Wonders never cease. Saab’s date of execution had been set for December 31. 24 hours before the last gasp, Saab has received a reprieve.
“We are preparing the wind-down process. At the same time we are open to options, to bids that come in. Therefore the deadline has also been dropped,” Saab spokesman Eric Geers said to Reuters. The news even surprised GM.
A spokesman for GM in Europe said he had no information on the December 31 deadline being canceled.
Geers on the other hand had even better news: Saab will restart some production lines again in January for its new 9-5 model and Cabrio.
“We have the orders and we have to deliver them as usual. We also have the orders for the 9-3 and others. The factory has to continue again,” said Geers.
GM is still in talks with potential bidders, but Geers only named Spyker Cars and declined to talk about other parties.
I just don’t understand, GM took our tax money to stay in business, and yet they seem to be hell bent on self destruction. All of these extra divisions were supposed to be dropped so GM could lower cost and narrow their focus, and now I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Pontiac or Saturn are going to stay around. What the hell has changed to make GM viable for the future?
They should drop Chevrolet in Europe. That is the extra division.
Dead Cat, er, Car Bounce.
All of this is just silly. Saab hasn’t been viable for years and years. Even if Spyker can some how manage to scrape together the cash to buy Saab, where’s the money going to come from for any kind of turn around effort? Do they think customers are just going to start lining up for the 9-5 once the company changes hands? They might want to talk to Ford or Daimler about how much cash it took to fail with Jaguar and Chrysler after the initial purchase.
There are a growing number of reasons why I believe we are in a time that will decide whether so many things live or die and this is just one more. Hopefully, I can look back in 25 years and remember what an exciting time this was and how it led to a more prosperous and powerful United States and worldwide economy. But I’m not so sure that’s what is going to happen.
Apparently nobody is really in charge… People show up, they do stuff and then they go home…
Eventually the cash will run out, again… then another bailout… and so on….
All of this is just silly.GM hasn’t been viable for years and years. GM even went bankrupt.
Why should GM live and Saab die ? Saab is the only brand with worldwide appeal in the whole GM.
Maybe they just still had parts lying around and figured “Fuck it, let’s build these cars.”
To quote Jude Law in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, “Why won’t you die?”
lw: word
LW – exactly. This is what happens when you’re “too big to fail”. No accountability means no one’s ass is on the line when leadership vacuums persist.
Our tax dollars hard at work!
Someone give Grandpa Whitacre his pills, wake him up and tell him to get to work.
Well I for one coudn’t figure out why Saab had to die, since it is its own self-contained brand, with a a distinctive — albeit GM-brtualized — personality.
I mean Fiat got a piece of Chrysler for no cash, why coudn’t Saab find a similar suitor – there are costs in shutting a company down.
I like how lw put it though; amusing, and I’d mix in a bit of the Office Space concept (the movie). Just keep showing up for work and do what you want, ignoring management.
“We have the orders and we have to deliver them as usual. We also have the orders for the 9-3 and others. The factory has to continue again,” said Geers.
I guess some people really have been living under a rock. Who orders a car from a Dead Brand Walking?
Look out…Nutella hits a chord!!! Exactly how many “brands” of “beige automotive spackle” does the WORLD need?? GMNA and whats left of the US auto manufacturing industry are by and large Fd. Theyve gotten a slight repreive only because of a worldwide recession and lower oil prices. That WILL change shortly. The domestic mfgs simply dont have product to deal with $4/gal fuel. Saab has been the TRUE pioneer of so many technologies that are required today and will be tomorrow. When the growing Chinese auto industry buys obselete Saab machine tools…what does that tell you? FUGM
Worse comes to worse.. they can always just stop production in the middle.. and scrape the Saab badge off and glue the Buick badge on.
As far as the center mounted ignition…
Oh heck they can market that as the Jet Fighter appeal.
Bob Lutz would Fast Track that option IMMEDIATELY!