Saab bankruptcy: consequences, opportunities, perpetrators
Hakan Juholt warned in Sweden today about the Saab effect. The entire Swedish vehicle industry may suffer from the Saab bankruptcy, because for the first time in Sweden a big employer disappears completely in this industry. The chances for Saab were there and were not used optimally. Now it's over for now. The bankruptcy trustee moves in the stablebacka and takes over the helm.
Victor Muller will advise the steward and help make the best of Saab out of the unfortunate situation. First and foremost, you will try to sell the company completely to an interested party and bring it back to market. Only when this is not possible will the complete destruction ensue. A small glimmer of hope still and the next days and weeks could be exciting again.
Youngman, the investor from China, did not give up until this morning after Victor Muller of Detroit had completely rejected all options. GM signs contracts, but GM does not abide by the contracts.
No matter what kind of China would invest, from Detroit would be no release. That's the clear message from Detroit and our understanding of the day.
GM disposes of Saab again and, as always, just before Christmas. Youngman could not and did not want to invest in a factory without production and without products. That was the logical consequence and Muller was forced to make his way to the bankruptcy court.
The bankruptcy of Saab Automobile AB brings consequences for everyone. Closed dealer contracts are no longer valid, warranty claims directly from Saab Automobile AB no longer exist. Only when the bankruptcy administrator expressly confirms the guarantee commitments, only then does the promise come alive again.
Bankruptcy can only have a positive impact on the supply of spare parts via Saab Parts AB. Saab Parts AB is not affected and manufacturers who have taken the parts business into hostage will now deliver again. Dealers usually have, I was told, their own contracts with Saab Parts, which are still valid.
The era of Swedish Automobile, Youngman and Pang Da is definitely over. Everyone has lost money on a large scale and even Victor Muller is facing a financial pile of shit. All license agreements are also invalid, including the agreement with BMW.
Despite all the tragedy, the departure of Muller is also seen as a new opportunity for Saab. In Sweden, his name had been burned for a long time and, despite all the merits of the past, it was also an obstacle for potential investors. Without Muller everything goes back to “start”, the cards are shuffled again.
It's not over yet for Saab. Only when the bankruptcy trustee decides to destroy the company, only then do the lights go out in the stablebacka.
How exciting it will be for us Saab drivers here in Germany and which dealers will offer Saab service in the future, that's the exciting question. Even if the blog as a support for the scene and the remaining workshops continues to make sense, that is in the stars. It is still too early to write about it because the shock is still too deep today.
Our thoughts are with the employees of Saab and dealers, not only in Sweden. Families are also affected in Germany, which is particularly hard during the pre-Christmas period. They all showed great commitment to our brand. For her and for us all today is a very sad day.
Der Spiegel wrote an obituary for our favorite Scandinavian brand. A little premature for me, I'll wait, even if the chances of a comeback are more than slim. I am now switching off (for today), going offline. See you tomorrow, then a new day begins.
Text: tom@saabblog.net
Thanks to David, very happy
and professional contribution. What is the solution?
Which model could survive?
By what and with what could Saab revive, albeit in small format? Thank you
Suppliers of GM are of course available in all Saab models. But what about the IP rights on the Saab models?
The Saab 9-4X belongs from the right to 100% GM. As a result, GM can decide on the production and sale of the model to Saab at its discretion. Although Saab employees have worked on the 9-4X, but this happened legally on behalf of GM directly and without Saab. At least the Saab employees were able to ensure that the 9-4X became a real Saab.
With the 9-5 the situation looks a bit different, but unfortunately not better. The 9-5 uses partial IP rights of GM, but Saab has also introduced its own developments. This is also reflected in the low matching rate of 30% Opel Insignia, which also uses the GM Epsilon II platform. However, GM owns all IP rights to the 9-5, including the 70%, which make up the Saab proprietary developments on the 9-5. Saab may not even use these proprietary developments in 9-5 in other vehicles without the permission of GM. At the same time, Saab pays royalties to GM for every 9-5 produced. This also applies to the use of Saab's own developments from the 9-5 in other vehicles. Curiously enough, Saab even has to pay royalties for its own developments.
But there is a surprise with the current 9-3II. Although Saab sources individual parts of GM's 9-3, the design of the 9-3II is not closely related to other GM models. Therefore, the IP rights for the current 9-3 almost exclusively in Saab. Accordingly, Saab does not pay royalties to GM for the 9-3II. Obviously, the Saab technicians before 10 years have shown a lot of stubbornness here and heavily modified the GM Epsilon I platform.
In contrast, the currently developed Saab Phoenix platform no longer contains any rights of GM. Saab is free to use the new platform. GM still supplies some engineering components, but has no rights to the platform. GM is here so pure supplier.
Especially the information about the current 9-3 was new to me in this form. So far, there was just in the German press only the info, the 9 3 based on the Opel Vectra. Nevertheless, one should not come up with the idea that Saab simply renounces the 9-4X and the 9-5 so that Saab can be sold without approval from GM. The 9-4X and the 9-5 are important models for Saab. Even the 9-5 sedan sold better in the spring before the production shutdown than the old 9-5. The sports combination should continue to increase sales.
Replacement models based on the Phoenix platform would also be ready for use in about 4 years at the earliest. This dry spell would be too long for Saab.
Where is it that the use would be possible only in 4 years (Phoenix platform)?
We heard other time periods - a maximum of 2 years !?
Julie
Yes, the whole thing is very bitter, but somehow I'm a little bit happy that the Chinese have not come to the train.
The idea that Joachim has already addressed I think very well.
SAAB had surfaced before Gangster Motors built their own cars.
Why should not it be that way again ?!
I think that is, if not yet a Chinese rescuer laughs the only chance SAAB had.
Now, as so often in the last two years, we will first have to wait for SAAB and thus for us as fans.
... a small series would be good to get the brand name, ... unfortunately we can only wait - but please do it! Finally the cars are in prospect where I would buy a new one and then bankruptcy 🙁
Then there will be nothing to do with the attendance at the Geneva Motor Show 2012. Maybe 2013? Would be nice. You can believe in that ...
I'm a nihilist, idealist, Saab fan first and foremost. We have had a 43-9 convertible for 3 years. And now we've just bought a 9-5 and got rid of our Volvo. Out of conviction and defiance. Nothing against Volvo. But Saab is my great automobile love. In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I first thought, “brrrr, what a strange car”.
At some point it will have a huge zoooom !!! made. And since then Saab has been part of my life, like my wife and daughter. Hopefully also in the future - I mean, of course, wife, daughter and Saab.
It is unimaginable that such an individualist should disappear from the scene in this synchronized world. I don't like to believe I think the Chinese should invest. Just don't take an American on board anymore. GM is the very last. Let 3500 people in the plant, thousands of jobs in the supply chain and countless Saab fans simply starve to death. At some point the bastards will do the same with Opel, bet?
I mean, we've been driving an 4-9 convertible since 3 years ago.
I do not mean to be pessimistic, but GM said last Friday that they did not agree with a solution that would negatively impact GM's global activities (global in this context is really global, not just China).
If that was in the contracts, VM had no chance. And it will not be easy to solve a bankruptcy with licenses.
Such a passage in the treaties cannot actually be possible at all - then Muller / Youngman would not have entered into these negotiations from the outset. That GM has now inflated itself with words and this intimidation tactic was successful is more likely - GM would then have (successfully?) Tried to simply block everything. However, it would have had the same later effects as if something had been contractually restricted and there would also have been high costs for litigation ...
GM probably got away with his scam / intimidation tactics - unfortunately this really has to be called a gangster method and highly anti-social!
If the continuation of vehicle construction in Trollhättan, then as proposed by Joachim, on a smaller scale and in some circumstances also without any GM licenses (with these people a collaboration is almost impossible)!
Julie
The failures in Detroit have always inflated when SAAB activities in the direction of the Chinese market arose - bringing the business back to a boil on a low flame (of course with a financially strong investor behind them - who of course should not come from China) could one remaining option out of bankruptcy.
In this constellation, GM would not affect the world's largest market in China and could develop / produce new cars for individualists on a smaller scale with or, if necessary, completely without GM - still better than breaking up this ultra-modern production facility - and for a part of the previous employees, there should then be work again in vehicle production directly at SAAB.
This idea of shutting down production, with naturally fewer employees, was brought to the public months ago by some Swedish managers and politicians - if we are lucky in an accident, the bankruptcy administrator will recognize this as a possibility and act accordingly.
Please do not immediately try again to provide counter arguments - first "let it sink in".
Greetings from the Hanseatic city of Hamburg
Joachim
That was not it yet?!? I hope !
Is someone acting behind the scenes someone as a candidate for taking over the bankruptcy estate? Are there any rumors, prospects in secret? Who could be eligible? Gabs times modest inquiries? A sale out of bankruptcy, the new owner would be in some way contracted or defacto
with Ganster Motors, depending?
Many questions, maybe an opinion, greetings to all