Dongfeng - Brightwell's bidder list and Saab sales
Yesterday was a typical Saab day for the current situation. Phone calls with friends in Sweden and elsewhere around the world about Saab and then I was traveling with a good friend and his Saab 9-3 - in terms of Saab. The result was - frankly - frustrating, so I had no motivation to blog last night. On days like these you can feel the Saab end up close in personal conversations and it literally gets under my skin.
But, as always, it's not over yet and the factory gates aren't closed yet. A new Saab prospect has once again appeared in China. The Chinese investor Number 3 with the name “Dongfeng” builds trucks to my knowledge and runs a joint venture with the truck builder Volvo. After the lessons of the past few months, my confidence in Chinese investment intentions has declined noticeably and I see Dongfeng as a side note for now.
Meanwhile, the potential buyer from Turkey is working on the GM topic. The Turkish government is fully behind the purchase intentions, which promises political tailwind. Turkey is a NATO partner and has been courted by the US as a strategic bridgehead in times like these. If Ankara sends the political card, then Brightwell gets support from the GM shareholder in Washington.
In several interviews yesterday, many nice words were said about Saab. Contrary to initial suspicions, the brand seems to want to be preserved. Production in Trollhättan is also conceivable, with a smaller volume. That sounds - with reservation - good.
Now you look towards Detroit. One is waiting for an invitation from the Americans and has a proposal that the gentlemen on the Potomac River cannot say “no” to. We are familiar with such statements, but GM repeatedly refused. But, new game, new luck. Perhaps one can show more sympathy for buyers from Turkey in the USA than investors from China. We will see.
In the US, the Saab sales run at full speed. Saab of North Olmsted has sold 55 from 120 Lager-Saabs from Christmas until yesterday. On the already very cheap prices, there were again up to 45% and probably I would have, had I been Saab fan in the US, slaughtered my piggy bank and would have taken two new Saabs.
Of course, the Saab dealer from Cleveland burns real money with it. In an interview, Bernie Moreno, President of the Collection Auto Group, said Saab USA could perhaps offset some of the losses. Sure Bernie, on this proposal you have certainly waited there.
One last look at Sweden again. There is now an (almost) clear bidder list for Saab. Magna, Brightwell, some Swedish prospects, Mahindra & Mahindra, Youngman and Dongfeng. A Chinese named in the last few days seems to have dropped out and one name is still missing from the list.
Since yesterday, there is also a personal favorite. This is reported when the case is confirmed.
Text: tom@saabblog.net
at Dongfeng run also Honda and Citroen cars off the line, but I do not think that the
Saab Sweden really want to keep alive, but only the know how
Hello Tom, Your lines to the Saab sell-off in the US reminded me that I had contact with Saab dealers in the US on 9-4x in the fall. This was after my confirmed May 2010 order in the fall was then canceled by Saab Switzerland and I had purchased a 9-5 Aero XWD6 as a replacement.
The purchase of a 9-4x in the last year has only failed due to the fact that nobody could tell me how the navigation device and the DAB Radfio behave in Europe and how it should work with the speedometer to km / h.
Now, in late autumn, you were traveling with a 9-4x for a long time on the Germany tour, how was it with this vehicle with the navigation system?
Especially with these prices in the US and the relatively low transport costs to Europe, the 9-4x could once again become an issue.
Hey CMD,
To your 9-4X questions: The sat navs of the 9 + 4X were only equipped with US software with a preset route. Certainly from the press tour through the hills around LA ... The display with the speedometer was in miles per hour. The extent to which a kilometer per hour from the 9-5 fits here is beyond my knowledge (but this can be clarified with the SCNA if necessary. Only the display in the middle of the speedometer (in the configuration as a color display in the instrument panel had kilometers per hour as the unit .) I also made a video of it when the 9-4X was extended to the limit at 210km / h ...
Tom ?? maybe you can upload it ??
LG Mark
Hello Mark, you were faster than me. Thank you ! Video on demand… 🙂 Comes as soon as I have some air.
When GM gives the green light to whoever, it is not without ulterior motives. One could surely find a deal so that GM could add the new Phenix platform in addition to all the other “acquired” Saab technologies! Saab would be on the ground again and then would have nothing at all.
I cannot imagine that any other manufacturer who does not want to cooperate with GM has a chance to acquire Saab. You just shy away from objections and any future legal proceedings. So you can keep anyone interested at bay, because who wants to get into the clutches of this unacceptable giant ... !?
One cannot assume a giant at GM - the term “paper tiger” is more appropriate here!
There are truly real giants among global corporations who have not been fed up with billions in tax money like GM - Mahindra & Mahindra, for example ....
I do not think that such a giant corporation like Mahindra is in any way afraid of a store like GM!
even 'paper tiger' is exaggerated; at least financially. M&M (and others too) could buy the whole GM Moloch at the same time, but what can you do with such a dump and a vast bunch of profile neurotics ???
If the American taxpayer would know about the unbelievable sums that have flowed into this speculator temple in the last 25 years,…. Uprising and revolt would be the result!
But who is already GM, we are SAAB !!!!
It doesn't sound that bad. There are interested parties who want to get Saab. The Saab administrators prefer to sell the entire company. That is much better than in 2009. At that time, GM had already cut Saab into pieces.
Now it's about finding solutions with and WITHOUT GM. It must be possible to build in the current Saab 9-3 (thus also the image carrier Cabriolet) without supplying GM parts in the foreseeable future. As far as I know, GM has no license rights to the current 9-3.
Tell us about your favorites give us hope
Come on ... patience 😉
Does it have anything in common with the Central European interested party? 😀
I am now wondering how serious this prospect means if he is constantly covered ... Everyone has meanwhile more or less admitted their intentions, only the Krzlpft company is still very covered.
Sometimes it's better to keep a low profile. Names that are mentioned first are quickly burned ...
Accordingly, it would have to give the favorites of our Admisn and the still not mentioned western automaker our admins wanted to call us sometimes