertibles. My experience is not with the older, "original" cars however, so we'll have to trust Fred on that one.

Read more about Saab's history here. The latest information on the new models is better found at the manufacturer's website. I've linked to the U.S. models, but Saabs are available worldwide--at least for now.

Chrysler 200 - Imported from Detroit Indeed

During the last Super Bowl, Chrysler got a lot of attention for its bold "Imported from Detroit" ad for the Chrysler 200. It featured stark Detroit photography and images of (and a short statement by) of rapper Eminem, with a gritty narrator telling the tale of a tough, hardworking city. All this for a car that used to be called the Chrysler Sebring -- and which was considered barely mediocre.

As artistically produced as they may be, ads are not facts, so I was eager to see what a 200 was actually like. Now I know. I've spend nearly a week so far with a Blackberry Pearl Coat 200 Touring. I've had to make several freeway trips of an hour or two and they have been very pleasant.

To move the Sebring to a 200, the engineers and designers upgraded the suspension and sound insulation for a smoother and quieter ride. Then, they turned their modest budget to upgrading the interior, long an area of complaint from folks like Consumer Reports and the car buff magazines. Here, they've added padding where formerly there was none, put a pretty clock and some chrome (plastic) on the dash, and tightened up everything. So--smooth, quiet, attractive.

The outside of the car received some attention too, with a new clean chrome look up front (see photo) and a completely revised tail, with much more sophisticated taillamp designs, trunk proportions and more chrome, almost Jaguarlike trim. It makes the formerly awkward design seem much more sure of itself--like Eminem himself.

Under the hood lives the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which not only moves the car along with ease, but earns an EPA average of 22 miles per gallon--and I achieved that in my driving. Granted, much of it was on freeways, but this is no gas hog. And well equipped, my tester came in under $25,000.

The all-American 200, built in Sterling Heights, Michigan, is a transitional vehicle, sold until new models come along based on Fiat platforms, but with its multitude of upgrades it now has become a car worth considering.

Photo by Chris Kidwell.

Labor Day - Sunday No. 2

It's just past dinnertime on Labor Day. Yes, I was lucky enough to have the day off, but my son is working. That's retail for you. If Labor Day honors workers, then someone has to serve the workers who have the day off. The Italian restaurant is open, too, so I was able to secure three generous servings of lasagna.

Not a religious observation, the holiday started in 1882 and has always been associated with parties and rest--and it's the symbolic end of Summer, especially for schoolkids. I remember starting school immediately following Labor Day, but these days they seem to be beginning in late August. Must be those extra teacher in service days.

It's the start of college and NFL football, something that interests me exactly zero. However, I think I'm in the minority. This also is the time of year when the new cars normally are introduced--something much more interesting to me. I still recall going to the dealers' back lots on my bicycle right about the time school started to see if I could glimpse a dusty, just-off-the-truck Ford Galaxie or Chevrolet Impala.

I played three hours of Beatles songs with my friend Frank today. That seem like a great way to celebrate Labor Day.

Jack Casady Epiphone Signature Bass--Tested

I saw the ad for the Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass in Bass Player magazine months ago. That motivated me to post on Jack. I finally found a music store within driving distance that had one, so I went there today.

On the one hour drive there, I listened to the Jefferson Airplane's 1969 Fillmore East concert Sweeping Up the Spotlight. On the way home, it was Steady as she Goes, the recent Hot Tuna CD. That's the past and present of Jack's playing--all great.

Tall Toad Music in Petaluma (California), is an inviting, old-fashioned full-service store right in the heart of the small downtown, staffed by helpful and friendly employees. I plucked the golden instrument from its high-mounted rack and sat down to enjoy it. It looked even better than the photo, which makes the surface look kind of matte-finished. Actually, it glows. The neck felt familiar--about the same shape and length as my usual Fender P Special--and through one of Fender's new tube amps the bass put out a nice warm sound. It has just one pickup, but the literature says that Jack worked with the Gibson/Epiphone folks to fine tune it to his demanding specs.

The varitone knob, looking like an old-fashioned stove knob, varies the output at a touch for a sharper or mellower sound. I didn't play very loud, and I didn't play in my usual group, so it's hard to say if it would make my band sound better, but the semi-hollow body instrument feels good to the touch and not too heavy.

The big question becomes, after the search and the fun--do I need this bass today? Of course, the answer is, No. But, kidding around with the sales guys, one of them asked, "How many basses does a guy need?" I answered, to laughs, "one more than you have right now." Ha ha.

Considering the amount of dust on the Jack Casady bass I'm guessing it's been sitting around for a while. I wonder how much they'd take off that price to move it. But, remember, I don't need it, right?

Right?

Audi A2 May Return--Hooray

In Europe, they get lots of cars that we don't--and sometimes that's a darned shame. One car I've always liked and never gotten to experience is Audi's diminutive A2. But that could change soon.

At the Frankfurt Auto Show, Audi will debut a new A2, bringing back a car that's been out of production for six years. Like the old one (above left), it will be a five-door hatchback, but this time they plan to make it an electric or electric hybrid.

The reason you're seeing these small cars from the luxury manufacturers is the upcoming increase in the fuel economy standards. You won't get to 54.5 mpg with the lineups these brands currently market in the United States. Look for BMW's i-series cars to give this new A2 competition if it shows up here.

I am still pining for the Audi A1--a MINI-sized car that I know would be popular in the States--but it would probably not be profitable, which is why you and I have not seen one on the roads (yet).

Lucky Man

I have a friend who has just been diagnosed with a serious degenerative illness. More than one friend is looking for a job--and not finding one. I know people who have a job but hate going to it. I hear about ungrateful adult children who take advantage, significant others with serious health problems, and people who live in bad neighborhoods. I know of several bad marriages and at least a few folks who would love to be married--if they could just find the right person.

Some people live in war zones or in the path of Hurricane Irene. Some Texans haven't had a day under 100 degrees in three months. There are a lot of people living in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan who haven't had a break in a long time. How many millions of people don't have enough to eat today?

I am currently experiencing NONE of these things.

I'm healthy, happily married, have two grown children doing fine, own my own roomy home in the greatest place in the world -- the San Francisco Bay Area (California, U.S.A.). I have a good job with a great company (with benefits). I have two wonderful Boston Terriers living with me.

I've got lots of fun stuff to do. I get to drive a new car every week and write about it. I belong to several groups, including a band, an orchestra and a chamber music organization as well as automotive associations. I blog daily and readership is growing steadily. I have enough money to live comfortably.

So what do I have to complain about? Well, my hair is getting gray and thin on the top. My foot hurts when I get out of bed (plantar fascitis) and sometimes my lower back is a little sore. I could lose 10 pounds. Sometimes Windows crashes on my laptop. I have to put up with slow drivers during my daily commute. One of my showers leaks and my lawn is dead.

Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I'm feeling very grateful today.

Jeep is 70 - And Has Come a Long Way

I just spent a week motoring around in the Jeep Liberty 70th Anniversary Edition. Now there was no Liberty Model in 1941, of course, but that's when the iconic Jeep military four-wheel-drive vehicle arrived to help win World War II.

I'm not sure the 70th anniversary of anything is usually a big deal, but it's a great time to highlight anything positive in the new Chrysler regime. After the trauma of its bankruptcy and subsequent takeover by FIAT, the brand needs all the good vibes it can get, and the Jeep is certainly worth celebrating.

The thing is, this Liberty, a midsize SUV built in Toledo, Ohio, is a far cry from the basic, hard, utilitarian ancestor. That's probably for the best, because for the lives we live today, the Liberty is about right. Roomy, comfortable, even beautiful, in a chiseled way, my tester was very pleasant to drive, yet still felt firm on the road and with its upright windshield, flat, shallow dashboard, and chair-height seating, it still didn't feel like any of those new-fangled crossover vehicles, which are more like tall cars.

New, FIAT-based Jeeps are in our future, but for now, we can celebrate the all-American seven-slat grille, twin round lights, and victory on wheels.