General Motors has confirmed that Spyker is the only company standing between Saab and the crusher, and that if the Dutch don't buy it the marque will be killed off.
"Saab is just about done," GM's acting CEO Ed Whitacre told the US press in Detroit. "If we don't find a buyer by the end of the month, we're going to close it."
Beijing Auto (BAIC) has reportedly paid Saab £120million for the rights to produce the outgoing 9-5 and some of the technology in the 9-3, but that's said to only be enough to allow Saab to continue operating for three months.
Spyker is now the only long-term lifeline left for Saab, with all other bidders having dropped out. The Swedish government is currently considering whether to guarantee a loan.
"The time table is very tight, but we will be doing the tests we need to make because we have no reason to risk the taxpayers' money," said Swedish minister of enterprise and energy, Joran Hagglund. "But the mere fact that there is an interested party and that there are negotiations going on is a reason to be a realistic optimist."
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)