From Svensk Nyheter:-
The Swedish government said on Wednesday it would not intervene to take over Saab. Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson slammed Saab's US owner General Motors for "abandoning" the struggling Swedish car maker.
General Motors has warned that the unit would go under without official help.
"Voters picked me because they wanted nursery schools, police and nurses, and not to buy loss-making car factories," Enterprise and Energy Minister Maud Olofsson told Swedish public radio.
Her comment came after GM late Tuesday presented a massive restructuring plan to the US Treasury and said its troubled Saab unit could file for bankruptcy protection "as early as this month" without support from the Swedish government.
The company said last year it planned to try to find a buyer for the brand.
"They're basically saying they think the Swedish government should take over Saab, but if we do that we're talking about an incredible amount of money," Olofsson said
She contended that that Saab had been loss-making for much of the past 20 years it has been under GM control.
"I'm disappointed in General Motors, because they're abandoning Saab and are pushing the responsibility over to Swedish tax payers, and I think that is irresponsible," she said.
While Sweden's centre-right government has refused to take over Saab it has nonetheless said it will act as a guarantor for a European Investment Bank (EIB) loan of five billion kronor (450 million euros, 566 million dollars) to help keep car maker afloat.
The opposition meanwhile insists that that is not enough, calling for the government to pump state funds into Saab.
"A heavy responsibility rests on the Swedish government," Tomas Eneroth,
the economic policy spokesman for the main opposition Social Democrats, told
the TT news agency.
Saab, which after years of dwindling sales went into full crisis mode with the global economic downturn, employs some 4,100 people in Sweden, 3,700 of whom work at its hub in the southwestern town of Trollhättan.
According to the unions, some 15,000 jobs in Sweden would be at risk if the unit were to disappear, since its suppliers would also be hard-hit.
"We are worried, but GM has said it will continue to try to find a solution for Saab," IF Metall union representative Paul Åkerlund told AFP.
AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se
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Forget all this media talk, I've read GMs report and it is quite open ended with Saab. If they find a buyer then fine, if not then wait and see.
That buyer may or may not be the Swedish government, despite the posturing the left-leaning Swedes would be hard pressed to see all those jobs go for nothing. The Swedes haven't even refused outright, they're just protesting enough to make it clear to voters that their hand has been forced...
As for Saabs not being good enough, I disagree. I rather like the current 9-3. It's certainly a cut above the Vectra it's based on, and I'm quite a fan of the Vectra too.
That said, a few months back I was looking at a 9-5 but after careful consideration I went and bought an S80 instead. Says a lot, I suppose.
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I agree GM never "got" Saab.
SWMBO had a 9-3 Aero Sportwagon as a loaner from work last year. It is probably the most disappointing car I have driven in a long time. Quick and fabulous looking, but felt nothing like as expensive as it was, the engine was horribly raucous when extended, the steering was rubbery, the ride jiggly, and it just didn't feel like a finely honed, expensively engineered premium product. The managers at work who are running 9-3 TTiDs say the same thing. Fast, and good looking, but not much else of any interest. Apparently they've even lost the fabulous seats they used to be famous for. They feel like ordinary cars with a few of the Saab trademarks (floor mounted ignition barrel, curved dash console) slapped on, almost caricature style.
I love the Saabs of old, and a 900 Carlsson is very high on my most wanted "classics" list, but what I drove last year really wasn't a Saab IMHO, not in the way I remember the old 900s I have driven. I admit there might be some rose tints at work though.
Saab has an image to die for though. Probably the only premium brand not to have links with aggressive tailgaters. Infinitely sexier and more youthful than a Volvo or Mercedes, friendlier and less arrogant than a BMW or Audi, yet traditionally just as well engineered as any of them.
The loss of the brand will be a real shame, but the cars currently just don't live up to the reputation IMHO. I would like to see the Swedish government step in and return the company to its core values.
Cheers
DP
Edited by Webmaster on 19/02/2009 at 12:32
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As a car lover I would be saddened by the demise of Saab. Strange really because I've never had one. Always liked them though and had thought I probably would get one one day. Can't explain why I care but I do.
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Oh come on, if you were a dealer, you might look the same and be on the same plot, but you'd make damn sure you weren't the same company once SAAB goes titsup.
Edited by Hamsafar on 18/02/2009 at 19:55
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As a car lover I would be saddened by the demise of Saab.
Me too, variety is so important, as is choice and competition.
Every big brand that goes under or withdraws from a major segment of the market is something of a disaster for any car nut. If nothing else, it means there's less in the way of interesting cars to look out for on a dreary slog up the motorway!
The "car as washing machine" brigade may not be too bothered however.
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I'm surprised Saab only employ 4,000 people - I thought I had read a much higher figure elsewhere, though I guess there are other associated jobs dependent on Saab. It would be a real shame if they went under, but I can understand the Swedish government being reluctant to fund it - that could be a bottomless pit of money until the world economy improves.
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As a car lover I would be saddened by the demise of Saab.
Me too.
Not GM, on the other hand. I really couldn't give a Tessa Jowell about GM.
I hope someone buys SAAB if it does go under, and restores it to its former glory.
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The former glories of SAAB are long long gone.
I had a late 1990s 9000LPT. It was dull and unreliable. My father's 99 from the 1970s was unreliable. My (business) partner's 9-5 is dull and unreliable.
When the new shape 9-3 came out I had a good look at the car in the showroom and at the range. Quite simply it was wrong. The trim levels and pricing were cockeyed and the tyres were all too low profile.
Volvo is an example of how a US multinational took a small regional manufacturer with a small but devoted following and made it internationally desired. There are very few people on this board who would not be happy to run at least one model in the Volvo range. I bet there are very few of us who really hanker after a specific model in the SAAB range - not as a brand concept but a particular model.
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"I bet there are very few of us who really hanker aftera specific model in the SAAB range "
I'd like an Aero estate please, preferably an older one, before the front end went all wrong.
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Me too, circa 2005 in Cosmic Blue. We are talking about the 9-5, of course. Can't get at all excited about the 9-3.
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Yes, sorry, 9-5, was editing to add that when you posted. I have a base 9-5 now, reliable, comfortable, very grey inside though. I've had 2 9000's and a 900 Aero LPT, all fine and served me well, I'll be sorry to see them go. There are lots of Saab knockers about, many of them people who've never owned one, but I like them, so there!
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So is it all down to credit crunch or is it down the the fact that those who design and launch cars think they know better than the customer when it comes to what the customer wants.?
Hence the hankering for models that people were happy with but which were chopped and replaced with something that failed to generate any interest .
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And that's the whole point. You want a car they no longer make. And I suspect you like the idea of an Aero, but would you really really want one having driven it? A very hard ride with an average engine.
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Is the 9-5 no longer made? It's only just stopped if that is the case. ANd yes, I would be quite happy with one, whether an expert tells me they're no good or not.
Edited by lordwoody on 18/02/2009 at 22:37
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Mr x,
what a very valid comment.
But customers, who needs them ?
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Actually this is a slightly older one but it appeals to the inner hooligan.
tinyurl.com/dm54r5
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I'd like an Aero estate please preferably an older one before the front end went all wrong.
I'd always wanted one, and when I finally did it was a huge disappointment. Too much power for the front wheel drive. Much preferred the BMW 330d which followed it.
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