Wyoming Wants Saab

General Motors’ deal to sell Saab fell through, and so now Saab is coming to America to see where it stands. Swedish concerns are similar to what Germany is up against with Opel: The thought of losing 8,000 jobs if GM kills Saab isn’t very appealing. It’s not clear what GM will do (although I say keep Saab and restore its kooky Saab-ness!), and it sounds as if the Chinese are no longer interested (they were in on the now-abandoned former deal). But ... a Saabista in the American heartland could ride to the rescue, according to the NYTimes:

After bowing out over the summer, when Koenigsegg emerged as the next apparent owner of Saab, Christopher Johnston, chief executive of Merbanco, a group of private investors based in Wyoming, is again expressing his company’s interest in Saab. In an interview with Swedish Radio, broadcast Monday, he said, "I can’t disclose much in terms of our pursuits, but we are very interested in Saab."

“We are very skilled in turnaround, we understand manufacturing and distribution, and I have personally owned Saabs for the better part of 20 years.”

He likes his Saabs, dang it (you can read about just how much here). So why not buy the company and perhaps get $600 million from the Swedes to get started on the, yes, Cowboy State chapter in this idiosyncratic automotive brand’s existence?