Might have been nice to see the Swedish government take it over and run it for a while. Seems like they wanted to take a strong hand, but lacked the funding to do so. It would be a shame to see Sweden fall off the automaking map - I am rooting for Volvo!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"...in a Sunday statement, Spyker /quotes/comstock/24s!e:spykr (NL:SPYKR 1.71, -0.48, -21.92%) Chief Executive Victor R. Muller said that the company had submitted an 11-point proposal to GM, 'addressing each of the issues that arose during the due-diligence process.'
The executive said that "the renewed offer would remove each of the obstacles that were standing in the way of a swift transaction." He said the proposed deal would enable Spyker, Zeewolde, Netherlands, to close the purchase of Saab by GM's original deadline of Dec. 31.
Spyker's statement said buying Saab would give it 'a strong global distribution network consisting of no less than 1,100 dealers,' as well as an up-to-date production operation, dedicated workforce and strong engineering and research and development.
Spyker said its offer is valid until 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday."
Not knowing much about the financial situation of Saab as it relates to GM, but wouldn't it make more sense financially for GM to make this deal work even at a loss than shut down Saab and have to deal with the dealerships?
It wouldn't be advantageous to make it work at a loss, because the dealer agreement with Saab dealers is different, and won't be difficult or costly for GM to eliminate from what I understand.
Just think of the big costs for GM in the years ahead: free maintenance programs, warranty repairs, and parts support. Considering the trickle of cars Saab has sold in the last ten years, it will be a lot of overhead for GM with nothing to hope for in terms of repeat business from the Saab owners.
The incentive for making a deal work is the hope that the new company will eventually PAY GM to provide those services.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
GM already terminated their franchise agreements with Saab dealers over the summer. We have been operating on a sort of month to month basis since then. That is why Koignessegg was able to hire or fire Saab dealers at will during their negotiations.
It's a little odd that even as I read this, there is an ad just to the right advertising Saabs with 0% for 72 month financing. :-P
Saabs are kind of cool, but between the winding down and the slippery financial footing GM is on right now, it seems like a lot of the stuff like free maintenance and warranty support may well not be there within three years. Making Saab a risky buy what with all the other great brands out there, even given 6 year free financing....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I have had people come in because of the 0% but haven't been able to close anyone on it yet. Its hard when you only have four cars, with two being gray and two being red left not a lot of choices for someone.
SAAB just bumped their dealer cash up to 9,000 dollars from 5,000 dollars the other day. I would take the 9,000 over the 0% even for 72 months. Better to get all your discount/incentives up front.
Just sold one of them this morning, the last AWD 9-3 that was also a six speed manual, so down to three. I have one deal very close on a gray six speed manual 9-3 2.0T model and another deal close for the last automatic 2.0T 9-3.
Then there is one more six sped manual FWD model left.
Steven Wade, who runs the saabsunited.com website, has put together an online petition for people to sign saying that if GM shuts down Saab, they'll never buy from GM again. It has over 2500 signatures after a few days, but a lot more would help get the message through to GM. GM could announce a decision at the end of the week (a lot of people think GM never really wanted Saab to survive). Here's the link:
I would think that most die-hard Saab owners, wouldn't own a GM, anyway.. GM buying Saab was the only way that it accidently happened in the first place.. :surprise:
Stopped by my nearest Saab dealer, today... (not open)..
Only two new 9-3s on the lot.. A sport sedan, with premium package, auto, sunroof, etc... Stickered for just over $40k.. And, an Aero, auto, XWD and metallic paint... just under $45K...
Now, if you could get $15K off of that XWD Aero, that would be a heck of a car for $30K... assuming you planned on driving it for 8 years, or so..
Now, if you could get $15K off of that XWD Aero, that would be a heck of a car for $30K... assuming you planned on driving it for 8 years, or so..
Yeah, but getting service on that car could prove to be a major headache, not to mention warranty work. I think it would be far worse than say a Pontiac or Saturn.
I don't know what Spyker's plan is for Saab. However, if this deal goes through, it's not Spyker's ultimate goal, because Saab can't make it on its own. I think there's a step two or step two and three in Spyker's business plan. They could see a profit making opportunity in stabilizing and resuscitating Saab, for a subsequent sale. Alternately, they could use Saab as the first building block for subsequent purchases of other brands. The ultimate plan of building a portfolio of brands could make sense if Spyker has enough cash behind it, because in today's automotive environment cash is king.
It seems the "Saab enthusiasts" are planning to stage a rally:
Media Invite To Saab Enthusiast Gathering Near GM Renn Center To Save Saab
On Thursday, January 7th, a deadline will expire and GM will ultimately need to decide the fate of Saab Automobile.
“Sell Opposed To Shutdown”. There are two known interested parties that have submitted bids to buy Saab, Spyker Cars & Merbanco.
As time is of the essence, Saab Enthusiasts have therefore decided to take an initiative by gathering near GM’s world headquarters in Detroit, in order to send a message to GM to “SELL SAAB”.
Saab owners and enthusiasts from the U.S. & Canada will gather near the GM Renaissance Center at approximately 1pm by showing their unwavering Saab spirit in lining up their Saabs, holding Signs, taking group photographs and speaking to the press about how important it is to sell Saab.
Since GM emerged from bankruptcy court this summer, they are now 60% owned by the U.S. Government. Saab owners, Saab dealers and U.S. taxpayers alike, all want to see Saab sold in order to preserve thousands of jobs and and nearly $500 million dollars from the 218 Saab dealerships, small business assets in the United States.
“If there are enough Saab owners and enthusiasts parked outside of the GM Renaissance center in Detroit, perhaps we could really show them how serious we are in wanting Saab Automobile to have a bright future and be sold.” says Ryan Emge, editor of SaabHistory.com, an independent promotional news site.
This timely event marks a final effort in the Saab Community to save a company that has historically seen the value in saving the lives of its customers.
If you want the details, they are in the press release, which is linked above.
If Volvos are ultimately going to be designed and built in China under Geely's guidance, it would be nice to know that Saab is going to survive and continue to be designed and built in Sweden.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The 60-plus-year history of Saab may come to an inglorious end in the next few days if General Motors and Dutch supercar maker Spyker--or perhaps a dark-horse bidder--fail to reach an agreement to save the iconic Swedish maker of premium cars.
But the potential death of yet another GM brand raised some voices of dissension--and passion--as a crowd of about 30 Saab enthusiasts braved temperatures in the 20s and snow flurries to show their support for Saab at a gathering near GM's global headquarters in downtown Detroit.
Yes, you read that correctly - THIRTY people attended the rally. Reading between the lines, it appear there were actually more journalists covering the event than actual people IN the event! :-P
I guess we can see why it is that the Saab brand is falling into the abyss.
But if you ARE a Saab fan, you should check out the article. There is a section quoting some of the Saab fans who were there, and it makes a nice read.
I DO wonder if there are more Europeans than Americans that care about the death of Saab. Do they care in Sweden?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Anything that happens in this situation really doesn't surprise me. Why?
Because you have greed, politics, and U.S. government ability to rewrite the rules and change the playing-field in the auto-industry combined. With this combination, you could see tomorrow anything in the spectrum of: unlimited government loans to Saab, to GM selling Saab for $1 to a small group of Senators in return for their votes on health-care.
Who knows? With the way our government is acting these days, maybe the Saab plant will be converted/needed to print U.S. currency?
Its amazing it lasted longer than Olds, Plymouth and a few others. It was dead before GM bought it and they sure didn't do anything with it. Its DEAD get over it already. I did. There is no future for Saab.
"it was particularly telling news about Saab's current state of affairs when Spyker stock this week plunged some 28 percent when the company announced a third-quarter net loss of almost 40 million euros, nearly 10 times the loss from the same period last year.
Spyker doubled down on the bad news by cutting Saab production targets to 30,000-35,000 for the year, after in late summer paring back its original goal of making 50,000-60,000 cars to 45,000."
The latest news from Spiker ain't good-SAAB lost 400,000,000 eros last quarter. With money flying awy like this, I think the Swedish Government is about to step in..otherwise, I think its curtains for the marque. Face it, the world hasn't any room left for samll car manufacturers-this is what happened to Studebaker, almost 50 years ago.
Well OK, what exactly sets new Saabs apart from the gazillion other near-lux brands trying to pry $40K out of our pockets? Not much, as far as I can tell, except for it being the only Swedish brand still under European ownership (a small plus, but not a major motivating factor).
Audi, for one, seems to have them killed in every class.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The latest news is not good-production at the Trollhatten plant has stopped, due to suppliers refu :sick: sing to ship. Spiker is trying to sell the property to raise cash..looks like the wolf is at the door!
"Just days after Saab Automobile AB acting CEO Victor Muller said he was confident a hastily arranged deal with privately-held Chinese automaker Hawtai Motor Group would allow Saab to restart production at its assembly plant in Sweden, reports from China today confirm the deal has dissolved."
They have only sold 400 9-5s in the U.S. since the first of the year??!!
That car was obviously WAY overpriced when it was introduced. At $50K, just look at all the great choices you have - why buy from a company that could be bankrupt next week?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Comments
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yeah, but would you buy one?
The executive said that "the renewed offer would remove each of the obstacles that were standing in the way of a swift transaction." He said the proposed deal would enable Spyker, Zeewolde, Netherlands, to close the purchase of Saab by GM's original deadline of Dec. 31.
Spyker's statement said buying Saab would give it 'a strong global distribution network consisting of no less than 1,100 dealers,' as well as an up-to-date production operation, dedicated workforce and strong engineering and research and development.
Spyker said its offer is valid until 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday."
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Just think of the big costs for GM in the years ahead: free maintenance programs, warranty repairs, and parts support. Considering the trickle of cars Saab has sold in the last ten years, it will be a lot of overhead for GM with nothing to hope for in terms of repeat business from the Saab owners.
The incentive for making a deal work is the hope that the new company will eventually PAY GM to provide those services.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Saabs are kind of cool, but between the winding down and the slippery financial footing GM is on right now, it seems like a lot of the stuff like free maintenance and warranty support may well not be there within three years. Making Saab a risky buy what with all the other great brands out there, even given 6 year free financing....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
SAAB just bumped their dealer cash up to 9,000 dollars from 5,000 dollars the other day. I would take the 9,000 over the 0% even for 72 months. Better to get all your discount/incentives up front.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Then there is one more six sped manual FWD model left.
http://iwontbuyfromgm.wordpress.com/
Paul
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Only two new 9-3s on the lot.. A sport sedan, with premium package, auto, sunroof, etc... Stickered for just over $40k.. And, an Aero, auto, XWD and metallic paint... just under $45K...
Now, if you could get $15K off of that XWD Aero, that would be a heck of a car for $30K... assuming you planned on driving it for 8 years, or so..
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Yeah, but getting service on that car could prove to be a major headache, not to mention warranty work. I think it would be far worse than say a Pontiac or Saturn.
Bob
Media Invite To Saab Enthusiast Gathering Near GM Renn Center To Save Saab
On Thursday, January 7th, a deadline will expire and GM will ultimately need to decide the fate of Saab Automobile.
“Sell Opposed To Shutdown”. There are two known interested parties that have submitted bids to buy Saab, Spyker Cars & Merbanco.
As time is of the essence, Saab Enthusiasts have therefore decided to take an initiative by gathering near GM’s world headquarters in Detroit, in order to send a message to GM to “SELL SAAB”.
Saab owners and enthusiasts from the U.S. & Canada will gather near the GM Renaissance Center at approximately 1pm by showing their unwavering Saab spirit in lining up their Saabs, holding Signs, taking group photographs and speaking to the press about how important it is to sell Saab.
Since GM emerged from bankruptcy court this summer, they are now 60% owned by the U.S. Government. Saab owners, Saab dealers and U.S. taxpayers alike, all want to see Saab sold in order to preserve thousands of jobs and and nearly $500 million dollars from the 218 Saab dealerships, small business assets in the United States.
“If there are enough Saab owners and enthusiasts parked outside of the GM Renaissance center in Detroit, perhaps we could really show them how serious we are in wanting Saab Automobile to have a bright future and be sold.” says Ryan Emge, editor of SaabHistory.com, an independent promotional news site.
This timely event marks a final effort in the Saab Community to save a company that has historically seen the value in saving the lives of its customers.
http://www.saabhistory.com/2010/01/03/saab-enthusiast-gathering-to-save-saab-at-- gm-hq/
If you want the details, they are in the press release, which is linked above.
If Volvos are ultimately going to be designed and built in China under Geely's guidance, it would be nice to know that Saab is going to survive and continue to be designed and built in Sweden.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The 60-plus-year history of Saab may come to an inglorious end in the next few days if General Motors and Dutch supercar maker Spyker--or perhaps a dark-horse bidder--fail to reach an agreement to save the iconic Swedish maker of premium cars.
But the potential death of yet another GM brand raised some voices of dissension--and passion--as a crowd of about 30 Saab enthusiasts braved temperatures in the 20s and snow flurries to show their support for Saab at a gathering near GM's global headquarters in downtown Detroit.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100105/CARNEWS/100109979
Yes, you read that correctly - THIRTY people attended the rally. Reading between the lines, it appear there were actually more journalists covering the event than actual people IN the event! :-P
I guess we can see why it is that the Saab brand is falling into the abyss.
But if you ARE a Saab fan, you should check out the article. There is a section quoting some of the Saab fans who were there, and it makes a nice read.
I DO wonder if there are more Europeans than Americans that care about the death of Saab. Do they care in Sweden?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Because you have greed, politics, and U.S. government ability to rewrite the rules and change the playing-field in the auto-industry combined. With this combination, you could see tomorrow anything in the spectrum of: unlimited government loans to Saab, to GM selling Saab for $1 to a small group of Senators in return for their votes on health-care.
Who knows? With the way our government is acting these days, maybe the Saab plant will be converted/needed to print U.S. currency?
Spyker buying SAAB from GM
Spyker doubled down on the bad news by cutting Saab production targets to 30,000-35,000 for the year, after in late summer paring back its original goal of making 50,000-60,000 cars to 45,000."
Saab Struggles for Sales Foothold as Sales Boss Bolts, Production Cut (AutoObserver)
With money flying awy like this, I think the Swedish Government is about to step in..otherwise, I think its curtains for the marque.
Face it, the world hasn't any room left for samll car manufacturers-this is what happened to Studebaker, almost 50 years ago.
I probably still wouldn't buy a Saab though. If I wanted to buy an overpriced entry-lux car, I would probably head to the Acura dealer.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"Griffin" has meaning to Saab fans. For the rest, I suppose it either sounds like Andy and Opie or a fantasy scifi novel about winged dragons.
Beats calling it the 9-5 LSi or something similar by a long shot though.
Saab Tells the World: 'We're Still Here' (AutoObserver)
Audi, for one, seems to have them killed in every class.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I always liked Saabs for their quirkiness. M brother has an 01 9-3 convertible (replaced his same era sedan that he had for 10 years and maybe 160K).
Right now he's thinking about selling it. If he does I might well buy it.
Don't cost as much to fix or insure.
You can still get a manual in every model but the AWD 9-5.
The FWD automatics don't stick you with a overly complex and expensive CVT that will break just past 50,000 miles.
Saab Seesaws Again Toward Insolvency (AutoObserver)
That car was obviously WAY overpriced when it was introduced. At $50K, just look at all the great choices you have - why buy from a company that could be bankrupt next week?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)