Some slogans are invented by marketing folks to help shape a company's image. Others simply relay the truth. SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, so the cars were indeed "born from jets," as the company's advertising once boasted. The "find your own road" campaign couldn't have been more appropriate, although "we at Saab found our own road" might have been more accurate.

The past two years have been rough for Saab. Since its independence from General Motors in 2010, the quirky Swedish brand has been beleaguered with financial woes, production stops, and an ever-shrinking customer base for its products. Now, with the final days of Saab upon us, we take a brief look back at the 22 months after GM's divestment of the downfall of the brand "born from jets."

At board meetings, on test tracks, and in design studios, decisions are being made today that will influence what you drive tomorrow. Automakers are hard at work creating the next generation of automobiles -- cars that are faster, sexier, more efficient -- while trying to keep their development secret. Like you, we are nosy as hell. Unlike you, we have a vast network of snoops, gossips, and disgruntled former employees who have helped us uncover the information we present here. Our annual Sneak Preview feature contains the industry's future products -- as far out as 2019 -- that are worth saving your milk money for.

A bumpy gestation
The 9-4X is a five-seat crossover -- Saab's first -- and a sister car to the Cadillac SRX. The two were developed together back in the days when Saab was a member of General Motors' (much larger) family. But just when the 9-4X was about to launch (as a 2009 model, like the SRX), the General, as you may have heard, hit some rocky financial shoals. While the SRX proceeded to market, the 9-4X was put on ice and Saab was put on the block. A newly independent Saab is now finally ready to roll out its crossover SUV.

Given all of the turmoil Saab went through in the past year it is amazing the company is still alive. At this year's Geneva Motor Show, the Swedish company has shown that it is reinvigorated and ready to flourish. Leading the charge of the new Saab is the PhoeniX concept.

Independence Day is celebrated here on July 4th, with friends, family, fireworks, and a barbeque. But the folks at Saab are doing it a bit differently. You see, Independence Day has a whole different meaning for Saab; February marks its one-year anniversary since its separation from GM and to the shock of many outside the auto industry, they are still alive and producing cars. All they have to do is get the word out.

An all-new Saab 9-3 is still several years away, but in the meantime, the newly independent Swedish automaker will unveil a revised 2012 9-3 line at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Saab began its comeback tour with the new 9-5 sedan, then introduced the new 9-4X crossover this year. Now, the Swedish automaker has announced its next new model with the 9-5 SportCombi, which will officially debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Poor, poor Saab. The entire time I was behind the wheel of the 9-5, I thought I was in a reskinned Buick. It's just way too long and wide to feel like a real Saab. I really dislike the way the interior feels so much like a typical General Motors interior with a few concessions to the vehicles I'd really consider to be Saabs. Why is the nightpanel button (a signature Saab item) in almost exactly the same place as every push-to-start button on "normal" cars? I know Saab has always done the console ignition, but does that make any sense without a physical key? I spent a week with the car and that still wasn't enough time to train myself to not push the nightpanel button when I wanted ignition.

Saab is no longer beholden to General Motors. They have been acquired by Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker. While it may some time for the benefits of its new company to be fully realized, however, Saab managed to enter a new model of 9-3 into the lineup for 2010. The 9-3 in all of its variations is working within a truly crowed segment. The entry level luxury car market is dominated by German and Japanese models. The Swedish Saab can be overlooked but shouldn't. The 9-3 offers a spacious and safe automobile with a long time proven track record for safety and reliability. The 9-3 won't be a class leader among this kind of competition. However, it does offer a great deal of value in a segment where value normally takes a back seat to style and performance.

The previous 9-5 rolled on for over a decade since its last major overhaul. Now that Saab has cast off it General Motors noose and is now under the control of Dutch supercar maker Spyker, good things can be expected for the future. The first new model since the transition may still leave some wary as it's the first model under the new management, but it looks to be the beginning of a reinvigoration of the iconic Swedish brand. This 9-5 will still carry over parts of the GM Epsilon II platform, while it does ride on a new chassis and has new sheet metal. The current 9-5 makes due with the same engine offerings as the 9-3, though this will likely change in future versions. The 9-5 offers the all wheel drive also available on the 9-3; however, a new adaptive suspension system will help differentiate the two models.

You don't need a high-riding SUV or crossover to get the winter traction benefits of four-wheel drive. There are myriad sedans, wagons, coupes, and even convertibles that offer four-wheel drive (usually called all-wheel drive in passenger cars) either as standard or optional equipment. We've gathered up a complete list of AWD passenger cars; the list is long and the choices are many. Although the advantages of four driven wheels are obvious in slippery road conditions, the technology comes at a cost. There is usually a cost premium associated with all-wheel drive, and sometimes a fuel economy penalty as well. So for each car listed we've indicated the extra cost of the all-wheel-drive option, or the cost differential compared with the equivalent two-wheel-drive model, as well as its EPA gas mileage ratings, and the fuel economy penalty versus the two-wheel-drive version of the same car.

The new 2011 9-4x is more of a Saab than the rebadged 9-7x SUV, but it remains to be seen how distinguishable the compact luxury crossover will be from the model on which it's based, the Cadillac SRX.

The 2011 model year is looking like a fairly quiet one for the major European players. The Volkswagen group has new bookends, with a redesigned Jetta and the Sybaritic Bentley Mulsanne- plus a fresh Audi A8 in between. Both Swedish carmakers enter 2011 with new owners and new sedans- the Saab 9-5 and the Volvo S60- to celebrate their new leases on life, and, of course Fiat returns with its tine 500.

Weeks ago, Saab executives let slip that the company would soon be building a fleet of electric 9-3s. Today, the company released the first photos and information about the 2011 9-3 ePower, which will debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show later this month.

So these two Swedes, Volvo and Saab, walk into a bar. Long story short: Plenty of crazy stuff happens before they depart, worse for wear and unable to walk out under their own steam. But, praise Thor and the other Norse gods, they're still with us now.

The Savior

At long last
The new Saab 9-5 might not be the most-anticipated new car this year, but it is perhaps the longest anticipated. It replaces a model that had lingered for thirteen years, a glaring testament to Saab parent company General Motors' fecklessness with regards to its Swedish ward. "Saab was at the bottom of the food chain at GM," says the brand's new CEO, Victor Muller, he of tiny exotic carmaker Spyker, which pulled off an eleventh-hour purchase/rescue of Saab in February.

You don't need a high-riding SUV or crossover to get the winter traction benefits of four-wheel drive. There are a myriad of sedans, wagons, coupes, and even convertibles that offer four-wheel drive (usually called all-wheel drive in passenger cars) either as standard or optional equipment. We've gathered up a complete list of AWD passenger cars; the list is long and the choices are many. Although the advantages of four driven wheels are obvious in slippery road conditions, the technology comes at a cost. There is usually a cost premium associated with all-wheel drive, and almost always a fuel economy penalty as well. So for each car listed, we've indicated the extra cost of the all-wheel-drive option, or the cost differential compared with the equivalent two-wheel-drive model, as well as its EPA gas mileage ratings, and the fuel economy penalty versus the two-wheel-drive version of the same car.

GM's struggle for survival has triggered the demise of another marginal brand. Efforts to sell Saab proved unsuccessful and the Swedish maker known for off-beat design and technology will expire unless a suitor appears with an emergency rescue plan. The highlights (and low points) of Saab's history follow:

Judging by the new-model intros from European carmakers, you'd think the bubble economy was still going strong. At Mercedes-Benz, AMG has been developing a new supercar and a new E63; BMW's M division has laid its hands on the X5 and the X6; Porsche is rolling out the Panamera; and Alfa Romeo has priced its 8C roadster at a cool $300K. It's sort of a collective, "What, me worry?" spoken with a (mostly German) accent.

After showing countless teaser photos, Saab finally revealed the long-awaited 2011 9-5 ahead of its public debut at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

Saab 9-3, 9-3X ,9-4X, 9-5, 9-1
It's ok to Saab at the end of a marriage.

Volvo is no longer the only Swede to offer a jacked-up all-road wagon. The 2010 Saab 9-3x, making its debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show, is essentially an outdoorsy form of its 9-3 Sportcombi.

After 25 years of building drop-tops, Saab has created a convertible concept that breaks from its traditional wedge profile. The 9-X Air BioHybrid foretells a sporty, open-air four-seater that may soon come out of Trollhattan.