this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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[–] HC4L@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago (5 children)

SAAB, great looking cars with futuristic features!

[–] ByteMe@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 15 points 1 month ago

SAAB Automotive got killed by GM, resurrected by Spyker, subsequently killed again by debtors, resurrected again by Chinese investors who lost the rights to the brand, turned into NEVS (National Electric Vehicles Sweden), ran out of money again due to COVID, and has since been in "hibernation"/limbo. Most recently Stenhaga bought the remainder of the factory in TrollhΓ€ttan, and EV Electra were considering to buy what's left of the production models. That deal fell through and, last I heard of it, whatever is left of the NEVS were like 20 folks who got fired in 2024.

So yeah, to quote McCoy "He's dead Jim".

[–] SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 month ago

Specifically, pre-GM Saab.

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[–] Rekindle5414@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I always tell my wife that if they found a secret warehouse full of old Aztek parts and pumped some new ones out, I'd get one on the spot. I loved that car.

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[–] Bullerfar@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

The Swedish Volvo and not the chinese Volvo. I feel like we would have had a power house for electric vhicles with Volvo. Now we are stuck with the French cars. Renault is doing really great. But isn't Volvo. I feel like Saab would had gone Volkswagen as well, and come too late for the party and die out anyways. But they made good cars as well.

[–] redlemace@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Still don't know why, but the 240 series will always have a special place in my heart.

(funny detail: Ask any kid around the world to draw a car, and they draw a volvo 240)

[–] autriyo@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I still want one, even though they've all been driven ti hell and back.

[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They were designed to do that on the regular. Especially Volvo's polar editions were built to withstand just about any condition and kept simple and barebones for that reason.

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[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 month ago

In Chinese Volvo’s defense they have built an entire manufacturing plant in South Carolina to build nothing but EVs, but the whole place is stuck in second gear.

[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 4 points 1 month ago

The Swedish Volvo died the day Ford took over, Geely is just there to trot around the remains.

Although, let's be honest - Volvo had been on the verge of bankruptcy like three times before Ford bought them so it's likely they would've died on their own too. Turns out making cars that are incredibly reliable is not a sustainable business model.

[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Duesenberg. They made incredibly stylish and well engineered cars that were ahead of their time. I'd love to see a true competitor to Rolls Royce (Bentley doesn't really compete with Rolls anymore. Sure they're expensive luxury cars, but they aren't anywhere near as bespoke as Rolls Royce cars are).

[–] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Avions Voisin - monocoque chassis as soon as 1923. The man behind (other) revolutionary cars as the Traction, The 2cv and the DS, Lefebvre, started there. For engineering marvels that the Voisin cars where, never forget that Monsieur Voisin graduated in ...Fine Arts. Explains the bankruptcy I guess.

[–] postnataldrip@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Holden and Ford Australia. Partly for personal nostalgic reasons but also because of local engineering and manufacturing. A bit of our national identity disappeared when they shut down, although they were owned by US companies they were still a source of Aussie pride. Nowadays we have no local industry and it all just feels a bit hollow. Like watching sports when you have no local team.

I doubt they'd be able to make them these days but seeing as we're talking hypotheticals, there's something about a big cube V8 or turbo 6 that’s missing from everything since. Yes I know on here the hive mind demands we boo ands hiss if someone dares to like anything ICE, and when our current runabout goes it'll likely be replaced by an EV of some sort. But for us, cars are a hobby and a source of enjoyment too, and I dare say we'll have at least one ICE vehicle for a long as it's feasible for us to do so. And if I can get a semi-modern nod to the past that would be perfect.

And if the Japanese car industry could go back to the 90s I'd be pretty stoked about that too!

[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

100% this.

Another thing that disappeared with Holden and Ford Australia are normal sized utes, nowadays it's just all gigantic pick-up trucks.

[–] Ixoid@aussie.zone 4 points 1 month ago

+1 for Holden - the true Aussie car brand. Such a shame that it has been owned by GM for longer than I've been alive, and they killed it when it wasn't profitable enough. Fuck the USA.

[–] TownhouseGloryHole@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

At least bring back the Barra! I must swap it into so many things.

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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

I’d bring back Reliant to make an electric version of the three wheel Robin purely for meme purposes.

[–] orenj@leminal.space 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Isnt this the one that flips over if you look at it too fast? I also pick this one

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[–] Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

Fancy a pick-up truck? I saw this abomination / Chad-Wagon a few years ago:

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[–] Furbag@pawb.social 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Delorean Motor Company.

I'd love to see a modern take on the classic Delorean. Something that isn't a fugly ass cybertruck dorkmobile.

Delorean Motor Company.

They're (kind of) back. A new company was formed after acquiring the old company's branding. So far they're only providing parts to owners of vintage DMC-12s (and I think a few "new old" DMC-12s), but they're working on a new EV inspired by the classic model.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
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[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I had a Saturn which was a really nice car except for all that stuff under the hood.

Maybe have an EV company buy the branding from it.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Perhaps the ex-Saturn engineers can form a new car company called Uranus. The slogan could be "Uranus: everyone's hopping in"

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[–] MrWrinkles@leminal.space 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I had an Ion, 5speed manual, no power windows and I loved it. The only thing that broke on it in 6 years/90k miles, was the driver door latch.

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[–] Cargon@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Studebaker so we can bring back the jet engine nose style.

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[–] mlg@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Someone already said SAAB so Mitsubishi

RIP Lancer Evo

[–] IMALlama@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Isn't Mitsubishi still around and kicking? I have no idea how that brand solders on with such low volume and price points.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

They probably don't make it anymore but I just saw some oddball Mitsubishi sedan at a buy-here-pay-here lot down the street. I'm not even sure what the hell it was as I've never seen another. It was styled like the early 2000s Kia Rio before Hyundai/Kia upped their game.

I think the Eclipse GSX/GST was cool but their build quality was dogshit and that's why you don't see them on the road anymore. My wife had a GS and it blew up at 120k miles. Meanwhile my Camry is at 230k miles on just oil changes alone.

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[–] wesker 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Volkswagen. Pre-2000s Volkswagen. In the 90s and earlier, their aircooled and watercooled cars were amazing junkyard tuners, that just wouldn't die.

[–] autriyo@feddit.org 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

TVR, but only if they're allowed to be as bonkers as back in the day.

[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Oh yes. TVR circa 1998 / speed 12 nonsense would be magical if they had the budget and freedom today that they did back then. I feel like a modern TVR would build something like a 4 motor EV with a manual transmission somehow. I'd be there for it honestly.

[–] bizarroland@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm honestly kind of surprised Ford hasn't re-released the Mercury or rebranded some cars as Mercury brand.

They weren't good cars, but they had songs and brand appeal. And who knows, maybe somebody would think well of them.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That was one of the last old people brands, especially with the vinyl top.

[–] zaperberry@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I know that consumers now mainly care about power and fuel economy but I would very much welcome Ford bringing Mercury back as their old people car subsidiary...as much as I doubt there is enough of a market for it.

My 98 Grand Marquis is my 5th car and it's the comfiest daily I've owned (the others being a 1999 Civic SI, 2001 Cavalier, 1997 Tercel, and 2003 A4 in that order. I know they're entirely different classes vs. a full sized sedan). Just give it an updated powertrain with better fuel economy and some QOL features (folding rear seat plz) and I'd drive one off the lot.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The death of the touring car, and even the sedan really sucks. We need more large 4 door cars that can fit four adults comfortably with reasonable trunk space. My first car was an old Chrysler LHS and it's still the most comfortable car I ever drove.

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[–] techwooded@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] greyscale@lemmy.grey.ooo 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

British Leyland. Specifically so we can have a boogieman.

[–] Hansae@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Brb getting the holy water

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[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Geo.

My Dad had a Geo Metro 5-speed that was getting 49 MPG in the 90's. Bought it brand new for like 10k. Sure it was a 3 cylinder that went 0-60 in ... eventually, but it'd be nice to be able to get that kind of mileage without paying out the nose for a hybrid.

[–] jonesey71@lemmus.org 4 points 1 month ago

My first car was a Geo Metro that I learned to drive in. One time I got pulled over and the cop claimed I was going 80mph and I told him I didn't even think it could hit 80mph if you dropped it out of a plane. He decided against writing a ticket.

[–] redlemace@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

DAF

they still make trucks, but their "regular" where one of a kind with it's variomatic

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[–] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Wrangle out of the clutching, greedy hands of marketing departements the names "Abarth" and "Cooper", then give them to actual performance workshops working on bettering affordable cars.

[–] Soapbox@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

International Harvester.

My dad had a Scout before I was born. I knew a guy with an international pickup truck that was indestructible.

I know the scout is coming back as an EV. But it seems to be a VW offshoot. So not really excited about that.

[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Wiesmann, or any other small-scale German sports car manufacturer for that matter. It seems like all sports car brands are owned by big conglomerates nowadays, and nearly all of them are pretty boring and generic as a result.

I know that Wiesmann is still around but they're nothing but a shell of what they once were.

Shoutouts to Roland Gumpert.

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