aab Deadline Approaches Again; Spkyer Has Until January 7
2009 Saab 9-3
It looks like Saab won’t be relegated to the same scrap heap as Pontiac and Saturn, at least not yet, as Dutch supercar maker Spyker tries one more time this week to acquire the Swedish automaker from General Motors.
Spyker gives its final shot with a final bid due before Thursday, January 7. The details of the final bid are still wrapped in secrecy, but GM is open to the offer, according to Reuters and other reports. Spyker is said to be optimistic about its long-shot chances at taking over the much-larger brand–so optimistic, in fact, that it already has floated a product plan to be implemented, should it win Saab.
The core models under Spyker’s leadership would be the 9-3 lineup of sedans and wagons, the 9-5 sedan and wagon, and the 9-4X crossover. The stalled 9-1 minicar project would be put on hold until the company is able to spend more on developing and launching a new car. The Saab HQ would stay in Trollhattan, Sweden, and production of all vehicles save for the 9-4X would stay in the snowy Scandinavian nation. The 9-4X would be built in GM’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico facility, according to Reuters.
Spyker’s final bid, expected this week, will be its third attempt to meet GM’s goals for the Saab sale. If the final offer is put together by the new January 7 deadline, a decision on Saab’s fate could come as early as this week.
In the meantime, Saab owners in the U.S. are planning to take their message of hope for the brand’s future to the streets–literally–by meeting in Detroit at GM’s headquarters en masse on January 5. Supporters hope to show GM how loyal Saab owners are, and to dissuade the Detroit automaker from shuttering the brand.
Source:motorauthority.com
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