[KiwiGuy]

GM extends excecution date for Saab

According to the Chinese site, auto.sohu, GM has extended the date by which Saab must be sold till January the 7th and as of now, are still producing the 9-5 and 9-3 models at Saab's Trollhattan factory. Dutch sportscar maker Spyker is still interested in aqquiring Saab but GM still remains uneasy.

Quote from the site:

Saab spokesman Eric Geers said that GM was still preparing to shut down in Sweden Trollhattan (Trollhattan)'s Saab division, but also at the same time evaluate potential acquisitions.

The Swedish government said that it will invest 542 million krona (about 77 million USD, give or take a few million) to back Saab when the deal with Koenigsegg fell through.

Just for one last note. Saab sold 93,295 cars worldwide last year.

 

[nzsaab]

NZSAAB sends letter to Detroit News!

General Motors Sale of Saab Automobile - Billions of Tax Payer Money and Thousands of US Jobs at Risk.

Jan 3, 2010

It is public knowledge that Spyker Cars has submitted a bid to GM that matches their initial offer for sale as well as submitted a revised bid that eliminated all additional concerns that were raised by GM when they walked away from negotiations and announced the closure of Saab on December 18th.

It is also public knowledge that Merbanco and several other companies have contacted GM with strong expressions of interest to buy Saab Automobiles AB.

It is clear and evident that a buyer exists for Saab and that the failure of a sale and closure of Saab by GM is entirely unnecessary, arbitrary and unfair.

The negative impact of Saab's closure by GM are numerous and significant.

- 218 small businesses across the US will be impaired or put out of business entirely.

- 5,000 jobs are at risk at the dealership level across the US.

- The US economy will lose an estimated additional 2,500 jobs that would be added back to the US dealer network after the launch of the all-new 9-5 and the 9-4X and the return of leasing to the Saab product line

- Close to $500 million small business assets are at risk of being impaired or liquidated.

- It will cost the US Tax Payer over $2 billion to close Saab Automobile compared to GM recieving upwards of $7 billion should the deal be completed with a potential buyer.

- Saab dealers collectively pump over $500 million into the US economy annually via their business expense structure.

- GM forced the Saab dealer network to sign a Deferred Termination Agreement this summer, which waived the dealers' rights to State franchise legal rights and remedies to dealership closure by the manufacturer. The dealers signed on the basis of expressions of GM's good faith efforts to sell Saab Automobile AB. If the dealer did not sign, they would be terminated immediately with no compensation and would not have the opportunity to be a Saab dealer after the sale of Saab was complete.

- Saab is not competition for General Motors. GM will not lose sales should Saab be sold and continue to produce and market their automobiles. Similarly GM will not benefit by increased sales should GM force Saab to close and go out of business. Since Saab lost its leasing facilities in July 2008, the network lost hundreds of repeat customers per dealership. Consensus among the US Saab dealers is that Audi was the overwhelming beneficiary, followed by Volvo, BMW and other European car makes. Very few if any became domestic car buyers. A few of Saab dealers are among the most successful Cadillac dealers in the country. These dealers have indicated virtually no success in converting lost Saab customers as Cadillac customers.

An alternative exists. GM clearly has a buyer for Saab. They simply need to decide to complete the sale. Saab is an iconic brand which should not die. Pressure needs to be applied by the media and tex payer on GM to get the right deal done.

I hereby give you permission to use anything from this email to be published in the Detroit News. I have made the most important facts the people need to know in bold. By publishing the information above GM's owners (The tax payers) will be informed that their money would be wasted if Saab is not sold and thousands of US citizens will loose their jobs.

Sincerely,
Aaron Winstanley
Top Contact me, reply to this email.

 

[Rally Red Lancer GTS]

nz-sounds like a very decent article as far as I'm concerned. GM needs to own up and sell the brand properly and save a carmaker and many jobs. I mean, it's not like no one gave GM a huge break last year, right?

 

[nzsaab]

Thanks Rally Red Lancer GTS,

I think sending my views to the Detroit News would be more effectibe than a news company elswhere in the US because Detroit is where GM are located. If there is to be a newspaper that arrives on the GM CEO's desk in the morning or one thats in the reception of GM it is more likely to be Detroit News!

 

[nzsaab]

2010 Saab 9-5 = 2011 Buick Regal? - I hope not!

It has come to my attention apon surfing the net that something could have been up for several years with this 9-5 Buick thing that we discussed earlier.

I was looking at this photo:

Notice the white 9-5 test cars! The nose is very different to a Saab's. I saw this photo at the time it came out and thought like every other person that it was just a disguise. Maybe not, maybe it was a part of a sick plan that GM had all along.

Take another look at the photo above, look at the lights and the grill, then look at the photo below:

The above photo is of the 2011 Buick Regal. Doesnt the front end look oh so similar to the top pic in this post?

You see both cars are based on the Epsilon II platform as is the Opel Insignia. Saab had the majority in developing this platform. Opels car came first because it was less technical than the rest. Followed by the uppersegment 9-5 and then there was a Buick expected for ordering in 2011.

Anyone see where Im going?

GM has been intending on selling Saab for years, since its first concept car was rolled out. GM thought Saab spent too much in developing for itself and GM a 2.0 4 cylinder engine and the 9-3 Sedan and Convertible that it threatened Saab that if sales did not increase GM would fold the brand. Then came more concepts, a 9-2x and 9-7x to up sales and a refresh of the 9-5. More concepts, cancelled models, a 9-3 refresh then GM annouce they will sell Saab after 20 years ownership. The same year the 9-5 is shown to world.
GM goes along with the idea of selling Saab, then pulls out of a deal with Spyker that was almost complete. Now they are stalling buyers. It has been revealed that it is GM's intention to stall buyers and come out with stupid excuses and conditions of purchase until the time is up. Then they will claim to the world they tried but couldnt find the right buyer. Saab gets closed and GM keep their tech.

The 2010 9-5 may have been a way of developing the platform to rival the high end BMW and Audi and then implementing Saabs development into the Buick.

Its a conspiracy i know, but it is all factual stuff.

 

[Rally Red Lancer GTS]

No, nzsaab, this sounds so much like GM it's incredible. And just for that I will not buy any GM-produced Buick Saab 9-5's. If they go ahead with their plan and don't sell Saab, that is.

 

[nzsaab]

Thankyou for your comment Rally Red Lancer GTS,

Im really very angry about the whole idea. I emailed Steven Wade of SaabUnited.com with the conspiracy and he denied it was true. He thinks its just a disguise.

 

[KiwiGuy]

Those white cars you mentioned are not actually Saab nor Buicks. They are Opel Insignias. Not only does GM share platforms but shares bodies as well. They do not in any way look similar to the 9-5. The front and rear ends are different, the window lines are different, the side profiles are different. The only way you can get Buicks in Europe are through specialist import companies attached to any GM dealer network or private import companies. Or import them yourself.

 

[nzsaab]

KiwiGuy

I think you may be confused as to what we are talking about here. Im aware that Buicks are not availible in Europe. But the above photo you are referring to is Saab/GM's test muel carpark. All Saab's Test Cars live here. (Mostly inside of course! They are sapposed to be secret. These test cars must have been in use on the day of the photo.
See the 9-3 Sedan on the left with the black rims?
Its really a Cadillac BLS Sedan. They were doing tests with larger wheels and much larger engines on the chassis. (Thats a long story thats not relavant).

According to you KiwiGuy, these GM360 cars must be the 'Same - But Different'. They have very similar window lines (namely the insignia and Buick, whereas the 9-5 does differ), as Im sure Rally Red Lancer GTS will confirm for you.

KiwiGuy, I find it hard to understand why there would be as you say real Opel Insignia cars and not disguised Saab 9-5 or Buick test cars when this is Saab's test car facility! Seems strange. I suggest you rethink your comment.

 

[KiwiGuy]

What makes you so sure they are? They may have been left over from when they were testing the original Insignia and then given to Saab before they started developing the 9-5.

 

[nzsaab]

Saab began developing the all new 9-5 based on EpII in 2004. Im not sure when an actual car was produced but it was definatly long before the public saw spy cars. It is my best guess that Saab already had test cars when Opel did.

We really are only guessing arnt we. I just wanted to put a conspiracy out there so that I can claim "I told you so" if the Buick thing really happens and Saab is closed down.

 

[nzsaab]

IT IS CONFIRMED! IF SAAB IS NOT SOLD, NEW 9-5 WILL BECOME CHINESE MADE BUICK!!!

As you may know, the new Saab 9-5 is currently being made on what is basically a test line at the Saab factory in Trollhattan. There is still some tooling for this new car sitting in Russelsheim, which hasn't been shipped to Trollhattan yet. It is my understanding from Tiefe Kehle that if GM decide to close Saab rather than sell it, then that tooling will be shipped immediately to China.

If Saab are wound down rather than sold, the new 9-5 will most likely be manufactured and sold in China as a Buick. It seems this is part of GM's wind-down planning for Saab should they not be sold.

If Saab are sold to a new owner, this transport order should be cancelled, with the tooling going to Trollhattan.

Im really scared, theres alot of talk in the media that GM NEVER had any intention to sell Saab and that it was all a cover story to make people think they tried but couldnt find a buyer.

 

[Rally Red Lancer GTS]

Sounds like GM. What a bunch of dopes.

 

[nzsaab]

Now its been said by high up GM management that there is no plans at all for the 9-5 to be produced as a rebadged model, which makes no business sense at all.

 

[KiwiGuy]

GM's back to it's usual self I see. No ammount of money loss will ever replace those idiots. I wouldn't believe anything they say at this present moment if I were you as it will most definately be countered in some way or another. GM is faffing about because the know the loss of Saab will be a big one. They are also doing the same thing with embattled German brand Opel.

I read some news today that Ford is thinking about axing the Falcon and replacing it with a car based in the Ford Taurus. Some are claiming it will be the end of Ford Australia.

Could be worse.

 

[nzsaab]

KiwiGuy

I have also heard about the Falcon perhaps being replaced with the Taurus, although that was some time ago.

The answer to stopping that is simply - everone needs to buy Falcon and Taurus will be dropped. It seems strange that Ford would want to replace the Falcon with the Taurus when both models co-existed around 2000 in the New Zealand and Australian market.

Personally Im a big fan of both Falcon and the 2010 Taurus and wouldnt mind either way if one is retained or cancalled. Is there plans to assemble the Taurus in Australia or will it be direct import?

To me, its doesnt make sense why Ford would decide to kill off such a popular Australian icon.

Ford USA's automotive build quality has increased to the same or better than Lexus! As per what the reviewers and also Fords marketing team are saying.

I shant get my undies in a twist over this issue.

 

[KiwiGuy]

American manufacturers are under massive pressure from the Obama administration to cut operating costs and become more profitable. That is why Saab, Hummer, Opel, Volvo, Pontiac and Saturn are being phased out or sold to cut costs. There is literally billions being shed because there is so much money running different companies. Ford was amongst the hardest hit and so it has undergone a product shakeup to reduce the numbers of models in the range which means less costs to make cars and also has a benefit of less resources being used to manufacture new cars and less pollution. Ford says it will replace the Falcon with the Taurus which is different in that the Taurus is front wheel drive over the Falcons rear wheel drive. The Falcon has been around for fifty years and it has to end sometime. My guess is it would be cheaper for Ford to manufacture the Taurus in the United States because it already has the tech and production lines (like Saab making cars in Sweden because it is cheaper than other countries). Also, it might be an incentive to bring other models, like the cool Edge CUV into these markets.

 

[Rally Red Lancer GTS]

I'm startin' to get a hankering for the new Ford Fusion Hybrid. On April 28, 2009, a Ford Fusion Hybrid went 1445.7 miles on one tank of gas. That's 81.5mpg! Of course, they were hypermiling to beat the band. But that's besides the point.

I'm really starting to like the car, overall, now.

 

[nzsaab]

KiwiGuy

As I know you are a French speaker I though I would post the Price Guide (In french, sorry no english) here: http://www.ilovesaab.be/documents/pdf/fr/BE_PriceNew95_FR.pdf

 

[nzsaab]

Im sure there would be a number of people very angry to hear the claim " The Falcon has been around for fifty years and it has to end sometime"! That is complete rubbish to state that as a reason as to why it should or could be replaced!

I do agree that production and development costs are high and have been increasing more and more in the span of 20 years as more technology is required for the average car.

I have read that a new Territory is due 2012? As is the new Falcon. So I guess more news will be out then ae?

You are correct Saab's plan was to centralise production to 1 facility (forget the 9-4x for two shakes) so that costs could be kept low, but more probably the idea was to ensure in the short term the staff have something to do in Trolhatten!