Saab is gone

mumblin deaf ro

Fiat was an early - and in my view promising - prospect because of the previous connections (Fiat supply the current 1.9L multijet diesel engine for SAAB and also collaborated on the 9000). That deal seems to have faded though and from what I last read, Alfa seems to be in danger too.

L1011

Alfa as a stand-alone brand are what is in danger, Fiat Cars have restructered as a small car maker and Alfa's since the 1980s are built on Fiat Cars big platforms - which no longer exist! Fiat's own largest car (the Croma) is built on the Opel Vectra platform due to this.

Alfa can survive if its got somewhere to get large (by European standards) platforms from. And Fiat now have a large stake in Chrysler...

If Fiat were to cull a marque due to poor performance it'd be Lancia not Alfa. Alfa will fight another day, just likely with their large cars built on yanktanks rather than the Fiat Tipo platform as they are now!

spank_inferno

So when all is said and done and the company wound down. Is it still worth considering purchasing a Saab??

I'm considering the 93 as a dat-to day car rather than and old 900 for nostalgia.

Will there be anywhere to get it serviced or repaired?

many thanks

Mr Benevolent

So when all is said and done and the company wound down. Is it still worth considering purchasing a Saab??

I'm considering the 93 as a dat-to day car rather than and old 900 for nostalgia.

Will there be anywhere to get it serviced or repaired?

many thanks

Just watch out for the pre '04 turbo 93 and 95 dying of sludge due to crankcase breather problems (same as the VAG 1.8T) and anything other than fully synthetic oil and you'll be fine.

mumblin deaf ro

Spyker has submitted a revised bid which they say overcomes the 11 obstacles identified by GM last week when it announced the wind-down - the Spyker bid stands until close of business Monday.

On servicing, GM has said that if there is a wind-down it will make plenty of spares available and will honour warranties etc. Considering that classic 900 from twenty years ago can still be easily serviced and parts are plentiful, that wouldn't be my main worry - depreciation and difficulty selling it on might be something to think about though.

Firefox10

Sad to see the end of SAAB. My dad owns a 9-5. Lots of very good features on it and an excellent car to drive. Can run on Bioethanol too.

Mr Benevolent

Been doing a bit of research on SAABs in general, seem to be great cars but the dash is awful on pre '04 cars. Can't believe how ugly it is.

batperson

Update 1 hour ago.

Saab negotiations ongoing. Renewed offer from Spyker last night

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8423880.stm


Saab unlikely to go. New owner more likely. Negotitation tactics is what this is all about imo

colm_mcm

glynf

Sad state of affairs the whole thiong. Saab were fecked as soon as they became part of GM.

I still remember the day my father came home with a black 900 turbo in the mid 80's. loved that car..broke his heart though:D

Jalopnik.com have some good Saab stuff on their site.

Tabnabs

The latest update on the Spyker bid
http://www.thelocal.se/23988/20091222/

unkel

Dyflin wrote: »

The latest update on the Spyker bid
http://www.thelocal.se/23988/20091222/

The Dutch media today named the "mystery Dutch billionaire" as Marcel Boekhoorn.

Now on Reuters too: linky

grudgebringer

Looks like the brand is doomed .... pity, they deserve a chance:

* GM: No Saab bid yet better than closing it down * CEO Whitacre: "We're closing down Saab" * Spyker CEO: Talks continuing, still hopeful of deal
(Adds comment from Swedish official, detail on planned action
by Saab workers, comment from GM)

Full Article

TheScribbler

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

More here, I'm not a SAAB fan but would be sorry to see them go.

GM to 'wind down' Saab business
GM has been trying to sell Saab since January.
GM says it has failed to sell its Swedish car brand Saab and will begin "an orderly wind-down of Saab operations".
It had been in talks with the Dutch speciality car maker Spyker. Talks with Sweden's Koenigsegg also fell through earlier this year.
"We regret that we are not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars," said GM Europe boss Nick Reilly.
GM has been trying to sell Saab as part of its turnaround plans since January.
Mr Reilly added that all debts would be paid and that the winding-down would be "an orderly process".

Speaking as a committed SAAB owner over many years (I have owned 9 SAABs since 1982), I am desperately sorry to learn of the demise but I hope that Bernie Ecclestone can pull something off here. It would be sad to see the marque disappear. Frankly I don't care much for the Opel/Vauxhall output of recent years which I have long though to be badge engineering of the worst kind - poor products with common bodystyles etc. The Saab 93s & 95s have been far better cars altogether (despite GMs focus on global 'blanding.') The SAAB design engineers sought to retain their own design expertise, even within the GM framework but one rather suspects that GMs lack of commitment to non US design and development was to lead to tears sooner or later and that came to pass with the current recession. SAAB needs to be independent again.

TheColl

TheScribbler wrote: »

Speaking as a committed SAAB owner over many years (I have owned 9 SAABs since 1982), I am desperately sorry to learn of the demise but I hope that Bernie Ecclestone can pull something off here. It would be sad to see the marque disappear. Frankly I don't care much for the Opel/Vauxhall output of recent years which I have long though to be badge engineering of the worst kind - poor products with common bodystyles etc. The Saab 93s & 95s have been far better cars altogether (despite GMs focus on global 'blanding.') The SAAB design engineers sought to retain their own design expertise, even within the GM framework but one rather suspects that GMs lack of commitment to non US design and development was to lead to tears sooner or later and that came to pass with the current recession. SAAB needs to be independent again.

but i'm sure the opel/vauxhall badge has been far more profitable and thats all its about at the end of the day

TheScribbler

I don't deny that but the marque has been a specialist car and priced accordingly. The problem was that GM did not understand this at the outset. It was profitable before being bought out.

TheColl

TheScribbler wrote: »

I don't deny that but the marque has been a specialist car and priced accordingly. The problem was that GM did not understand this at the outset. It was profitable before being bought out.

i see, but would it have been as profitable as opel? whatever the case is, it's certainly sad to see a marque bein abandoned like this, never driven a saab myself but i've always liked their styling, really unique and instantly recognisable unlike a lot of bland crap you get these days.

VolvoMan

TheScribbler wrote: »

I don't deny that but the marque has been a specialist car and priced accordingly. The problem was that GM did not understand this at the outset. It was profitable before being bought out.

They did have their financial troubles at the time they were bought out, things like the financial crisis of the early nineties weren't going in their favour either. They were planning to become part of the FIAT group at this stage by merging with Lancia and very nearly did, but at the very last minute GM swung in and bought 50% of the company.

galwaytt

VolvoMan wrote: »

They did have their financial troubles at the time they were bought out, things like the financial crisis of the early nineties weren't going in their favour either. They were planning to become part of the FIAT group at this stage by merging with Lancia and very nearly did, but at the very last minute GM swung in and bought 50% of the company.

....the way things turned out, the FIAT move might have been better ! Look at this way - they ended up with FIAT engines anyway (diesels..)

ednwireland

this is always in my mind when i think of saab
(my dad brought some rally stuff from work (he used to work for scandura/mintex)

unkel

galwaytt wrote: »

....the way things turned out, the FIAT move might have been better ! Look at this way - they ended up with FIAT engines anyway (diesels..)

Better than the Opel petrol engines going into Alfa Romeos. The shame

AugustusMaximus

To say GM finished off SAAB is a bit rich. If anything the billions poured into SAAB by GM kept it alive a lot longer than it should have had.

SAAB didn't make a single years profit under GM ownership.


Pre GM ownership, would I be right in saying that other companies designed a lot of SAAB cars. For instance, didn't SAAB preproduce a few FIAT designs ?

TheScribbler

The only tangible link between Saab & Fiat was the joint venture was to develop a new car betweeen the Swedish firm and Lancia and which became the Saab 9000. My understanding is that it was largely Saab designed & Lancia styled. Indeed the engine was also that the powered the excellent Saab 900s for many years. The Saab version was very successful as a specialist car but as a Lancia it didn't do so well. In fact I had a Saab 9000 for many years and it was a wonderful smooth and responsive salloon - a brilliant workhorse for which the GM bodied Saab 95 was to be its direct replacemnt. I also have an SE (sporting) version of one of these that is an excellent upper middle market car but lacks much of Saab's style quirkiness. I also own a 900 (the first of those using ther GM body that replaced a Saab 900 that I owned. Again it is well built and finished but I really do miss the whole feel of the historic Saabs.

In hindsight I suspect the Saab might have been better served to maintain its close links with Fiat, and an earlier contributor was quite right in pointing out that the Swedish company was a victim of the previous recession and despertately needed the capital to develop new cars for the future. GM provided a solution but it was one based on adapting its own US technology rather than on radical design thaqt had been its key selling point. In hindsight one can always argue that it failed to rise to a changing market - one that was dependent on transforming into a mass market vehicle. This was not a good strategy.

My hope now is that it can find a financial stable that can capitalise on the brand being a specialist quality car. However I am but one humble owner.