Koenigsegg are in the running to take over Saab
As GM’s problems continue to reverberate, with Fiat trying to get its hands on Opel and Vauxhall being promised aid by Lord Mandy if needs be (I’d get that in writing guys, if I were you), Saab and its future has been a little sidelined. It is thought that Fiat would like to gobble up Saab along with the rest of GM in Europe, but Saab has other ideas.
Saab were given Swedish Government protection recently (similar to Chapter 11) to try and find a suitor or funding to operate independently. Of course they can’t do that completely, at least not in the short term, as they are so tied in to GM’s platforms on their current and soon to be released cars. But Saab has a strong – if quirky – history and, with the right backing, could stand alone as a niche maker of aesthetically individual cars.
It is now being reported that Saab has whittled its list of prospective favoured suitors down to just three, including the Renco Group and fellow Swedish car maker Koenigsegg. Yes, Christain von Koenigsegg is considering going mainstream!
For us, the news that Mad-as-a-Hatter Christian views Saab covetously is great news. Can you imagine what he could do with the sort of history Saab has in making individual cars, and give them a Koenigsegg twist? Perhaps a good indication of the more extreme stuff possible is the Vox Volvo P1800 – a modern interpretation of ‘The Saint’s’ iconic Volvo from the ’60s – which was created by Mattias Vöcks, who just happens to work at Koenisgegg.
We could see a modern interpretation of the Saab 99 ‘turbo’ cars of the past running with solar energy paintwork to provide the power. Or what about picking up on the Sonnet (Saab 94) and giving that the Koenigsegg treatment?
The possibilities are intriguing, but it will all come down to finance. Christian von Koenigsegg is said to be talking to ‘wealthy investors’ to put together the necessary finance. As Christian is the man who got just one man to finance the entire Koenigsegg CCX Edition project, we would guess he can pull it off.
We’d love to see ‘KoenigSaab’ up and running. Watch this space!
David Weaver says
Here is my version of what could come to be………KoenigSAAB!