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Sadly it looks as though we are about to lose Saab as a car manufacturer. They applied to the court in Sweden for protection from their creditors but the application was tuned down by a Swedish court yesterday. Whilst Saab are looking to appeal it is unlikely that at this late stage they will avoid bankruptcy. The company was bought from General Read more »

Saab are set for a bumpy ride. No I’m not talking about suspension I’m talking about the proposed bid by Chinese manufacturer Hawtai to buy a 30% stake in its current owner Spyker for £134 million. The cash would have allowed the manufacturer to re-start production after a one month shutdown but the Hawtai shareholders refused to back the bid and approve it. Boss of Spyker, Victor Muller, has reportedly continued discussions with other Chinese companies after flying out to China but after cutting off discussions following the Hawtai bid he looks to be struggling putting the future of Saab in doubt.

Any deal by a Chinese company will need to be approved by the Chinese Government. I find this all very sad as I am a supporter of Saab. I hope they manage to pull it off and survive. Any views on this? Please let me know. By Graham Hill

Related articles

• Saab Signs Up Another Chinese Investor (nytimes.com)

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April saw an increase in the sale of premium cars such as BMW and Audi. Whilst new car sales suffered during the month the premium brands all saw growth. The companies that showed growth included Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, BMW and Saab. Jaguar was the only make to suffer with sales down 60%. BMW even got into the top 10 car sales with its 3 Read more »

We all know the expression ‘A little knowledge is a bad thing,’ and it couldn’t be more true at the moment in the area of car leasing. As small businesses and consumers look for ways to reduce their costs, car leasing is being discussed more and more, then armed with sketchy information many are embarking upon leasing without knowing exactly what they are getting into. This isn’t being helped by confusing and conflicting advertising on the Internet as well as some very strange promotions Read more »

Good news for Saab lovers as it has been announced that GM finally agreed a deal with Spyker and that production on the new 9-5 has already begun with cars expected to appear in dealerships later this year. It has been a difficult time for existing owners, dealerships and the manufacturer’s staff but David Pugh of Saab GB now feels that all the problems are now behind them and the future is starting to look good.. They are looking forward to the release of the new 9-5 which will mark the re-launch of the brand. Good luck to them, Saab has been one of our most popular makes over the years and I’m pleased that they have been given another lease of life. By Graham Hill

 I reported last week about the fire sale of Saab to the Chinese and my hope that the manufacturer will still continue. Well I’m pleased to advise that it looks as though the new 9-3 and 9-5 will continue as planned, great news in my opinion albeit that the future of the company is still rather sketchy. However, having just read this news I heard that Ford owned Volvo has just been bought by Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, with the sale expected to complete by mid year. The Swedes appear to be as indifferent about their car making heritage as we were in this country a few years ago when our home grown car industry collapsed. All such a shame. By Graham Hill

 I know I’m an old softie but I was saddened to read in amongst the list of new car launches this year an entry for the Saab 9-5. The lines looked great but may never be produced because minutes before, I read that GM, in its firesale of Saab, had sold the rights to the technology and tooling of the current 9-3 and 9-5 to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company. Does this mean that we will still see the new 9-5? Read more »

It looks as though we may have seen the last of one of our more popular lease brands, Saab. Talks had been taking place to sell GM’s money losing brand to Spyker Cars NV but these have now broken down and whilst I have read that the Swedish have tried to put together a package to save their famous brand it now looks very unlikely.  By Graham Hill

Car maker Saab, owned by struggling US manufacturer General Motors has filed for bankruptcy protection in Sweden whilst they look for a new parent. The Swedish government refused to match the $420 million investment that was offered by GM in order to turn the company around. GM would only provide the money if the Swedish government matched it. As the government was not prepared to risk tax payers Read more »