[jcommin]

Talking with a Saab mechanic, many loyal Saab owners got scared away when GM bought them. A similar situation happened when Ford bought Volvo. They thought the brand would suffer in innovation, quality and service. I think Ford did a good job with Volvo. I don't think the same can be said for GM.

Saab produces less than 100,000 cars annually. I don't think they survive as an independent company. It probably goes away. But this is the beginning - many other brands will disappear. Looking at the car manufacturers that disappeared in the 50's, many had a long history. Poor sales, lack of quality or innovation doomed most of them.

The difference is the car manufactures were all USA owned with little or no foreign competition. They also didn't have the over capacity we have now. It's job loss across the board. When you are looking at a current market of 9 million vehicles or less annually for 2008 and 2009 with car manufacturing capacity of over 16 million, something has got to give. GM has built inventory of 5 months. They could shut down 09 production now and start building 2010 models later in the year.