http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/236904/

 

We all saw the writing on the walls but the question remains what about the bail out the Sweeds gave to GM?

 

That's the understatement of the year I still find it amusing the same year they announced the killing of Olds, they completed their full buyout of Saab....



Ahh, memories...

 

If they can't sell Saab, GM should just give them to the Swedish gov't. Then GM could make money selling engines and parts to Sweden.

 

This had crossed my mind as well - just giving them to Sweden. Wonder if that would work?

 

Saabs are nice cars, but overpriced. Maybe even way overpriced.

I mean, why would I buy a 9-3, if for the same money I could get an A4, 1/3 series or C-class? Plus, I think Saab has lost alot of the off-beat funkiness which made it's core buyers so loyal.

 

QFT!

All that Saab means to me these days are well performing, comfy, European used cars. Why do I say used? These ****** are so friggen cheap, they're a steal used. I cannot imagine buying a new Saab, knowing full well how cheap they are used.

2 years ago, I took a 700 mile beach vacation with an '05 Saab 9-5 Arc...220hp IIRC 5 speed. I had a blast with it. I got 28 MPG driving it like it was a red-headed stepchild. At the same time, I was sitting in that car, with 28k miles, 2 years old, for $14,000. How could I not love a car like that for that money?

Compare it to comparable new cars at $35k on a new car lot, and I'd have run from it. Saab needs to be handed back to the Swedes, and let them deal with it. I agree...sell them turbo Ecotecs, and spin the company off. Take people who's lives depend on Saab, and let them run the show. Saab was obviously profitable, by itself, for a long time.

 

This is why GM's management and directors need to go . Wasting company and shareholder money on hugely unprofitable pet projects, while their mainstream products languish for lack of funds. I don't think there's a person alive who ever thought GM could make money buying Saab, so where's the duty to the shareholders? How much better could the last-gen Malibu or Impala have been made with an extra $800m per year in development money? And meanwhile, GM sells off all its non-core, profitable subsidiaries (e.g. Allison, Hughes, EDS, GM Defense) to fund crap like this ... think how nice it would be to have those non-core businesses right now to help offset the downturn in the auto biz.

 

The Swedish government doesn't want to take over Saab or Volvo. There was an article about this in yesterdays Automotive News.

 

Say what you may about Saab.

Saab has much to admire regarding their turbocharging tech and steadfast hammering away on turbos being viable.

Turbocharging is an avenue that will be important in the present and near future.

IMHO, Saab put turbos on the viability "map".

Turbos are absolutely going to be a part in the automotive futurescape for a lot of manufacturers.

 

For GM - absolutely! To a great measure, what we're seeing with turbo Ecotecs and the upcoming Family Zero engines, can be credited to Saab originated know-how.

 

Let us not forget the 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder and Olds Jetfire shortly after... later BMW, Porsche, Buick, and the later F1's Turbo era.

Long standing Turbo viability in gasoling powered road cars is Saab territory from 1978 through to today.

 

Maybe we can just ask MATS SUNDIN if he's interested

 

 

Maybe the list prices are similar, but the actual off-the-lot price will be much, much cheaper for the Saab.