Spyker Trading Suspended Ahead of Pending Announcement

February 1, 2010
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Trading in shares of Spyker Cars on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange was suspended in advance of a pending announcement regarding Spyker’s attempt of buying off Saab. The stakes were frozen at €3.91, an 82% increase since trading ended last Friday.

Backed up by the Russian bank Convers Group, Spyker has been hammering a deal with General Motors to purchase Saab. The latest offer is believed to be valued at $550 million in cash and stock. Recent rumors also suggest that a Spyker vehicle has been delivered to the Saab museum in Sweden.

A source close to the deal said that the deal has almost been completed but the trading will be suspended…

Spyker Not Done Yet with Saab: Extends Offer

December 22, 2009
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The Dutch automaker Spyker extends its offer to buy the Swedish brand Saab until Wednesday. According to an interview of Sypker CEO Victor Muller with the svd.se, after they have gotten a reaction from GM, the earlier set deadline was then removed.

Although the possibility of GM selling Saab to Spyker is not a good move, it still spares the brand from closing down and will save more than 3400 jobs that will be lost if shutting down Saab comes.

Spyker says that it does not need the European Investment Bank’s 400 million euro loan in order to acquire Saab. “The new offer eliminates the need for an EIB loan approval prior…

A Sad Ending for Saab

December 22, 2009
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Saab will then be facing the inevitable: the General Motors’ division will be shut down.

Following Pontiac and Saturn, Saab will be the third GM brand that will be closed down this year.

After attempts of selling the Swedish brand to Koenigsegg and Spyker failed, Saab will begin its wind down process immediately.

“Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution,” said GM Europe President Nick Reilly. “We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars.…

What Will Happen To Saab?

December 4, 2009
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With Koenigsegg stepping away from the acquisition deal of Saab, the future of the Swedish brand is still yet to be known. But a few had already speculated of what possible scenarios Saab will be in.

The most probable one, closure. One strong basis is the axing of Saturn when the Penske deal did not pull through. As there are currently no other bidders for Saab, this probability may not seem farfetched at all.

The second possible scenario for Saab is that it could be bought by a different third-party company. Several automakers and investors—such as Fiat, Geely, Dongfeng Motor Group and BAIC—have been reportedly wooing Saab. But the big question is…

Koenigsegg Says No Deal To Saab

December 3, 2009
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Super car company Koenigsegg has withdrawn their offer to buy the Swedish car manufacturer Saab. With Koenigsegg’s pulling out of the deal, Saab’s future in unclear.

Although a preliminary agreement has been agreed on June, constant delays to the acquisition process pushed Christian Koenigsegg to call off the deal.

“We regret that after six months of intense and goal-oriented work, we have come to the painful and difficult conclusion that we are not going to be able to carry out the acquisition of Saab Automobile,” said the Christian von Koenigsegg, the head of the company.

He also reiterated that the timing of the acquisition has been critical for their strategy to help keep…

2010 Saab 9-5: A New Era For Saab

November 19, 2009
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The debut of the Saab 9-5 sedan at the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami just heralded the new era for the car manufacturer.

The sleek and sophisticated Saab 9-5 sedan combines fashion-forward Svenska design with advanced technologies and will bring a fresh alternative choice to the premium sedan segment when sales start later in 2010.

The Saab 9-5 sedan pays tribute to its aviation heritage with its dramatic wraparound window graphic while being bold with a frontal styling that was inspired from the award-winning Aero x concept car and a muscular, low-slung stance.

Hailed as the most technically advanced Saab, the 9-5 is aptly equipped with and aircraft-like head-up information display…

$599 Loan for Saab Approved by EIB

November 4, 2009
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We all know that ever since the recession began, GM has been the worst hit car maker in the United States; it has been selling its brands left and right. General Motors is currently selling its German Opel brand to Canada’s Magna International and the American car maker is also selling its ailing Swedish Saab brand.

GM recently got a boost from European Investment Bank regarding the sale of the Saab brand.

The European Investment Bank – the European Union’s financing arm – announced on Wednesday that it has approved a $599 million loan for Saab. The cash injection is expected to be enough to complete the sale of Saab to a…

Chinese Investor Wants Saab Technology

October 28, 2009
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According to reports, Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, the Chinese car maker that will be a minority shareholder for Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg, said that it wants to have access to the Saab’s technology in exchanges for helping the company marketing the brand in China.

Koenigsegg is expected to acquire Saab from General Motors within the next few weeks.

In an interview done by the Wall Street Journal, the Chinese car maker’s president, Wang Dazong said that it wants to be able to access some of the GM based technologies in exchange for the assisting Saab market in the ever growing Chinese market. Wang has only been with Beijing Auto for a little…

Sweden to Back Up Koenigsegg’s Bid for Saab

October 28, 2009
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It has been a couple of months now since Swedish car maker Koenigsegg started dealing with American car maker General Motors for the possible acquisition of the Saab brand. However, Koenigsegg is experiencing some difficulty in getting financing to back up the loan.

Now in order to complete Koenigsegg’s plan to buy Saab from General Motors, the Swedish Government has announced that it will guarantee the $610 million European Investment Bank loan the automaker had asked for.

Sweden’s TT News Agency has confirmed that the Swedish Government has contacted the European Commission to inform them that it will give a state guarantee for the loan.

“The deal still lives in our view. If…

China’s SAIC looking at Saab Investment

September 22, 2009
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Within a couple of months General Motors’s ‘Hummer’ brand will be owned by a Chinese company. But Hummer may not be the only ex GM brand to be bought by a Chinese company. China’s SAIC is reportedly pursuing a part ownership of the Saab brand.

According to Reuters, SAIC is talking with Koenigsegg – Saab’s new owners – about the possibility of buying shares of the Saab brand. If the deal pulls thru, Koenigsegg will still remain the owners of the brand and SAIC acting only a passive investor.

“SAIC is considering taking a stake in Saab but has not made up its mind on that or the size of any possible…

Saab Fashionista, Green 2+2 Sport Coupe

May 20, 2009
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Wonder why Saab would name its latest creation a fashionista car but this concept car could well be the latest in fashion provided Saab or its parent company General Motors will still be in the car manufacturing business or even in business at all. The Saab Fashionista, Green 2+2 Sport Coupe is actually the result of the fertile mind of Creapole-ESDI fourth year design student Mayeul Walser.

True to its name it has in fact been inspired by Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion design. And talking of car fashion under this shapely bodywork is a range-extended electric powertrain.

The powerful V6 has replaced the four-cylinder engine of the Saab Fashionista, Green 2+2…

2010 Saab 9-3X For Rough Terrain Driving

April 16, 2009
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The 2010 Saab 9-3X may be up and ready to take on the world but its fate lies in the hands of the Swedish courts which will determine if it lives or dies. For now, General Motors is bent on trying to look for new investors even as they strive to release the brand by 2010 to boost sales to 150,000. GM is not without offers though since there are about 20 investors looking into the feasibility of the Saab.

The quality of Saab’s plans will determine its future specifically the extension of the court-granted protection by up to three times until its planned release in February 2010. The 2010 Saab 9-3X…