We just heard within the past hour that GM have been unable to finalise a deal to sell Saab and therefore they will now begin a three month “orderly wind-down of Saab operations.”
Such a shame that a brand with so deep a history in motorsport and innovation has lost the fight to survive.
We’ve attached the image below which shows why it was a brand worth saving, although it seems ironic now that they produced such an advert entitled “to be continued”.
No it won’t.
Saab business to be wound down
General Motors announced today that the intended sale of Saab Automobile AB would not be concluded. After the withdrawal of Koenigsegg Group AB last month, GM had been in discussions with Spyker Cars about its interest in acquiring Saab. During the due diligence, certain issues arose that both parties believe could not be resolved. As a result, GM will start an orderly wind-down of Saab operations.
“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,” said GM Europe President Nick Reilly. “We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars. We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner. 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.”
Saab will continue to honor warranties, while providing service and spare parts to current Saab owners around the world.
As part of its efforts to become a leaner organization, GM began seeking a buyer for Saab’s operations in January. Last week, Saab Automobile AB announced that it had closed on the sale of certain Saab 9-3, current 9-5 and powertrain technology and tooling to Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd. (BAIC). GM expects today’s announcement to have no impact on the earlier sale.
As the company continues to reinvent itself, GM has been faced with some very difficult but necessary business decisions. The focus will remain on the four core brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC – and several regional brands, including Opel / Vauxhall in Europe. This will enable the company to devote more engineering and marketing resources to each brand and model.”
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This is bad and really sad news. They were such good cars, my granpa used to own a 9000 CS and it was terrific. Shame on GM for their mismanagement and zero passion for cars.
That’s the problem really – they ‘were’ good cars.
I still remember the Saab 900 Turbo which was famous at the time for covering the 30-70 mph sprint quicker than any contemporary Ferrari of the time.
They used to be quirky and characterful but GM turned the 9-3 into a rebodied Vauxhall/Opel Vectra which left it either over-priced compared to the Vectra or under-classed compared to the more prestigous models from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a Saab being included in a prestige saloon group test. We had a few delivered to the DR office earlier this year and I still ‘kind of’ liked them, they were regaining some of that uniqueness that made the brand so successful in past generations, but it was too little and too late.
I’ve still got fond memories – owning a Saab used to be a pretty cool thing to do.
This is bad and really sad news. They were such good cars, my granpa used to own a 9000 CS and it was terrific. Shame on GM for their mismanagement and zero passion for cars.
That’s the problem really – they ‘were’ good cars.
I still remember the Saab 900 Turbo which was famous at the time for covering the 30-70 mph sprint quicker than any contemporary Ferrari of the time.
They used to be quirky and characterful but GM turned the 9-3 into a rebodied Vauxhall/Opel Vectra which left it either over-priced compared to the Vectra or under-classed compared to the more prestigous models from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a Saab being included in a prestige saloon group test. We had a few delivered to the DR office earlier this year and I still ‘kind of’ liked them, they were regaining some of that uniqueness that made the brand so successful in past generations, but it was too little and too late.
I’ve still got fond memories – owning a Saab used to be a pretty cool thing to do.
And that’s exactly the problem. It ‘used to be’ cool to own a SAAB. But quirky cars don’t usually sell in huge numbers, so making SAAB more mainstream took it away from the loyal owners and into the hands of reps. Where it was just another car. With a little bit of acceptable quirkiness.
I remember when I was a young boy and my passion for cars was just beginning. SAAB made a cool car. Now I don’t even acknowledge them.
Also Saab got sucked into the whole platform-sharing world-car nonsense that proliferated Ford and GM back in the ’90s.
It’s okay to share components and modules where the customer is unable to perceive any change to the value or uniqueness of the product, but these large car companies did not credit their customers with the intelligence to notice (or care) and are now paying the price.
Saab was a brand that was perceived to be sporty, individual, cool (they used to make jet fighters!) and cast a unique profile on our roads.
It’s easy to loose such a perspective of a brand when sucked into the machinery of a global corporation.
There’s nothing new in this, it’s long been understood that the business case for portfolio brands only stacks up where the parent company is able to add value to each brand. The rationale for many acquisitions such as Saab seems to have been cost-based with little thought to the marketing of the brand.
Saab will become a case-study in business schools to show the folly of letting bean-counters rule a business that relies on customers being passionate about the end-product.. ;(
And that’s exactly the problem. It ‘used to be’ cool to own a SAAB. But quirky cars don’t usually sell in huge numbers, so making SAAB more mainstream took it away from the loyal owners and into the hands of reps. Where it was just another car. With a little bit of acceptable quirkiness.
I remember when I was a young boy and my passion for cars was just beginning. SAAB made a cool car. Now I don’t even acknowledge them.
Also Saab got sucked into the whole platform-sharing world-car nonsense that proliferated Ford and GM back in the ’90s.
It’s okay to share components and modules where the customer is unable to perceive any change to the value or uniqueness of the product, but these large car companies did not credit their customers with the intelligence to notice (or care) and are now paying the price.
Saab was a brand that was perceived to be sporty, individual, cool (they used to make jet fighters!) and cast a unique profile on our roads.
It’s easy to loose such a perspective of a brand when sucked into the machinery of a global corporation.
There’s nothing new in this, it’s long been understood that the business case for portfolio brands only stacks up where the parent company is able to add value to each brand. The rationale for many acquisitions such as Saab seems to have been cost-based with little thought to the marketing of the brand.
Saab will become a case-study in business schools to show the folly of letting bean-counters rule a business that relies on customers being passionate about the end-product.. ;(