GM Agrees to Saab Sale Details With Koenigsegg

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

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
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  • Tommy Boy Tommy Boy on Aug 17, 2009

    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.

  • Nedmundo Nedmundo on Aug 18, 2009

    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.

  • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Aug 18, 2009
    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. Saabs have never really been quality vehicles. Volvos were, if you could get past the cost of parts, but Saabs were only durable in that special sense of the word used by mechanics and racing enthusiasts.
  • Ingvar Ingvar on Aug 19, 2009

    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.

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