This is totally unscientific, but I think Saab was the brand of choice for more designers, writers, artists, and nonconformists than any other automobile. It seems every architect I know had a Saab at some time or other. On the road we were members of a cult and flashed our highs and winked as we purred by each other. Designers everywhere will surely lament the demise of this iconic creation.

Saab was the first "Smart Car." For many years Saabs were marketed as “The Most Intelligent Car Ever Built.” And the aircraft designers did think different. Beginning with their mental model of drivers as pilots, they dubbed Saab interiors as cockpits. They incorporated dramatic aerodynamic principles into form factors. Considering Swedish environmental conditions, they engineered the first mass-produced, front-wheel drive. Lovers of g-force, they introduced the first mass-produced turbo-charged engine. Wary of crashes, they were a passenger-safety leader. And accustomed to very little in the way of constraints on turns, dives, and rolls, they focused more on handling than acceleration.

But typical of engineers, Saab never exhibited a genius for telling their own story—or even recognizing the plot. Saab historically eschewed crass commercialism and never claimed to be a badge brand. But they haven’t done the “indie thing” as well as Subaru. They seemed to draft in the safety promise of Volvo but never claimed it for themselves. They couldn’t connect the dots between the jet-engine expertise and a superior passenger-car experience. They missed the boat on leveraging their one-of-a-kind styling, their Swedish provenance, their odd name (that conjures tears now more than ever) and all the other singular parts of the brand and experience.

Legend has it that more than 50 percent of prospective buyers who test-drove a Saab bought one. But today they can’t win over a critical mass of buyers. According to published results, only 371 Saabs were sold in the United States in November. Compare that with 18,500 Lexus vehicles sold in the same month and the severities of the consumer disconnect comes into sharp relief. Obviously, Saab no longer attracts buyers to the showroom. It appears the Volkswagen Beetle, the Smart Car, or the Cooper Mini fills the market for a low-volume, quirky brand.

As I type, the Swedish government is scrambling squadrons of financial engineers to rescue this brand. To be successful, the new owners of Saab must answer mission-critical questions. “What exactly would the world lose if Saab goes away tomorrow? We know what Saab does, but why does it do it?”

If the rebirth of the MG, Mini, and Lotus demonstrate anything, it’s that this brand can reemerge as relevant and credible with the right brand strategy. But if it is ever to rise above today’s wreckage, it must define a brand purpose. This brand needs to reconnect with its Swedish heritage. It must stand for intelligent design. It must embrace environmental values, use recyclable materials, introduce hybrid models, and adopt sustainable practices. Become a green Saab. Get smart again.