Where to start…

  Similar story with old Honda’s. Simple cars that just worked with few problems, but they were simple cars with few electrical motors and digital features. 

No they weren't. Japanese manufacturers brought all sorts of whiz-bang doohickeys over by the boatload. That was one of the ways the Japanese luxury cars were able to compete with the Germans. Even if you go back further you'll find stuff like the 2nd gen Accord which was the world's first car to offer automated navigation. Even if not electronic, Honda brought over a bunch of really complex mechanical things like four wheel steering. Even the old carburetors of 70s and 80s Hondas were among the most complex you're ever likely to encounter.

  However, some manufacturers like Saab actually delivered all this with excellent reliability

lol. no. I say this as a Saab fan: Saabs have never been reliable. Ever. The (pre-GM) 9000 made the news for being fire prone. The Trionic stuff while fascinating was not reliable in the slightest, or as Saabnet puts it: 100% of engines equipped with direct ignition have had a direct ignition cassette failure. Transmissions were delicate. Climate control…

If you mean older Saabs, well the two stroke stuff has its own set of problems. They're neat cars but were just different enough to make it difficult to find a competent mechanic. Saab already had one foot in the grave by the time GM bought them.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Feds-investigate-Saab-90...