After several failed attempts to consummate the sale of its troubled SAAB division, General Motors has apparently thrown in the towel and will simply let the brand die a quiet death.

Or will it?

Rather than just turn out the lights and lock up, Automotive news reports that GM will probably liquidate SAAB’s assets, selling them for whatever it can get on the open market. China’s BAIC has already snapped up the tooling for the SAAB 9-3 and 9-5 and it’s likely that the rest of the company’s assets will end up in Asia, too. Whether that means the brand will live on remains to be seen. A Chinese buyer might just use the tooling and technology to build similar cars under its own brand.

But wait, there’s more.

Motor Trend says that the Swedish government is meeting with GM officials to make a last minute plea to keep the brand alive. If true, one has to assume that the Swedes are prepared to bring bags of money to the talks because that’s what it will take to change GM’s position.

Should we care? SAAB’s sales in the U.S. have never been more than a blip on the charts. To call it a niche manufacturer would be an overstatement. Its cars were quirky, maybe a little innovative but not particularly influential. Buyers of premium euro-cars aren’t really looking for quirky these days.

SAAB may have suffered from GM’s ineptitude, but it might have had trouble surviving in the modern automotive world, anyway.

--M.D.