Google Saab today, and one of the first hits you’ll get is a defense operation manufacturing airplanes, torpedos, and other means of “security” apparatus. There’s even a dedicated page on their website that, apart from adding some history about the brand, notes that the automotive division filed for bankruptcy in 2011 after it was forsaken by GM.
But, while the death of Saab was accepted by most as the sad fate of a once innovative Swedish automaker, one dealer in Taiwan wasn’t ready to close the chapter and has instead continued to operate a thriving business.
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Scandinavia Asia Corporation (SAC) represented the Swedish brand since 1980, and took it upon themselves to continue to serve their customers long after the Saab signage was removed from forecourts around the world.
And we’re not just talking about a small but plucky mom-and-pop outlet either. SAC owns and operates six service centers across Taiwan that are solely dedicated to Saabs, with a further 12 authorized workshops elsewhere.
Even more impressive is that their newest location was opened just last year. Sales continue, too, although, with no new cars to be found, SAC is constricted to trading used models.
“We have been doing our best to keep Saab alive on the road in Taiwan,” says Salo Yang, vice president of SAC. “Offering service for Saabs is our responsibility because all Saab cars in Taiwan were sold by SAC. Keeping the brand alive is our duty.”
SAC continues to operate with the remaining parts that are available from GM and other suppliers such as AC Delco and Orio, who continue to offer options for independent retailers. In some cases, we’re told that SAC has remanufactured their own parts to keep customers’ cars ticking. Unfortunately, if not unsurprisingly, Saab’s Taiwanese presence is kept alive without any assistance from the Saab Group or General Motors.