Goodbye to SAAB?!

[leopaul]

I found some bad news, I heard that General Motors will getting rid of the SAAB brand since Pontiac & Saturn. What will exactly happened to the new 9-5?!

Here's an article found at Carscoop:

Just moments ago, General Motors announced that it will be closing down its money-losing SAAB unit after concluding that the sale of the Swedish brand to tiny Dutch supercar maker, Spyker Cars, could not be completed in the time frame that had been set.

"Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution. We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars," said GM Europe President Nick Reilly.

General Motors had turned to Spyker Cars after a failed effort to sell the Swedish brand to a consortium led by the Koenigsegg Group AB.

The Detroit automaker said that Saab will continue to honor warranties, while providing service and spare parts to current owners around the world.

"We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner," Reilly said. "This is not a bankruptcy or forced liquidation process. Consequently, we expect Saab to satisfy debts including supplier payments, and to wind down production and the distribution channel in an orderly manner while looking after our customers."

What GM did not say, is what's going to happen with the Swedish firm's upcoming models such as the all-new 9-5 sedan and the Cadillac SRX-based, 9-4x.

Earlier this week, the Detroit automaker revealed that it had come to an agreement with China's BAIC for the sale of the intellectual rights of the current-generation Saab 9-5 (not the 2010 model shown in Frankfurt) and certain 9-3 models.

Saab follows the same fate as several other GM-owned brands such as Pontiac and Saturn which were also axed.

[marg]

Its hard to survive these days with just a small customer base. R I P, Saab.

[ianmitsulancer]

yikes!!! what will happen to current Saab owners? one of them happens to be my aunt in the US driving a 2001 Saab 9-3 Turbo. I do hope they can still provide support despite the shut down.

im quite sure resale values will drop big time. i feel sorry for this Swedish Meatball.

[jick.cejoco]

maybe saab is going back to what they do best; make aircraft

[renzo_d10]

yikes!!! what will happen to current Saab owners? one of them happens to be my aunt in the US driving a 2001 Saab 9-3 Turbo. I do hope they can still provide support despite the shut down.

im quite sure resale values will drop big time. i feel sorry for this Swedish Meatball.

Yes they will.

The Detroit [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]automaker[/COLOR][/COLOR] said that Saab will continue to honor warranties, while providing service and spare parts to current owners around the world.

[eggman]

Spyker o BAIC ng China(owner ng Foton) ang buyers ng Saab..

Honestly its time to let this brand die or sell it to other companies..Look at Volvo..

[ianmitsulancer]

*renzo, thanks for the info...

*eggman, this reminds me of what the koreans did in the past when Hyundai bought Kia and are now more successful than anyone can imagine. what is different though this time is that Volvo isn't on its two feet like Hyundai which is self sufficient to this date.

Volvo could have saved Saab if it had the resources... haiz...

[weisshorn]

*renzo, thanks for the info...

*eggman, this reminds me of what the koreans did in the past when Hyundai bought Kia and are now more successful than anyone can imagine. what is different though this time is that Volvo isn't on its two feet like Hyundai which is self sufficient to this date.

Volvo could have saved Saab if it had the resources... haiz...

Yes, korek.. hyundai is self sufficient. Eh syempre naman napakalaki ng hyundai compared to volvo. Car manufacturing is only one in their long list.

[renzo_d10]

*renzo, thanks for the info...

No prob. sir ian.

But I have a feeling that Saab owners will start to panic upon hearing this news.

And ... they'll start to sell their vehicles at a bargain price

Kasi ... who would want to own a vehicle from a bankrupted company. Even if they say that they'll shoulder warranties and stuff, even me would get scared and sell the vehicle ASAP.

[nz_alfa]

Such a shame. Saab was always one of my favourite oddball car companies and I was looking forward to the new 9-5. Damn.

[sm2by]

There is still hope for Saab! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Spyker-Cars-renews-bid-to-buy-apf-1800885202.html?x=0

I hope Spyker Cars could save this:

[andywesteast]

Malabo na din, Spyker is just a small company too. How long can they sustain a bleeding Saab?

[donbuggy]

I saw a Saab in Batangas City during the mid-80s. It had the quirky rounded body type. Probably a Saab 96.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_96

[frenchtower]

SAAB is not really a hot ticket item. Being an unpopular brand equated to low sales turnout. It's just a matter of time before GM decides to dump SAAB... now is that time. I just hope it's not going to be a museum piece.

[leopaul]

Update! May nakita ako sa isang site that for the saab-ers, pag sinarado ng GM yung Saab brand, they won't buy a GM-related brand forever.

Proof?

While not large in absolute numbers, Saab followers are a truly feisty bunch that will do anything to see their beloved brand surviving to see another day. And even though some may not always agree with their positions, if anything else, they do deserve our respect for their tireless efforts to save Saab.

Today we discovered that Steve Wade, a fellow Aussie from Tasmania that runs the Saabsunited enthusiasts' website, has launched a new campaign to put some pressure on General Motors to sell the brand at any cost by keeping the Detroit automaker on the media spotlight.

The site is called "I won't buy from GM" and according to Steve, the purpose of the campaign is "for people to declare to GM that if Saab is closed down, rather than sold, then those people signed up will not consider the purchase of another GM vehicle in the future."

Steve rightfully -in our opinion- notes that, while GM couldn't care less about a few thousand Saab fanatics not buying its cars, the Detroit automaker may be concerned about the media backlash if the word spreads around.

Whether or not this move will actually have any effect on GM's decision, is another story.

Since the site was launched on Christmas eve, more than 2,130 people have answered to the call.

Source: Carscoop

Will you join the cause or not? It's up to you.

Site: http://iwontbuyfromgm.wordpress.com/

[leopaul]

Good news!
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/26/b...aab-to-spyker/