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GM Agrees to Saab Sale Details With Koenigsegg
by
Edward Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Published: August 17th, 2009
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News is flashing across The Swedish Wire that GM and Koenigsegg have reached a final agreement on the future of the Saab brand. A share transfer agreement has been signed for an undisclosed sum and equally undisclosed technology and service understandings. Koenigsegg and its consortium partners are still waiting on $593 million worth of financing from the European Investment Bank. More details as they become available.
Edward Niedermeyer
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Published August 17th, 2009 2:27 PM
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I might consider a SAAB in a (car) generation or two, once the GM influence (and GM components) are excised, and so there is a shot at getting a quality (non-beancounter quality minimized) vehicle. But the new 9-5 and the CUV pictured are going to be all GM. Way too risky - bad enough to pay American prices for an (inferior) GM product, but even worse to pay European premium prices for an (inferior) GM product.
I largely agree with Tommy Boy. I drive a Saab 9-5 Aero and love the brand, so under ideal conditions I would buy another Saab. But there's no way I'm getting the upcoming 9-5. It will probably be too much GM and priced too high. Moreover, Saab reliability is bad enough, so why magnify that risk with the first year of a new generation, when Saab has presumably been strapped for development cash under GM's mismanagement? I hope it's a fantastic car that helps resurrect the brand, and if so I'll consider another Saab in a few years. But I'm not optimistic.
Latest news from Sweden is that Koenigsegg in no way at all have secured the 600 million dollars needed to go through with the buy. What they have done, is sign an agreement with GM, stipulating a deal where they have already secured the money needed, which they haven't, and they are now trying to blackmail the Swedish government through media to have the government back up the deal, something the government have been reuluctant to do. No money from the government - No deal.