SAAB Abandoned By GM, Files Bankruptcy.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/30/s...st-production/

Saab's hiring! 500 workers reportedly needed to boost production

by Eric Loveday (RSS feed) on Mar 30th 2010 at 5:41PM

Interested in a job in the automotive world? Saab has the news that you've been waiting for. According to AFP news service, production of Saab vehicles will be boosted to six times the current amount in just two short years. In order to meet that ambitious target, the automaker has announced that it will need the help of 500 more workers.

Spyker Cars, the new owners of Saab, announced the need for more workers in Paris last Wednesday. Spyker chief executive Victor Muller also laid out some future financial plans for the Saab brand. Muller said that Saab would receive $1 billion in support and plans for expanding the sales volume will result in overall profit by 2012.

Last year, Saab produced just 20,000 vehicles, though it produced over 90,000 in 2008 before it looked like (then) parent General Motors was fixin' to close up its Swedish shop.. By 2012, the company aims to produce 120,000 vehicles. Spyker anticipates that Saab will sell around 50,000 vehicles this year and slowly increase production until the 2012 target is met. Meeting the goals apparently requires a workforce of 4,000 people, which in turn requires 500 new workers, a sizable hiring uncommon in recent automotive history.

[Source: AFP via Google News]

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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/28/r...2009-wait-wha/

Report: Saab turned a profit in 2009. Wait, wha?!

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Jul 28th 2010 at 10:31AM

Swedish site The Local claims that Saab produced $531 million in black ink in 2009. Not possible, right? General Motors was, after all, all too ready to walk away and let the Born from Jets automaker die a pauper's death. Well, it seems as though all automaker profits come chock-full of asterisks, and the half a billion dollar profit is certainly no different. Saab was reportedly able to make with the dough by brokering deals with creditors to write off 75 percent of its debt and by selling technology, tooling, and manufacturing rights to Chinese automaker BAIC for $164 million.

Without Saab's extraordinary efforts to remain in business, the company would have lost $752 million in 2009. The Swedish automaker sold a mere 38,756 vehicles during the tumultuous year, generating revenue of just $820 million. We're thinking that there is little chance Saab will be able to pull big-time kroner out of its collective hat in 2010, so the automaker will probably have to rely on its new-for-2010 9-5 and newly leaner organization to book profits in the future.

[Joe5619]

Who owns SAAB these days??

Maybe they should have put SAAB managment in charge of GM??

[1TUFXR]

thanks god!

The worlds ugliest car... anyone who owns a SAAB should be forced to go Bankrupt!

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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/r...-with-new-9-2/

Rumormill: Saab to enter WRC with new 9-2

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Aug 9th 2010 at 1:59PM

Saab was quite successful in rally competition once upon a time, and it looks like the automaker's new management hopes to kick-start the brand's revival with a return its motorsports roots.

The word out of Europe is that Saab has met with World Rally Championship officials and committed to a 2012 entry into the series with a machine based on its upcoming smaller car. Depending on who you talk to, the new model could be dubbed either the 9-1 or 9-2.

The small car project originally began several years ago when Saab was still under the General Motors umbrella with the car expected to be based on the Gamma platform that underpins the Opel Corsa. As an independent, Saab doesn't have the resources to develop such a platform on its own and is currently talking to other potential partners including BMW and some Chinese makers. Expect its design to be inspired heavily by the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid concept (above).

If Saab hooks up with BMW, it could have a Mini-based 9-1/9-2 competing against the new Mini Countryman WRC.

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Saab honours ‘Save Saab’ activist

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25777D0025E36A

Aussie’s efforts to save Saab boomerang back in new award from Saab CEO

12 August 2010

By RON HAMMERTON

AN Australian Saab enthusiast who helped to mobilise a global grass-roots ‘Save Saab’ campaign via the internet has been honoured by Saab Automobile CEO Jan Ake Jonsson in Sweden.

Steven Wade, from Hobart, is the first recipient of the Saabs United Award, created by Mr Jonsson and named after Mr Wade’s Saab blog website from where he helped to co-ordinate groups of fellow enthusiasts in dozens of cities around the world to rally in support of Saab when General Motors threatened to kill off the Swedish brand.

The trophy features a boomerang that Mr Wade originally gave to Mr Jonsson because he thought it symbolised the Saab’s chief’s approach to saving the company – “he kept coming back to the negotiating table and would not go away”.

Also featuring a model of the first Saab car, the Ursaab, the trophy will be presented annually to any individual who, in the eyes of Mr Jonsson and a judging panel, makes the single greatest contribution to Saab’s success.

Mr Jonsson said the award would be the company’s way of "expressing its gratitude to people like Steven and others who continue to show us such great support".

Saab was saved from oblivion in February when it was sold by GM to Dutch sportscar company Spyker Cars NV, whose CEO Victor Muller credited the Save Saab campaign with helping to convince GM to change its mind.

Mr Wade, 40, was one of the first people Mr Muller called once the deal was sealed.

The new award was presented to Mr Wade at a recent dinner for about 800 ticketed guests at the Saab Festival, in Trollhattan, Sweden.

Mr Wade said the award was nice recognition for work done by the enthusiasts.

“They (Saab) sprung it as a surprise, too, although I did have a sneaking suspicion that something was going on when I saw the plaque at the Saab Museum the day before the dinner,” he said.

Mr Wade said his Saabs United website prided itself on its accurate coverage of the Saab sale process, and it had even been contacted by a number of suitors looking to buy Saab.

“The biggest single event for which the site has received recognition, however, is co-ordinating information about the Saab Support Convoys that were held all around the world, mostly during January 2010,” he said.

“The convoys were initiated by a group in Holland, but Saabs United became the central meeting point for information about what was happening.

“In all, there were around 60 convoys held in various cities around the world, with around 6000 cars and an estimated 10,000 people involved.

“This kind of consumer activism is pretty much unheard of in the car industry, and it provided the people on the ground in Trollhattan with a large measure of support, as well as a whole lot of media coverage that meant GM couldn't make a decision about closing Saab without it being noticed.”

One of the most telling Save Saab rallies was held in Detroit on the opening day of the Detroit motor show in January, gaining critical publicity when the world’s motoring media and motor industry leaders were all gathered in ‘Motown’ – home of GM.

[nipper575]

I actually know Steven Wade, I met him when he enquired about one of my Alfa Romeos I had for sale funnily enough.

I noticed he was driving a Saab and told him that mum has a low km 9000 Aero in the garage, I had a feeling that he wanted to leave with the Saab after that.

Very nice guy, a real enthusiast, good for him.

[BigBlue]

I haven't read through all the posts so I don't know if this has been covered already.

One ongoing complaint from SAAB's management was they were "lost in the pack" when GM took them over.
Their identity was no longer and they were " just another part of GM".

This I would have thought would have been an ideal opportunity for them to get back to what made SAAB cars for individuals in the first place.

A loan from the Swedish Gov't to be paid back over, say , five years by the workers and management and SAAB is back in business as an independent company with a niche market.
A "management buyout" in other words.

Was this idea ever floated?

Peter.

[nipper575]

Originally Posted by BigBlue

One ongoing complaint from SAAB's management was they were "lost in the pack" when GM took them over.
Their identity was no longer and they were " just another part of GM".

Well all I can say after my folks having owned 3 Saabs until now (9000 Turbo, 9000 Aero, 95 Aero Wagon), is that the only one that was truly disappointing was the 95 Aero Wagon.

I'm not sure whether the lifeless feeling of the 95 had anything to do with GM's bean counters, but compared to the two 9000s that have been in this family, it was easily the worst car of the 3. It did not feel like a Saab at all.

Sure it went surprisingly well (I won't begin talking about torque steer and excessive tyre smoke, most of you would watch TG), but it was the most unreliable of the 3 we had owned also. The quality between the 9000 and the 95 was very easily spotted from just a glance at the interior materials, the leather seats in particular.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no contest between a 9000 Aero and a 95 Aero, the older car felt better to me in every aspect other than straight line speed, and even then the 9000 didn't feel like it was trailing by much.

I would love to see Saab producing quality cars again like they once did.

[Snelens]

I have driven a 900 /9-3 but not a 9000. Our 9-5 Aero wagon has been fantastic BUT it has needed a little loving along the way with engine mounts, and a few other expensive fittings.
To make it mine I have installed a full Quadrant Suspension Bilstein spring & strut kit (absolute transformation to drive), Abbott ECU & exhaust, stainless brake lines, and a few other touches to the air intake. It is VERY quick from 60-110 and is so smooth & quiet. To top it off it was about $3K more expensive to buy as a 3 year old car than the equivalent Commonwhore Calais wagon (Ford didn't do a wagon with leather at the time).

I know which I would prefer. Great car, great value 2nd hand & very underrated.

[nipper575]

Don't get me wrong, the 95 is not a bad car by any means, I probably sounded a bit harsh in my last post.

Just in comparison to the older models, it felt less like Saab to me, lost a bit of its character. IMO, the exact same thing can be said of Alfa Romeo who funnily enough was also under GM's influence when Fiat were owned by them. Once again, not bad cars but they lost the spark that made them the drivers car that they once were.

I'd love to see how the 95 goes with the work you have done to it, I nearly considered a few Abbot parts back when I inherited the 9000 Turbo.

Have to agree about 2nd hand value, though it applies to any Saab. I'd never buy one brand new knowing how quickly they depreciate. Very underrated cars indeed, especially when compared to the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc...

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/79862/sa...-back-to-work/

Saab gets back to work
By Alborz Fallah | August 19th, 2010



If you’ve been looking at the monthly sales figures for Saab in Australia you may have noticed the company isn’t exactly doing all that well. According to official figures, Saab has sold just one car in Australia this year.

Now under the new management of Spyker, the Swedish brand is restarting operations once more. The Trollhättan based manufacturer has re-hired 250+ previously dismissed workers to get this started but nearly 1/3 refused the re-employment offer.

“It surprised me that as many as 30 percent of respondents said no, given how it has looked with the recession etc. But it’s really nice that people have found other solutions. Some have changed direction completely and invested in training, others have new jobs. “ Håkan Skött, Metallklubbens chairman at Saab in Trollhättan told SVT.

The company returned to full scale production Monday having stopped for the last three weeks. The manufacturer currently makes 39 cars per hour, an increase from 28 some months ago. Total yearly output for the Swedish brand is expected to rate at about 60,000 cars.

The company is currently running its production line on just a single shift but may increase to two shifts if demand picks up. Saab Automobile has around 3,500 employees.

Source: Saab United.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/18/s...r-break-one-i/

Saab moves to rehire dismissed workers after summer break; one-in-three refuse

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Aug 18th 2010 at 6:28PM

When General Motors was on the precipice of dropping Saab forever, we imagine that the good workers of Trollhättan, Sweden were more than a little nervous. After all, how many high-paying jobs are there there in Scandanavia in the middle of a global recession? Well, it turns out that there may be quite a few jobs available if you consider the high volume of workers who reportedly turned down an offer to come back to work at Saab.

Sweden's SVT reports that as many as one-in-three laid off Saab workers turned down offers to come back to work in factory jobs for the company. Håkan Skött, Metallklubbens chairman at Saab in Trollhättan reportedly told SVT that up to 30 percent of the workers got new jobs or invested in training, adding "it's really nice that people have found other solutions." it's also good that Saab was still able to rehire 224 workers to help edge up vehicle production from a reported 28 units per hour to a max speed of 39 vehicles in any 60 minute period. The added workers will increase annual production to 60,000 units in total, and the company will need to hire still more workers if it plans to increase production more through a second shift.

[Source: SVT via Saabs United | Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty]

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/27/r...-to-lose-more/

Report: Spyker posts loss, expects to lose more

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Aug 27th 2010 at 6:00PM

An accounting rule, among other things, is ostensibly to blame for Spyker posting a loss and having to declare negative shareholder equity with more liabilities than assets. According to Automotive News, the new owner of Saab had counted General Motor's $326 million in redeemable preference shares in the company as equity, not a liability. So with the company having just got its factory going in October and only having sold 10,500 cars in the first six months of this year, the hard numbers are a loss of €139.1 million ($177.2M U.S.) on €243.1 million in sales ($309.8M U.S.).

The good news is that sales for the same period last year, before Saab's plunge into full out cardiac arrest, were €4.1 million ($5.2M USD). The Swedish maker also has €280 million in cash (around $357M) and another €266 million ($339M) untapped from its European Investment Bank loan. Spyker has been saying for a while that profitability would come in 2012 and that it has enough cash and credit to get it there without needing to raise more money.

Its sales projections of 45,000 to 50,000 cars this year, however, might be on some downward pressure. Company CEO Jan Ake Jonsson said that they're still looking to achieve that low number. Next year's forecast and the company's break-even point is understood to remain at 80,000 cars, with 120,000 as the long-term annual sales target.

[Source: Automotive News – sub req'd | Image: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty]

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/22/r...-9m-saab-bill/

Report: Sweden asks collector to pursue $15.9M Saab bill

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Sep 22nd 2010 at 6:33PM

According to Reuters, the Swedish government is pursuing a $15.9 million debt that it says is owed by Saab. The country said that if the carmaker's newest owner, Spyker, didn't turn over the funds by September 20, that it would leave the matter in the hands of its official debt collector. Since that date has already come and gone, we can only imagine that there's a crack team of burly looking Swedes threatening to break some kneecaps in Zeewolde as you read this. Meanwhile, Spyker CEO Victor Muller has said that the issue is nothing more than a legal dispute and that it will be handled through the appropriate channels.

So where does this alleged debt originate? According to the report, the Swedish government paid Saab's worker's wages while the company was transitioning between General Motors and Spyker ownership. In the past, both Saab and Spyker have said that the carmaker should only be held responsible for a portion of the debt. From the looks of things, the Swedish government begs to differ.

[Source: Reuters]

[vztrt]

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...001-16076.html

Saab on verge of Aussie return
Toby Hagon
October 1, 2010

Back from the brink of being killed off, Swedish car maker Saab is planning a return to the Australian market as early as 2011.

Ding, ding – it’s round two (or three) for Saab.

The Swedish car maker once owned by General Motors has come back from the brink of being euthanased and is now talking of returning to a notoriously competitive market to fight again against more established competition

Executives at the 2010 Paris motor show confirmed Saab would again be sold in Australia following a hiatus of more than a year; the brand is due back on sale around February or March 2011.

Since the bankruptcy of parent company General Motors and its cleanout of underperforming brands, which included Saab, the premium brand has sold just two cars in Australia so far this year.

“Monday, we agreed the business plan," executive director of sales for the born again Saab, Adrian Hallmark, told an Australian journalist. "We have a clear business plan for Australia.”

The senior executive of the new Saab said it planned to set up a head office and confirm a dealer network.
Saab is expected to begin selling the 9-3 again as well as the sleeker new 9-5 that gets a more tapered tail in a typically Saab package.

Saab also used the 2010 Paris motor show to show off its latest environmental hero car, the 9-3 ePower.

Running on electricity only, the 9-3 ePower has a range of up to 200km and can dash to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds. The engine has been replaced by a 135kW electric motor.

“The 9-3 ePower program is our first step towards developing a potential production vehicle that will deliver the sort of advanced performance our customers expect,” said Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson.

“We now look forward to working with our technical partners in developing such a product.”

Saab hasn't confirmed it will produce the ePower, although sources suggest it is likely.

[vztrt]

Saab back for 2011

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2577B1007A909F

New Saabs back in Aussie showrooms in three months, with 9-4X to follow

4 October 2010

By MARTON PETTENDY

A NEW Saab model line-up including the redesigned 9-5 flagship, all-new 9-4X crossover and next-generation 9-3 volume-seller will begin rolling back into Australian Saab dealerships from as early as January 1, the resuscitated Swedish brand told GoAuto at last week’s Paris motor show.

“We are coming and if it doesn’t happen by January 1 then it will happen by February 1 at the latest,” said Saab’s global sales chief Adrian Hallmark at the French automotive show, where new Saab chairman Victor Muller promised to renew the brand’s complete model line-up within two years.

Mr Hallmark said Saab would distribute its vehicles directly through a national retail network comprising at least 12 multi-franchise dealerships, including a minimum of two dealers in each major metropolitan centre.

“We will direct-distribute,” he said. “We will invest, we will run it and we will go for it instead of operating through an independent distributor and allowing them to make all the profit. It’s the most logical, sensible thing to do for Australia.”

Mr Hallmark said eight product-starved Australian Saab dealers had been in direct contact with the company’s Trollhattan headquarters to secure supplies of the existing 9-3 and all-new 9-5.

He said those dealers would be the first to receive Saab vehicles from Sweden and others were currently undergoing an evaluation process as Saab reviews their business plans.

The 2010 model 9-5 went on sale in Europe earlier this year as the first all-new Saab large-car for more than 13 years, and Saab will commence production of the new Cadillac SRX-based 9-4X in Mexico later this year, following its global debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November and ahead of its European launch in 2011.

Mr Hallmark said the 9-4X would also be part of an Australian Saab model range that in 2012 will be joined by the redesigned 9-3, which will be powered by British-built turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engines from the Mini Cooper following a supply deal announced last week with BMW.

Sales of new Saabs trickled to halt in Australia this year following the 2009 sale by General Motors of the historic Scandinavian car-maker to low-volume Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker for “the cost of a wind tunnel”.

Saab sold just over 10,500 cars globally in the first half of this year and has lowered its full-year forecast to 45,000 vehicles.

However, the Spyker CEO and Saab chairman reiterated in Paris his intention for Saab to become profitable by 2012, when he hoped a renewed model range would attract global sales of 120,000 vehicles – up from 80,000 in 2011.

Mr Muller said the $US74 million ($A76 million) Spyker paid for Saab was a “no-brainer”, despite the fact that Saab never returned a profit under a decade of full GM ownership. Nor has Spyker been profitable since it was rescued in 2000.

However, Mr Muller pointed out that Saab sold 125,000 vehicles as recently as 2007 and plans to reduce the company’s break-even point from 100,000 to 80,000 vehicles by 2012.

Saab hopes cost savings generated by alliances such the BMW engine deal will also help fund the development of new models, including the new 9-3 and a born-again version of Saab’s classic teardrop-shaped 92 compact car of the 1950s.

The company, which also has a 400 million Euro ($A567 million) loan from the European Investment Bank on which to draw, is expected to reveal a wagon version of the new 9-5 at the Geneva motor show in March.

“Spyker could not have bought Saab at a better time,” said Mr Muller in Paris as Saab unveiled a battery-powered 9-3 EV Estate and a new, more efficient diesel engine that will return CO2 emissions of 119g/km in the 9-3.

“In two years the 9-5 will be the oldest model in the Saab range. Never before have we had a crossover and never before has Saab’s model line-up been so young.”

Saab says it will commence trials of a 9-3 EV test fleet in early 2011 in selected global markets, but has yet to reveal if it plans customer sales.

[vztrt]

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2577B3007F95AD

Saab 9-5 set to arrive Down Under about March

New Saab distributor lays out plans for new-model rollout as GM exits stage left

6 October 2010

By RON HAMMERTON

SAAB’S own distribution company is planning to kick off Australian operations in early 2011 with fresh stocks of 9-3 models before switching up a gear with the arrival of the all-new 9-5 flagship in March or April, according the man tasked with re-establishing the Swedish brand Down Under.

Saab Asia Pacific Region director Stephen Nicholls – a long-time Saab executive who held the same role under the previous General Motors ownership of the Swedish car-maker – said he also expected the all-new 9-4X SUV to arrive in Australia in late 2011 or early 2012.

Saab Automobile AB, which was sold by GM to Dutch niche sportscar-maker Spyker Cars seven months ago in the wake of GM’s chapter 11 bankruptcy, decided to handle its own distribution Down Under after first considering appointing an independent distributor.

Speaking a few hours after Saab head office in Sweden formally announced Saab’s return to Australia and New Zealand, Mr Nicholls said today that Saab Australia was in the middle of transferring its operations from previous importer GM Premium Brands – a branch of GM Holden – to its own control.

He said the new subsidiary, which will also continue to look after New Zealand, was planning to establish its own headquarters in Melbourne where he would act as Saab Australia managing director – a role he held 15 years ago.

“There are a load of things to be decided, but that is the sort of direction we are heading in,” he said.

Mr Nicholls said he was in the process of meeting with various existing dealers as a prelude to re-appointing the dealer network, adding that Saab’s proposal was for “fewer, better dealers”.

“There is a good core of dealers around the country, and we are looking to build on that,” he said.

“We are not looking to set up a large dealer network. We would like to ensure that both they and us make some money out of it.”

Mr Nicholls also confirmed that Saab was considering entering into the retail market itself in Australia, but not in the short term.

“That is something that other manufacturers have done with varying degrees of success,” he said. “It is not the first priority we have, but it is something we would consider. It is on the table for discussion – yes.”

Mr Nicholls said he was expecting to appoint about 12 dealers across Australia – down from the previous 16. As well, there would be three in New Zealand.

Major Melbourne Saab dealer Philip Mance told GoAuto he was confident his Saab retail franchise would simply continue on under the new distribution arrangement.

He said he and several other key Saab dealers in Australia had already negotiated directly with the Saab factory in Sweden to order fresh stocks of Saab 9-3 models in readiness for sale under the new arrangement from January.

“We have ordered stock already,” he said. “We pre-empted this decision (Saab Australia appointment) and negotiated with Saab directly to get things happening,” he said.

Mr Mance said orders for the new 9-5 were also imminent, for launch later in 2011.

Mr Nicholls said the exact launch date to for 9-5 – which is just being rolled out across Europe – had not been locked in as “we haven’t proven the build of that particular combination through the factory yet”.

“But I would imagine we would probably be looking at an end of quarter one or beginning of quarter two launch next year,” he said.

The Saab 9-4X SUV – to be built in Mexico on the same production line as the closely related Cadillac SRX – would follow some months later.

“Given that we are a right-hand drive market and that production for right-hand drive markets is at the back end of the launch schedule, it will probably be at the end of next year or maybe the beginning of 2012 by the time we get that we get that launched locally,” he said.

The production 9-4X, with the top-of-the-range model fitted with a Holden-made 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 that is also fitted to a high-end Saab 9-5, is set to be unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show next month.

The formal announcement of Saab Australia comes just days after Saab’s return was foreshadowed to GoAuto by Saab Automobile AB’s executive director of sales, Adrian Hallmark, at the Paris motor show.

There, Mr Hallmark – a former Volkswagen executive – said Saab had elected to run its own operation in Australian and New Zealand instead of operating through an independent distributor.

He said eight Australian Saab dealers had been in direct contact with the company’s Trollhattan headquarters to secure supplies of the existing 9-3 and all-new 9-5.

He said those dealers would be the first to receive Saab vehicles from Sweden and others were currently undergoing an evaluation process as Saab reviews their business plans.

Last night’s statement from Saab Automobile AB headquarters in Trollhattan, Sweden, said Saab Automobile was continuing to enhance its international sales organisation by setting up Saab Australia.

“Transitioning over the coming months, it will assume all marketing, sales and distribution responsibilities from GM Holden Ltd, following the purchase of Saab Automobile from General Motors by Spyker Cars NV of the Netherlands seven months ago,” it said.

“The new subsidiary will be responsible for supplying and maintaining national networks of dealers, including existing Saab dealerships and new outlets, in Australia and New Zealand.

“The existing dealer network will continue to serve customers during the transition period.”

Saab fan and co-ordinator of the Save Saab website that helped to save the brand, Steven Wade, said the return of Saab to Australia under the new distributor was news all Saab's Australian customers had been waiting some time to hear.

“We knew they'd be back, it was just a matter of when,” he said.

“It's hard to see all of this activity happening for Saab elsewhere in the world without knowing when we might get to share the excitement.

“The other great thing about this news is that Saab are going to be running the operation themselves.

“It removes a layer of red tape between the dealers and the factory and ensures that the people working for Saab Australia are going to be super-motivated. It's great news.”

Meanwhile, GM Holden has been clearing out the last dregs of its Saab stock, offering large bonuses to dealers to take the handful of cars left.

After selling only two Saabs all year, five Saab 9-3s – two sedans and three convertibles – were registered by three dealers who offered to clear them.

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/85881/sa...uture-secured/

Saab’s Australian future secured
By Alborz Fallah | October 6th, 2010 8 Comments

With sales of Saab vehicles in Australia at an all time low, some positive news has come out of Trollhattan today with confirmation the Swedish brand will continue operations in Australia and New Zealand.

Saab, which was purchased from General Motors by Dutch supercar maker Spyker seven months ago, will setup a new entity called Saab Australia that will take care of all distribution, marketing and sales in Australia and New Zealand.

The company has confirmed that all customers will be taken care of whilst the process takes place. Saab Australia will take over all operations from GM Holden, such as maintaining the national Saab network of dealer.

“We are delighted to make this announcement, which represents the start of a new chapter for Saab as an independent car manufacturer in the Australian and New Zealand markets. After evaluating a number of different business models, we believe that having a Saab-owned subsidiary is the best way for Saab to optimize its great sales potential and to best cater for current and future customers in these markets. Australia and New Zealand are vital to Saab’s representation in the Asia-Pacific region. We look forward to relaunching the Saab brand in Australasia next year with exciting new products like the new 9-5 Sedan, 9-4X and 9-5 SportCombi. Our new organization will ensure we get the right infrastructure in place.” Adrian Hallmark, Saab Automobile’s Executive Director of Sales.

In September Saab sold just five vehicles in Australia, nonetheless a range of new products such as the Saab 9-4x as well as a technology deal with BMW means the Swedish company is gearing up for a big comeback.

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/05/k...aab-after-all/

Koenigsegg buys (a) Saab after all?

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Nov 5th 2010 at 10:32AM

Koenigsegg nearly owned Saab outright, but at the eleventh hour, the Swedish specialty carmaker backed out of the deal. Losing out on Saab may have been the best thing for Koenigsegg to do financially, but we're thinking there's at least some small measure of regret for Christian von Koenigsegg and crew that the deal didn't happen.

So how do you satiate that disappointment? Christian von Koenigsegg bought himself a small piece of the company, taking delivery of a white 2011 Saab 9-5. Saabs United reports that Koenigsegg was actually one of the first people in the world to order a new 9-5, though he says that he definitely wasn't the first to actually take delivery.

Koenigsegg told the Saab-centric site that he was hoping to get his hands on a 2.0T model since it it lighter, but instead ended up with an Aero V6 because he wanted Saab's GM-sourced HiPerStrut suspension system. That, and the DVD headrests screens means he can play Koenigsegg videos while chauffeuring potential new customers.

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/21/r...ting-200-jobs/

Report: Saab cutting 200 jobs

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Nov 21st 2010 at 7:02PM

Saab may been been saved from an untimely death by Spyker, but sales have yet to rebound. According to Reuters, union representative Hakan Skott says the poor sales mean Saab will cut its workforce by 200 jobs, bringing overall employment at its Trollhättan complex from about 1,600 to 1,400. Skott claims this is no surprise, given that Saab's sales forecast was revised downward from 45,000 units to between 30,000 and 35,000 for all of 2010.

Cutting nearly 15 percent of all factory jobs is a serious issue, but Skott feels (hopes?) sales will pick up in February or March. Saab didn't comment on the report, though Spyker CEO Victor Muller reportedly told Dagens Industri that there was "no reason to worry," adding that Saab still intends to build 80,000 vehicles in 2011. Muller added that temporary workers are the ones receiving pink slips.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/19/r...estor-to-back/

Report: GM clears way for controversial Russian investor to back Saab

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Jan 19th 2011 at 8:30AM

General Motors still owns a hefty chunk of shares in Saab. So many shares that it was actually able to block Vladamir Antonov from being a shareholder. Mr. Antonov is the Chairman of Conversbank Financial Group, which owns a major stake in Dutch automaker Spyker, and he has expressed a desire to be part of Saab. Now, GM is reportedly ready for him to take a financial interest in the company.

GM's hesitation came due to reports that Mr. Antonov was involved in organized crime. Antonov states that he was the target of false allegations and has since cleared his name through the use of private investigators. In the past, Antonov spoke about opening a Saab manufacturing plant in Kaliningrad, Russia.

[Source: The Straits Times | Image: Chris Paukert/AOL]

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http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...225-1b7zj.html

Saab: It's not a comeback
Stephen Ottley
February 26, 2011

Saab has high expectations for its full-scale return to the Australian market.

Its new 9-5 sedan is due to hit local showrooms in April, going head-to-head with Europe's leading premium marques.

The Scandinavian brand celebrated the first anniversary of the company's takeover by Dutch supercar maker Spyker this week, with local dealers set to receive the first shipment of updated 9-3 models including the new 9-3X crossover.

Saab Cars Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saab AB, officially cut all ties with former owners Holden in January.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Despite the protracted sale and doubts over the company's future, the managing director of Saab Cars Australia, Stephen Nicholls, says the local operation maintains a presence through its dealers and service locations.

"We don't really think of it as a comeback because we don't think we ever went anywhere," Nicholls says.

The 9-5 is the first all-new product since Spyker's takeover and will fight for sales against Audi's A6, BMW's 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

An Estate (wagon) version of the 9-5 is due later in the year and Nicholls was optimistic the 9-4X SUV will arrive by the end of 2011.

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http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...330-1cg2l.html

Saab in trouble - again Barry Park
March 30, 2011 - 6:20PM

Cash-flow problems halt production of already-troubled Swedish brand.

Reborn Swedish car maker Saab appears to again be on shaky ground, with reports surfacing that the company has had to shut down its production line because it hasn't paid suppliers.

The Swedish news website of Dagens Industri is reporting that the Saab factory at Trollhattan was idled on Tuesday after parts deliveries from at least one subcontractor were stopped.

The website quotes Svenake Berglie, the president of Sweden's Automotive Suppliers Association, who confirmed that Saab has had problems paying suppliers on time.

Advertisement: Story continues below ''Saab has lagged behind in the payments and we have urged the company to remedy this,'' Berglie is quoted as saying. ''It is clear that there is a problem when suppliers are not paid on time.''

A spokesman for Saab's Australian operations was unavailable for comment.

Saab faced an uncertain future early last year as US owner General Motors fought to avoid bankruptcy protection as it began to sink under the weight of billions of dollars of debt.

The Swedish brand was cut from GM, along with military vehicle brand Hummer, after being labelled as an underperforming asset.

Saab was eventually sold off to Dutch supercar maker Spyker for a reported $400 million price-tag, with Spyker since announcing that it will spin off its supercar division to concentrate on making the Swedish brand's range of passenger cars.

Saab has just relaunched itself in Australia after selling only 14 cars here for the whole of last year as potential customers took a wait-and-see approach to the brand.

It reintroduced an all-wheel-drive version of the 9-3 wagon in January, and an all-new 9-5 sedan is slated for an April launch. A soft-roader wagon version of the 9-5 is also expected to arrive in Australia late this year.

Despite the launch of a fresh model, Saab has not recorded a single sale in Australia in the first two months of this year.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/30/s...aid-suppliers/

Saab production temporarily halted by unpaid suppliers *UPDATE

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Mar 30th 2011 at 9:07AM

Yesterday, Saab was met with a slight production hiccup. The Swedish automaker's parent company Spyker Cars confirmed that production briefly ground to a halt at its Trolhättan assembly plant when a number of suppliers stopped the flow of parts due to non-payment of bills.

Saab says it "expects to resolve these issues in the short term," and workers resumed production this morning. Any cessation of production invariably costs an automaker big bucks, and even though the stoppage was very short in duration, its understandable that other suppliers and analysts might have the jitters about whether Saab's financial position is stable.

Given that Spyker recently sold its own automotive unit to CPP, Saab should have enough cash on hand to pay the bills, although the automaker itself announced a nearly $200 million loss from last year. Follow the jump for the official announcement.

*UPDATE: Automotive News reports that Saab's factory was idled for a second time on Wednesday, but the company vows to once again fire up the lines on Thursday, having remedied delivery and payment schedules with one of its suppliers.

[Sources : Spyker/Saab, Automotive News – sub. req.]

Press Release

STATEMENT ON SAAB AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION

Zeewolde, The Netherlands, 30 March 2011 - Spyker Cars N.V. (Spyker) announces that after a short production stop at Saab Automobile yesterday afternoon, this morning production re-started again.

Certain suppliers halted supplies to Saab Automobile pending discussions about payments and supply terms. Saab Automobile expects to resolve these issues in the short term, also to prevent any further disruptions in supply. Saab Automobile has sufficient means to meet its immediate liquidity needs from existing and available sources. In addition, Saab Automobile continues to work on longer term solutions to further strengthen its financial position and improve its capital structure.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/05/r...bout-finances/

Report: Saab seeks to reassure about finances

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Apr 5th 2011 at 9:31AM

Last week, Saab ran into production problems when some suppliers stopped shipment of parts due to lack of payment. The news led to speculation that the Swedish automaker was running out of cash. And it didn't help that outgoing Saab CEO Jan-Åke Jonsson seemed to retire unexpectedly as the automaker struggled to gain its footing as an independent automaker.

Just-Auto reports that Spyker CEO Victor Muller was at a new model presentation in Stockholm when he told Dow Jones Newswires that the cause of the problem was a "small glitch," adding that the reports of the automaker's demise is "disproportionate." Muller went on to add that he now regrets discussing volume projections in the wake of the automaker's sale early in 2010. We're guessing that's the case mainly because Saab doesn't appear to be close to hitting its 2011 sales target of 80,000 units. After a couple of brief hiccups, Saab was able to get its factories firing again last week after the supply base was paid and deliveries were restarted.

[Source: Just-Auto | Image: Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/AFP/Getty]

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/06/r...-supplier-woe/

Report: Saab suffers another production stoppage as supplier woes mount

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Apr 6th 2011 at 10:04AM

Last week, we told you about the on-off three-day work stoppage at Saab's Trolhättan plant, which occurred due to a financial dispute with one or more suppliers. Spyker CEO Victor Muller then publicly insisted that the delay was nothing more than a "minor glitch" due to a short-term liquidity problem.

But new reports indicate that Trollhättan is down again for a second day this week, and the work stoppage could go on for several more days. According to Reuters, Saab spokesperson Gunilla Gustavs says that the automaker is working hard to resolve the issue, adding "we are trying to reach a resolution with the suppliers."

If money is the automaker's biggest stumbling block to paying off suppliers, Vladimir Antonov could be the answer. The wealthy Russian has expressed interest in buying into Saab in the past, and if he were permitted to invest capital, we're thinking Saab would insist on the liquid, spendable kind.

Due to the work stoppages and liquidity issues, there is a lot of speculation that Saab's very survival could be in doubt, though the company's new administration has said since Day One that they had a fully funded business plan through 2012, an assertion that now looks to be on shaky ground. As one might expect, Saab isn't being completely transparent about what's going on, but there should be no danger of dealers running out of units to sell – slow sales has meant that the Swedish automaker has a substantial backlog of unsold units in most markets, including here in North America. One thing is for sure, this situation is starting to get really ugly. Hat tip to Louis!

[Source: Reuters | Image: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty]

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/07/r...owes-millions/

Report: Supplier group says Saab owes millions

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Apr 7th 2011 at 2:33PM

The negative news for Saab continues to spill out, and the latest bit of gossip continues to paint a dark picture for the Swedish automaker. Reuters reports that parts suppliers are looking to collect on "tens of millions of crowns" in unpaid invoices (10M crowns is around $1.58M U.S. dollars).

Work stoppages and missed sales targets have folks speculating that things aren't going as planned for the Spyker-owned company. Now, this news of Saab being unable to pay those supplying parts only adds fuel to the fire and suggests that production at its Trollhättan plant may not resume soon. For its part, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that production probably won't resume until next week – if Saab can come to terms with its suppliers.

The total amount of money that Saab owes has not been verified, but it's apparently enough that suppliers are no longer willing to continue to provide parts until the financial issue has been cleared up. The issue could simply be that a few key suppliers are wary of Saab's slow sales and are increasingly unwilling to extend the automaker credit, or it could be that Saab has fallen well behind on its obligations – or it might be a combination of the two.

Saab had previously repeatedly stated that its business plan is fully financed through 2012. Top tip, Louis!

[Sources: Reuters, The Wall Street Journal – sub. req. | Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty]

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I'm having trouble seeing any light at the end of the tunnel atm. Very sad to read about their troubles.

In all honesty though, I never truly grasped why Spyker thought Saab would become profitable again selling the same type of cars that have clearly failed to attract the vast majority. I haven't been following Saab's journey religiously but it doesn't seem like they have anything different on offer, just variants of the 9-3 and 9-5. I was hoping that Spyker would start throwing their influence into some new models.

It would be a huge gamble as they need to rebuild the brand's image (which I think is damaging Saab more then their cars which are not as terrible as some other cars being sold these days). Still, Saab have spat out some interesting concept cars in recent times (Aero - X and the PhoeniX) so I don't think the spark is gone quite yet.

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http://www.caradvice.com.au/114483/s...-in-australia/

Saab back in Australia
By Alborz Fallah | April 9th, 2011

Although it seemed almost impossible at one stage last year, through the efforts of many (notably, fellow blogger Steven Wade from Tasmania) the iconic Swedish brand has gained independence from General Motors and is getting back in the groove of things.

It’s been just one and a half months since Saab became an independent company in Australia under the leadership of long-time Saab loyal Stephen Nicholls. In that time the company has worked hard in preparation for the launch of the brand new Saab 9-5.

There are still some links to the old General in Australia and Saab is slowly extracting itself away. Holden is still handling Saab’s parts business until the end of this month when the company will be able to stand on its own two feet.

Numerous Holden/Saab dealerships have closed the Swedish side of their operations, leaving Saab with just eight dealerships currently in Australia. A figure that is likely to expand (particularly in NSW where there is only the one dealership) over the next few years.

Saab has moved all manufacturing back to Trollhattan in Sweden and despite the factory closing down for a few days this week due to a cash flow issue with a supplier, the Swedish brand insists it’s back for good.

It’s hard to look past the enthusiastic approach that Saab has taken at getting back into business. Despite GM’s best initial efforts to quietly kill the Swedish brand, fans around the world united against GM’s decision which led to the company being sold to Dutch supercar maker Spyker.

According to Mr Nicholls, Saab was never a loss-making business for GM, it simply didn’t fit in with its philosophy or strategy. Under GM, the Swedish brand managed to sell around 120,000 cars a year, a figure that the new owners are desperately hoping they can achieve.

The break-even point for Saab production is around 100,000 cars per year, with a healthy profit expected if that reaches 120,000. The plan is to be profitable by end of 2012. In order to do that, Saab is planning to get back to its roots.

As well as getting its old customers back, Saab is taking future technologies rather seriously with ongoing research into electric and hybrid vehicles. Mr Nicholls believes Saab needs to invest in alternative fuel technologies if it’s to be taken seriously. Two hundred prototype electric 9-3s will soon be put on the road in Sweden to get customer feedback and BMW has already signed a deal to supply 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines (Mini) for the next-generation 9-3.

First out from the refurbished Saab Automobile company is the new 9-5 sedan. The first-generation 9-5 was on sale since 1997 (which is remarkable given the average product cycle of around 4-6 years) and had been showing its age for the last 10 years. With the new Saab 9-5 the company hopes to revitalise interest in the brand and showcase an alternative to the Germans and fellow Swedish manufacturer, Volvo.

New Saab 9-5s arrived in Australian dealerships yesterday with prices starting from $71,990 for the four-cylinder diesel and reaching $94,900 for the all-wheel drive 9-5 Turbo6. Saab Australia has estimated that it will sell 80-100 of the new vehicles, but we suspect it will likely do more.

October will see the arrival of the Saab 9-5 Combi, closely followed by the 9-4X and the all-new 9-3 over the next 24 months. Saab already launched the 9-3X earlier this year.