Tuesday 18th August 2009

Saab Sale Confirmed (Almost), Volvo Next?

Koenigsegg forges ahead with Saab, as Swedish consortium eyes Volvo bid

---

Saab edges closer to a new dawn...

Koenigsegg Automotive and General Motors have signed a stock purchase agreement that will see Koenigsegg take 100 percent of Saab shares off an increasingly streamlined GM's hands.

The takeover deal is not quite signed and sealed, however, as it remains contingent on a bank loan from the European Investment Bank which must in turn be guaranteed by the Swedish government.

"This contract is an important step in the journey to a potential deal" says Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe. "Saab's great cars, its unique design, safety- and engine-technology, as well as its excellent brand image, combined with Koenigsegg Group's unique combination of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, bode well for a successful future for the brand. We will continue to work with all parties to define the final details and ensure a fast closure of the deal, which we expect to take place in the next few months."

... in which the new 9-5 will figure strongly

Meanwhile rival Swedish car-maker Volvo is being eyed-up by Swedish firm Konsortium Jakob AB, according to local media reports.

The Volvo Truck Corporation - which sold the Volvo car business to Ford in 1998 - is even rumoured to be involved with the Jakob AB bid, but this has been officially denied.

 

 

[willE36]

is the deal not supposed to be finalised by next month?
Also, just realised how the front headlamps look so much like the current A8, and very american in the 2nd pic.
Saab really does seem to be struggling for ideas for styling cues!

= )

[Accelebrate]

Lets hope Koenigsegg can make Saab interesting again.

[sideways-si]

LOOKS LIKE A ROVER 75 WITH SAAB BADGES.

SAAB 75 ANYONE?

[Fire99]

I know there is the Swedish connection etc but am I alone in thinking this is a rather odd partnership.

Koenigsegg and Saab? It's certainly not the first company I would think of to take Saab on.

[BoRED S2upid]

Fire99 said:

I know there is the Swedish connection etc but am I alone in thinking this is a rather odd partnership.

Koenigsegg and Saab? It's certainly not the first company I would think of to take Saab on.

Your not alone. Why Koenigsegg would want to do this is beyond me, they do what they do very well I hope this isn't a bad move by them, would hate to see Saab ruin them.

[bobbylondonuk]

BoRED S2upid said:

Fire99 said:

I know there is the Swedish connection etc but am I alone in thinking this is a rather odd partnership.

Koenigsegg and Saab? It's certainly not the first company I would think of to take Saab on.

Your not alone. Why Koenigsegg would want to do this is beyond me, they do what they do very well I hope this isn't a bad move by them, would hate to see Saab ruin them.

to fight CO2 monsters and increase brand reach/cashflows in emerging markets??

[slowDC5]

Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe. "Saab's great cars, its unique design, safety- and engine-technology, as well as its excellent brand image, combined with Koenigsegg Group's unique combination of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, bode well for a successful future for the brand."

Did he just claim that SAAB has an excellent brand image?

[skwdenyer]

slowDC5 said:

Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe. "Saab's great cars, its unique design, safety- and engine-technology, as well as its excellent brand image, combined with Koenigsegg Group's unique combination of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, bode well for a successful future for the brand."

Did he just claim that SAAB has an excellent brand image?

Of course he did; his balance sheet will tell him that the "goodwill" of the business is "worth" $500m or so

[Aircooled Beetle]

This looks good I think.

[bencollins]

Scratch the surface and i think this is nationalisation, with the eggs as front men.

[K321]

the bald guy who runs koeniggsegg has loads of rich investment backers around the world who are taking over Saab thru Deutsche Bank. the 9ß5 looks better in real life- it is a giant . 5 metres long and the interior is leap years ahead of the current 9.5

[A M G]

slowDC5 said:

Did he just claim that SAAB has an excellent brand image?

There's little wrong with the brand image in my opinion, it's the product that has been poor in recent years (and I'm on my second Saab and considering the new 9-5 as my third)...

[skwdenyer]

Slightly O/T: standing outside a Skoda dealership the other day, I couldn't help thinking that a Roomster with a suitable Turbo engine should be precisely the sort of car Saab should be producing to broaden their sales; in fact, with its swooping curves and "common sense" detailing, it struck me that it was very much in the spirit of the 99 Combi Coupe, updated by 30 years.

Pre-GM Saabs were always designed the way they were for a good reason rather then simply to follow fashion and/or some over-arching design direction. GM Saabs have been IMHO simply examples of (rather poor) pastiche. But, seriously, imagine a Roomster or a Yeti with some (very small) design revisions and a Saab "face"; I think those would have been winning designs.

Obviously for the effect to work the Roomster would have to be made out of thicker steel And now it would be straight copying, which would be a shame. But certainly food for thought; a Subaru Forrester type of vehicle as the spiritual successor to the 99 Turbo Combi Coupe?

[leggly]

i'll stick with the 9000 aero for now!

[slowDC5]

A M G said:

slowDC5 said:

Did he just claim that SAAB has an excellent brand image?

There's little wrong with the brand image in my opinion, it's the product that has been poor in recent years (and I'm on my second Saab and considering the new 9-5 as my third)...

I don't know about your side of the pond but over here they're seen as stodgy, dodgy, and a nightmare to own due to constant repair bills. My brother owns a 9-3 and he'd rather take the Honda Odyssey than drive that heap.

[B Oeuf]

bobbylondonuk said:

BoRED S2upid said:

Fire99 said:

I know there is the Swedish connection etc but am I alone in thinking this is a rather odd partnership.

Koenigsegg and Saab? It's certainly not the first company I would think of to take Saab on.

Your not alone. Why Koenigsegg would want to do this is beyond me, they do what they do very well I hope this isn't a bad move by them, would hate to see Saab ruin them.

to fight CO2 monsters and increase brand reach/cashflows in emerging markets??

Big loan incentives from the banks = more development money for new eggs

[TouringBoy]

The eggs are at least Swedish - domestic politics would seem to have dictated that a Swedish 'buyer' (read frontman) was very much preferred by the Swedish authorities. Think of all the jobs. And there probably aren't many other candidates out there who meet that description.

Praps they could ask the Ikea billionaire Ingvar Kamprad to make a bid for Volvo. He is famously thrifty and is reputed to tool around in a 25 yr old 200 series despite his fortune. if he bought the company they might give him a new motor for nothing...

[willE36]

TouringBoy said:

The eggs are at least Swedish - domestic politics would seem to have dictated that a Swedish 'buyer' (read frontman) was very much preferred by the Swedish authorities. Think of all the jobs. And there probably aren't many other candidates out there who meet that description.

Praps they could ask the Ikea billionaire Ingvar Kamprad to make a bid for Volvo. He is famously thrifty and is reputed to tool around in a 25 yr old 200 series despite his fortune. if he bought the company they might give him a new motor for nothing...

Isn't he the guy who runs around in an old car because there is nothing wrong with it and has no need for a new car if his current 25 yr old does everything he wants it to do? I heard rumours that Volvo is the next on the list, and that the bank backing Koenigsegg has a vision to create a Scandy automotive power. Don't know how much of that (if any) is true, but I heard Koenigsegg were keen to push the Aero X Concept into production (hopefully they'll sort out those dreadful alloys, wing mirrors and exhaust pipe).

= )

Edited by willE36 on Sunday 30th August 18:23