has a very......VERY strong chance at staying within the GM family due to the sale falling apart.

I fully expect Pontiac fans to be up in arms about this if it does in fact happen.


You might be asking "why can GM now decide to keep Saab?" Why do you think they are quick to begin repaying the Gov't loans....so they can get the monkey off their back and allow the company to make decisions they really really want to make and not decisions the Government wants them to make.

 

Why would GM want to keep Saab? What's it done for GM, except be a colossal financial black hole. Yeah, they might've got some turbocharing and FWD knowledge from them, but not near worth the amount of money they've sunk into them. If Saab doesn't go the way of Saturn (assuming no other buyers step up), then that's a huge step backwards into the old-GM way of thinking.

 

GM has Opel, drop Saab.

 

Yep, you're right. Decisions like 7 figure executive bonuses, corporate jets and junkets, etc.

 

Saab as supplied GM with a lot of technology, bankrolling Ecotec series engines as well and the Epsilon platform.
The torque-vectoring system was co-developed by Haladex and Saab.
If GM was smart, they robbed the place of all the technological advancements, set it on fire, and give it back to the Sweeds.

 

Saab is worthwhile for 3 reasons.

1) It has an entirely new line up that's about to hit. A line up that GM no doubt spent a lot of $$ on and would like to get a return on.

2) Saab has the global presence that Cadillac so desperately wants and needs. Saab (sadly) IS GM's global luxury brand.

3) Saab has the ability to pull in buyers that wouldn't consider one of the core brands. (excepting MAYBE Cadillac)

Now, that said, it does really **** ME OFF as a diehard Pontiac fan that Saab might be getting a stay of execution.

But I can also understand the business decisions behind it. The only real hurdle would be the ATF. Will they allow (how sad is that statement?) GM to have 5 brands here instead of 4.

It really surprises me that GM didn't allow Saturn to live... I think maybe the pending (at the time) Opel sale made them pull the trigger on Saturn.

It is my guess that GM wanted to keep 6 brands in NA, had it avoided CH 11. Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Saturn and Saab. Remember, the decisions to kill Pontiac and sell Hummer were made well in advance of the government intervention.

It was my thought that GM was trying to inadvertently keep a stake in Saturn through Penske and the "option" to extend the contracts for production. (Think about it, GM had it made in that deal... No marketing, no dealer expense and an adjustable method for using up excess capacity)

Even now, some people within GM state that Pontiac isn't as dead as we all think (I find that hard to believe)

The question is; where exactly does Saab fit into the new GM if it stays in North America? I think that scenario is highly doubtful, since Saabs dealer base (already tiny)has been drastically depleted during all of the hubbub.

 

Sounds just about like what Mercedes did to Mopar (maybe not from a technology standpoint) - not very cool at all.

 

Saab sold 65,000 vehicles in Europe in 2008, 21,000 in the US. I don't see where ~100k global sales warrants the investment. And I also don't think Saab is considered a luxury brand globally. Near luxury, perhaps, but then that just makes it an also-ran.

 

It's sad... I know.

But it's still better than Cadillac. And with Saabs image and impending all new product line, it'll probably be an easier sell in Europe than Cadillac.

I'm still all for seeing a truly global Cadillac, but that will take even more time and money.

 

Robbed Peter (Opel) to pay Paul (SAAB). In fact, ever since GM bought SAAB, Opel started and continued its downhill slide.

 

SAAB is dead... at least as a GM brand. No matter how much they want to keep it, I don't imagine it's going to be worth the investment unless they can light a major fire under their new car. Although if it is good enough to hit 100k+ sales per year... it might have a chance.

 

I would just keep the 9-4x and 9-5, build them on Opel assembly lines, and keep Saab only as premium cars to be sold by Opel dealers in Europe. Neither vehicle is necessary in the US in my opinion, as they would compete directly with the SRX and LaCrosse.

 

Sort of looks like GM is reassembling itself for business as usual, doesn't it? Maybe Oldsmobile will come back too. I'll get my order in for a W-30 Hurst/Olds tribute car.

Saab is a cool brand, but it's been a money hole for GM. Sure, there are some new, already paid for products ready to go - but if it's not profitable, it's not profitable.

 

The difficulty that GM has experienced in trying to sell Saturn, Hummer and Saab seems to suggest that these brands should have been sold or shut down a long time ago.

 

I think your friend's either delusional or in a state of denial.

If GM can not sell Saab, it will shut it down.

That's fact.

Your friend will very soon have a very jarring reality check.