Guess Who's Supposed To Save Saab Now?
Fritz Henderson could not save Saab.
Victor Muller could not save Saab.
Vladimir Antonov could not save Saab
Pang Qinghua could not save Saab.
Rachel Pang could not save Saab.
Now, Barack Obama is supposed to save Saab.
At least that’s how the Swedish metalworker union IF Metall sees it.
The letter says:
“Our hope is that you will feel that Saab Automobile is worth being saved. We, more than 4,500 car workers in Sweden, look forward to your answer.”
Saab is in bankruptcy proceedings, and the receivers are evaluating bids. Saab is worth very little without the technology licenses held by GM, and, for that matter, without the brand held by defense contractor SAAB AB.
GM has been on record many times that it does not intend to license its technologies to any buyer of Saab in any shape or form.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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I dunno - how many Electoral votes does Sweden have?
"GM has been on record many times that it does not intend to license its technologies to any buyer of Saab in any shape or form." Technically isn't that what GM did the first time? License its tech to Victor Muller et al? The problem was finding the right circumstances to make GM happy.
I just purchased a 2001 SAAB 9-5 wagon with 80xxx miles on it. It has a minor problem or two, but overall it is a fantastic car to drive, especially on long highway runs. It has a lot of great luxury items in it, and right now by my math I'm averaging about 30 mpg (not 30 mpg from the SID in the car). If this is the quality of car they were making after 2001, then there was a massive problem somewhere other than engineering. All you have to do is take care of the engine and tranny so it doesn't grenade on you and it can be a great, great car for years. It seems like the suits at GM messed this division up too. As long as a person get parts for these cars, people will enjoy them for years to come.
Nobody can save Saab, and that ship has sailed anyway.