When will Saab officially die? Take a guess. Win a prize.

[Jesda]

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/24/saab ... r-company/

[Jesda]

[Bubba1]

It doesn't seem like there's anything left to Saab other than its name and a few proprietary designs. . I'm not convinced this consortium has the capital and skills to rescue Saab as we know it and make it into some sort of pseudo "Chemo-Saabie" . I can only think they're grabbing what's left to release their own vehicle with a recognizable name.

[Jesda]

Loose Swedish-English translation:

Here are the key points to me that are laid out in the ttela article:

We are a 60 or so people who can make off distance significantly shorter when you want to start car production again, said Stig-Göran Larsson, former technical development manager at Saab.

I have been in contact with the administrators and offered our services. With our help, you could shorten the time for a restart with two or three months, says Larsson.

Stig-Göran Larsson has also attached a document in the letter to the administrators, in which he lists as the 60th century, people can contribute. On the personnel side, it is among other things to help with names for recruiting, on the purchasing side contacts with all Saab suppliers, on the marketing side of the contacts with the now destroyed dealer network and, particularly, in the technical evaluation of how and what will need to change the existing Saab models for GM retains its negative stance.

He also touches on the Phoenix platform and what would need to be replaced should GM continue to have a negative view on Saab. Thankfully this seems quite simple.

Yes, the drivetrain will need to be replaced.

There is also mention of other names on the list of 60. I think he has some good company there too.

Among those he mentions, which are linked to network, hear Kjell ac Bergström, former President of Saab / GM Powertrain, Jorgen Burnert, former deputy head of personnel and with them a number of other key individuals who have been involved in Saab’s journey over the past few decades. What exactly they can help with is of course dependent on the business plan for a new owner has.


http://www.saabsunited.com/2012/06/read ... owner.html


The new platform, developed while Saab was under Spyker's ownership, is ready to go but it needs a new engine and transmission that's entirely separate from General Motors. There's a purchasing agreement for engines from BMW but they could go in another direction depending on who buys the company.



Assembly will require new tooling. The GM-based Saabs are done for good.

The last 47 Saabs were built by a company brought in by bankruptcy administrators to put the last cars together by hand. Those were shipped and went on sale last month.

Videos of the assembly:
http://saabworld.net/content/saab-ana-b ... ibles-810/




I doubt new Saabs will be sold in the US and Canada for years, if ever. Saab became an entirely different entity under GM, and it's going to be an entirely different entity under whomever owns it next.

[Bubba1]

While I admire Saab fan enthusiasm, as a casual observer, I don't see Saab's situation as positively as the article's author. Having 60 experienced Saab people willing to work not long after they were laid off is not shocking to me. It's also not a shocker to me that a list of suppliers would be be willing to resume selling parts (they're gonna expect to be paid). I'm just not so sure there's enough of an infrastructure left for the new buyers make a go of it, much less in a couple months. With GM withdrawing their engines/drivetrains, and all of their proprietory designs/equipment/info, and support, plus a decimated dealer network, what's left of Saab will have some huge hurdles, both both financial and operational to clear. About all they have going for them at this point is a recognized brandname. But thanks to GM, most of Saabs fans really only like their 30 yr old vehicles.

I think the patient is dead.

[Jesda]

There's a brand new platform waiting for a powertrain. Someone needs to buy it, the problem is separating it from the rest of Saab.

The other problem is the high cost of Swedish labor, and the administrators are eager to find a buyer willing to maintain production in Trollhattan.

[driverdriver]

If and whatever this consortium builds, won't be a Saab.

[alexxbailey]

That was a rough year for [deleted as spam ... thanks for the report!]. When a judge denied Saab's request for protection for bankruptcy the vehicle maker shut down. What they did to Saab was nasty. It's great to see Saab back hopefully up on their feet again. I hadn't heard much now about them but I am glad for their success.

[szh]

That was a rough year for [deleted as spam ... thanks for the report!]. When a judge denied Saab's request for protection for bankruptcy the vehicle maker shut down. What they did to Saab was nasty. It's great to see Saab back hopefully up on their feet again. I hadn't heard much now about them but I am glad for their success.

I am a tad busy right now ... heading home from work ... so don't have the time to ban you for that spam link.

So, consider this a warning instead. If you post a spam link again, under the guise of making some kind of meaningful statement in a thread, you will get banned in a heartbeat.

We monitor threads and our users do the same for us!

Z

[Jesda]

That reminds me...

Saab is still in business, operating out of the same factory with most of the same assembly workers and engineers, building and selling the 9-3 for Sweden and China.

http://www.saabsunited.com/2014/03/nevs ... art-1.html
http://www.saabsunited.com/2014/03/test ... sions.html

Zombie car

[OriginalWheelman]

Annnnnnnnnd... It's dead again.

http://jalopnik.com/saabs-new-owner-has ... 1579231516

NEVS issued a statement Tuesday that they've put the brakes on production at the Trollhattan plant because shareholder Qingbo Investment Co. was unable to line up financing for its share of the deal. The other partner, National Modern Energy Holdings, has already pumped in about $455 million to restart production.

[Jesda]

Ooooh, its getting close!

I feel like we're hanging out by Terry Schiavo's hospital bed, taking bets.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Saab is a zombie cyborg, being kept alive by a combination of evil virus and twisted technology.

Sounds kind of like the Borg.

Borg sounds Swedish.

Wait a minute...

[BusyBadger]

Saab is a zombie cyborg, being kept alive by a combination of evil virus and twisted technology.

Sounds kind of like the Borg.

Borg sounds Swedish.

Wait a minute...

Don't let me die!

[Jesda]

New cars are still being delivered


Downsizing was announced today (most employees were temps)
http://www.saabsunited.com/2014/05/redu ... attan.html

And now there are rumors of new Asian investors and partners.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I guess I'm still struggling to see how selling a single, outdated model is going to lead anywhere productive for Saab. They need a more diverse product lineup to gain any traction, and they can't fund that without sales to bring in the money. Chicken or egg?

[Jesda]

The old model is good enough for Chinese fleets, even after reverting to an older Saab engine with higher emissions. VW does the same, selling older platforms and powertrains in global markets. To win over Chinese consumers, they need a LWB model.

[krazy skwerel]

I miss Saab. They were a classy GM product. I loved my 2001 9-3 hatch. Yes the interior was all plastic and the leather kinda cheap but it drove and rode amazing and had plenty of get up for a daily driver.

[Bubba1]

New cars are still being delivered


Downsizing was announced today (most employees were temps)
http://www.saabsunited.com/2014/05/redu ... attan.html

And now there are rumors of new Asian investors and partners.

I guess you can't award the prize yet. But with so few selling, I imagine getting parts for them if you have a fender bender or repair might become a challenge.

[OriginalWheelman]

They need to make a movie about this. Add some gun fights, car chases, and they can use it to advertize their cars.

Sadly, it would probably make more money than the brand.

[Bubba1]

They need to make a movie about this. Add some gun fights, car chases, and they can use it to advertize their cars.

A movie about how a car company could survive so long without ever making a profit?

[Jesda]

They need to make a movie about this. Add some gun fights, car chases, and they can use it to advertize their cars.

Sadly, it would probably make more money than the brand.

I was thinking more along the lines of a sitcom about people with funny accents who eat open-faced sandwiches and listen to death metal. Swedes love their death metal.

[OriginalWheelman]

Side note, did you know Finnish bands make metal about their folklore? It's crazy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwo6bMKBaw

[Bubba1]

I was thinking more along the lines of a sitcom about people with funny accents who eat open-faced sandwiches and listen to death metal. Swedes love their death metal.

But when it comes to Swedes, I figured you were more of an ABBA kinda guy.

[OriginalWheelman]

http://jalopnik.com/saab-is-too-poor-to ... 1628411818

We asked if Saab is cursed, but maybe it's more than that. You ever know that person who was interesting and attractive but only dated losers? Maybe that's Saab.
A Swedish court decided that National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB — the quasi-Chinese company that owns Saab — didn't have enough money for bankruptcy protection. That's right, they're too poor for bankruptcy as the WSJ reports.

[Jesda]

Slowest toilet flush EVER.

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.as ... el=5950529

I can't read Swedish but talks are ongoing. Mahindra is rumored to be interested in Saab again.

[OriginalWheelman]

Lets crowdsource the money and have NICO buy it.

[Jesda]

http://www.saabsunited.com/2014/12/did- ... aab-2.html

[Jesda]

WHOMEVER HAD THE LATEST GUESS WINS THE CRAPPY PRIZE

[szh]

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.as ... el=5950529

I can't read Swedish but talks are ongoing. Mahindra is rumored to be interested in Saab again.

Google is your friend ... only slightly more comprehensible:

Nevs requests reconstruction again

The tours around Nevs continues. The company has submitted a new request for reconstruction, where it appears that the company has received a loan of SEK 20 million.

The new reconstruction application from Nevs is more detailed and longer. Innovations will include the automaker has received a loan of SEK 20 million from the principal owner for the costs during the first 3-4 weeks of a possible reconstruction.

In addition, Nevs to get additional money from the owner to the extent needed to cope with the reconstruction.

"The purpose of the application for company is not only receive a deferred payment without conducting a full financial and operational restructuring of Nevs motion, which will lead to the liabilities will be regulated in full," writes the company as the reason for this new claim.

It was yesterday that Vänersborgs District Court dismissed the Nevs application for reconstruction, which is a sort of bankruptcy protection. The reason was that plans to bring in new money was rated as "vague and completely undocumented."

A reconstruction would mean that the debts will be frozen until the Nevs possibly reached an agreement with its negotiating partners.

- We need more time, said Nevs Communications Mikael Östlund yesterday.

Nevs negotiating with two vehicle manufacturers of both cooperation on the Phoenix platform, the future of Saab cars to be built on, and partly about getting a new principal owner. Which companies are not confirming Nevs in the application, but according to data is the Indian Mahindra and Chinese Dongfeng.

Within a month, hoping Nevs have clearly an agreement on cooperation in the Phoenix platform and, according to the new application, it'll be providing over a billion kronor to Nevs. There is money enough to pay off the debts of around 400 million and to run the company at least a year ahead.

N is the case for a new owner, so having an affair discussed for half a year and the prospective owner's Board of Directors has decided to implement the deal, but under certain circumstances, writes Nevs.

Vänersborgs District Court shall issue a decision during the day.