With the Saab Spyker deal now completed the new 2010 Saab 9-5 will start hitting the roads.
The official transfer of Saab to Spyker has now been completed and production of the new Saab 9-5 can begin in earnest.
We wondered if we should bother letting you know that the deal for Spyker to buy Saab has been completed. But having spent what seems an interminable amount of time covering every failed deal it seemed only right that we let you know that every ‘t’ has been crossed and every ‘i’ dotted and there is no going back.
Both Saab and Spyker cars will operate as sister companies under the umbrella of Spyker Cars NV. But now the real work starts. There seems to be enough funding in place to at least push Saab back in to proper production, and with the very good 2010 Saab 9-5 ready to go and the promising Saab 9-4X arriving in the next year, production at Trollattan should be able to move forward apace (although the 9-4X is actually being put together in Mexico by GM).
We’ve already reported on Victor Muller’s plans for Saab, but to recap we have waiting in the wings – or at least the plans are waiting in the wings – is a new Saab 9-3 which Saab hope to have on offer by 2012. There is also talk of a Saab 9-1 to take on the super mini market, but it’s really much too early to speculate much on that.
Going forward it also seems likely that Spyker Chairman Vladimir Antonov will be able to prove to the Swedish Government that he is a ‘Fit & Proper Person’ to hold a major role in a public company and be back on board. That gives Spyker access to more funding if required through Vladimir’s Russian Bank, although in reality it seems likely that Convers bank has funded a chunk of the acquisition anyway through Victor Muller’s holding company
Let’s hope Spyker can now pull off the turnaround for Saab.
Ralph Raubenheimer says
Having owned three Saabs two 900SEs 1984 & 1991 and now a 1999 9-3, I hope that service and parts will be avaialble to carry on with the current car which is one of the best cars we’ve ever owned. Dealership in South Africa was completely destroted by GM but hopefully someone will pick this up for the many Saab owbers in South Africa.
Currie l. Ball, M.D. says
Will there be a true Saab like the old 900 se and 9ooo cd or
will it continue to be a car with GM platform and GM modified
engine that took place after GM had partial ownership and began tinkering with the car and with full ownership of Saab
completely changed and destroyed one of the best cars ever
built?
The Saab now appears to only be a Saab in name only.
As we recall the old 900 engine broke an endurance record.
Will there be a new engine that is original and completely non GM, since the old engines have been sold to another country ?