Italian Connection

Last week Saab announced the appointment of Jason Castriota as Design Director at Saab, and apparently his first duty will be the design of the 2012 9-3. I'm not sure about this. Part of me is so eager to see new thinking coming out of Trollhattan that a young designer who learned his craft in Turin penning Ferrari/Maserati supercars would seem to be a fantastic choice. I guess, though, that I really wanted to see that new thinking literally coming out of Trollhattan. Can a guy who grew up in Greenwich, went to Emerson College in Boston, moved to Turin and studied there, be a great designer? Sure! But can that background give us a modern Saab? Not so sure....

However, I very much liked the work of Michael Mauer, and he was no more a Scandinavian than I am. Perhaps this will work, perhaps not. Time will tell. I would have almost preferred a Scandinavian from outside the automotive realm. All that said, I don't get to chose and we must wish Jason well and hope for the very best to come out of his studio, because the 2012 9-3 really will be the bell-weather for the future of the new Saab.