Reuters report:
"Executives of Kia, led by Kia President Eui-sun Chung, have had discussions with GM over the Saab premium brand, three sources with knowledge of the talks said."
That should rattle some cages.
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Hard to imagine they could manage it worse than GM. The brand has gone from genuinely distinctive and appealing to anonymous Audi-aping me-tooism in the space of ten years. You don't even get orange needles on the instruments any more!
Meanwhile, and whatever Ford's problems, Volvo has gone from making cars I'd have barely considered in the 90s to the maker - for me - that others have to beat. If Kia can bring back something that feels like a real Saab (and let's not have any of that 'just a Vectra' nonsense) I'll be well pleased.
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I agree, basically GM give them a Vauxhall Vectra, and tell them to make something with it.
The Volvo's that I have seen are way up high for quality and design I havent driven one but they still seem to retain there own thing.
Where as GM have not let Saab be them selves, if anything it would be a good thing that GM sells saab and lets someone do something with it.
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I think what I wrote before is a little ambiguous. I see nothing wrong with building a 'premium' car on a 'mainstream' platform - there are lots of examples out there that work. I had a 900 and 9-3 of the generation that was built on Cavalier bits, and that wasn't a problem because the Saab design elements were there and made it look and feel special - which is all a 'premium' car really has to do.
Saabs then had an integrity that was wasted on motoring journalists who might drive one for a day or two, give it back and write that its on-the-limit handling was less than razor-sharp. But as cars to live with and travel in - especially with the huge hatch and deep, square boot - they were great and I was sad to see my last one go. Making the current 9-3 a saloon was the single biggest mistake Saab has made; there was a big group of buyers who chose them precisely because of the hatch.
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I agree with all you say there Will. I've been pondering what to replace my 900 hatch with - the 9-3 saloon no longer fits the bill (not to mention the facelifted Dame Edna styling), and funnily enough a Kia Cee'd SW had found its way to the top of my "possibles" list...
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A friend of mine who's a professional photographer kept his 900 for ages because he could get all his gear in it, including tripods, without folding down the seats. He eventually replaced it with an Audi RS4 avant and didn't check whether the photography gubbins would fit in the boot, he just assumed it would. It didn't.
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deep square boot
Yes!! My wife and I slept in the back of ours several times, and it would take virtually anything else. A saloon is simply not a Saab. But I still don't buy the "GM ruined Saab" line. What did Saab have in the locker that GM wouldn't let them develop?
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Innovative and honest engineering.
659.
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I think SAAB is a travesty of its former self and I agree that anyone could do a better job than GM. If KIA can nject money and develop exciting and innovative cars worthy of the brand then good luck to them. When I was a nipper a 900 Turbo 16 was on my wish list: I wouldn't even consider a SAAB today.
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I've been trying in vain to find a picture i saw some 15 or probably more years ago, a Saab 99 had been stuffed into a railway bridge girder whilst on the top deck of a car transporter, the truck carried on, but the car just stayed there held solid and level by the 3 or 4" of girder edge cut into the A pillars.
Maybe someone else remembers and knows where to find that picture.
They truly don't make em like that any more more's the pity, tough as old boots and simple, same era as the Volvo 1/244 big bumper battering ram.
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Saab started to go downhill when they stopped fitting Ford motors.
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I've got a 9-3 Aero Automatic for a week while my Impreza's being fixed.
List price of the SAAB is £25k apparently, whereas the list price of my Impreza WRX was £22k. People complain about low quality interiors in Subaru's, well this SAAB feels like it's been thrown together. The inside is cheap looking - the worst thing in an allegedly premium product is the gap on the steering wheel between the airbag boss and the silver control sections - you can see right through at the behind bits. The handbrake doesn't line up when it's off, and the indicators are floppy and limp.
Also, i think it's the 2 litre turbo, but even in the manual and sport settings, the 180bhp don't make themselves known. The impreza only 40bhp more at 220bhp and is three years old, but may as well have a hyperspace button for the difference in performance.
sure, it's leather, has a lot of toys, and i'm enjoying the experience of automatic for the first time in ten years, and best of all, idiot hit and run driver is paying for it, but i can't wait for the Scooby to come back. I'm sure in the current market no one would pay £25k for this car, but even at 20% off, i'd feel severly shortchanged. I wouldn't pay more than £15k for it nearly new because it's not special.
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Must admit from a driving point of view I'd swap my now rather elderly 9-5 for an Impreza, but
as far as good taste goes looks-wise the Impreza should go to the back of the queue. Tonka Toy spoilers and those hideous gold wheels do not come anywhere near the definition of tasteful. Great though they may be to drive, the proximity taste-wise to Burberry baseball caps, shell suits and babies with pierced ears is a bit too close for comfort.
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Looks like Saab will be free of GM soon, from the report released to the US Government last night:
"Sweden/Saab?The Company has conducted a strategic review of its
global Saab business and has offered it for sale. Given the urgency of
stemming sizeable outflows associated with Saab operations, GM is
requesting Swedish Government support prior to any sale. The Company
has developed a specific proposal that would have the effect of capping
GM?s financial support, with Saab?s operations effectively becoming an
independent business entity effective January 1, 2010. While GM is
hopeful that an agreement can be reached with the Swedish Government
to support this direction, the Saab Automobile AB subsidiary could file for
Reorganization as early as this month."
Hear that: " effectively becoming an independent business entity", who'd a thought it?
No clear hints on what might happen to Vauxhall/Opel yet though. I think the outcome there will depend how much money is stumped up by the various governments to keep local factories running.
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