Saab fans should be ecstatic that their favorite brand didn’t just go flatline for eternity. With Spyker taking control of the brand, there’s a whole new future for Saab and we can all just hope they don’t mess things up.

Saab Spyker will be launching an all-new 9-3 in 2012 as part of its overall plan to recover. No word yet on the technical details of the new 9-3 but the announcement that a new one will be coming is a great sign of life for the brand.

The company will also look into offering a new entry-level 9-1. Other models to be offered in the future will be the 9-5X as an addition to the four-door saloon and estate models. The 9-4X will be squeezed into the lineup in early 2011.

Saab Spyker is intent on being “independent, performance-orientated niche car company with an industry-leading environmental strategy” and will compete with the likes of BMW and Audi.

Saab gets its long-awaited breath of life as Spyker finally gets the necessary things to make a formal bid. Here’s the skinny of the deal: Spyker and GM has inked a binding agreement for the sale which will be made official on the February 15.

In an effort to keep its historic brand, Swedish government guaranteed an 400 million Euro loan to make sure the deals goes through. Spyker will be buying off all ordinary Saab shares for $74 million while GM will be retaining “redeemable preferential shares” worth $326 million.

Anyway, here’s a video showing Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson on what’s what with the deal.

Source: CAR Online

And we all really thought Saab will be a dead brand. General Motors and Spyker has confirmed that they have reached an agreement for the sale of Saab.

That should be great news from everyone involved with Saab. It should be a great acquisition for Spker. GM could now breathe a sigh of relief. And Saab fans should be very well pleased.

The deal would result in a formation of a new company merging Saab and Spyker – Saab Spyker Automobiles.

And even though GM announced a continued wind-down of Saab operations, reports have it that the 2011 Saab 9-4X is already being produced in limited volumes. Maybe that should give Spyker a bit of headstart in sales.

Anyway, this is great news for everyone who makes a living with Saab and at least, a 60 year-old car brand wouldn’t simply bite the dust.

How many defibrillator shocks would Saab get from General Motors? Saab seems to be clinically dead for too long that I fear that any chance it would back would either be brain damaged or as a zombie.

In a last-ditch effort to save the brand from complete closure, GM said it will entertain bids after its previous talks with Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg fell square on its ass.

Spyker was seen to be the last possible and most viable savior of the Swedish brand but it seems that its effort to raise proper funding to enter a deal with GM has been in vain. Or delayed at least.

Around 3,400 workers will be without jobs if the company will not be bought out as GM planned for its closure if no viable deals can be made to save it.

Just when everyone thought that Saab is dead, General Motors and some group come up with further talks and negotiations. Spyker just might give Saab its breath of life.

Saab was nearly declared dead by General Motors when talks with Koenigsegg fell square on its ass. Danish automaker – Spyker – then entered the picture.

However, Spyker’s financials had General Motors thinking hard about the viability of the deal. GM already wanted to end talks with Spyker last December 18 but Spyker seems insistent on buying the brand.

GM has given Spyker a bit of hope as GM handed Spyker a January 7 deadline to sort out financing options for it to buy Saab. Else, GM will continue shutting down the brand.

GM also received a number of bids from other groups but they lacked both the financial and industrial capability to be viable candidates.

That’s it folks. GM has decided that it will close down Saab. There were no real takers after the deal with Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg fell square on its ass a few weeks ago.

Not even Spyker, the latest giver of hope for the brand, can save it from doom. GM acknowledged that it wasn’t viable to close a deal with Spyker and the best decision is for it to close down the brand.

It’s really a business decision for GM. The brand’s continued existence is costing GM money that it doesn’t really have. It’s not like Saab has been rolling out cars since the automotive sales crash.

Shades of Saab will still be seen in BAIC cars since the Chinese company bought tooling rights to the 9-3 and the 9-5. But that just means that only a strand of DNA will be all that’s left of Saab.

So who’s to blame for this? We do think that GM has really made a hash of things and Saab biting the bullet is just one of its ill-effects.

Saab, 62.

Source: CAR

If people are still doubting the economic impact of China, they better be rethinking their position. Where the Europeans and Americans are failing now, the Chinese are in the position to takeover Euro and US businesses.

Saab finally found a buyer for its assets in the Beijing Autmotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC). That means that GM doesn’t have to kill off Saab as it had initially planned after the supposed sale to Koenigsegg fell square on its ass.

BAIC takes control over the rights of the current 9-3 and the old 9-5 as well as Saab’s tooling and powertrain technology.

“We have developed a good relationship with BAIC and look forward to working with them to integrate this Saab technology into their future vehicles,” says Saab marketing director Jan-Ake Jonsson.

Source: Autocar

With General Motors cutting funding off from Saab and indicating the Swedish automaker’s independence at the start of 2010, Saab is now looking for a new partner with which it can work closely like it did with GM in the past—albeit now there’s room for improvement.

Saab is expected to lose some $300 million in profits in 2009, but thanks largely to a generous government bailout—the Swedish government gave loans and loan guarantees that amount to around $3.23 billion—the company will be able to stay afloat for the time being.

The loans are intended for the development of new models, particularly the three units that Saab is slated to release over the next year-and-a-half: the now-revealed 9-3X, the 9-4X, and the 9-5. These units will put a premium on technology and innovative features just like those Saab have included in past models, such as headlamp washers, bumpers that absorb impact and turbochargers that are powered by excess energy.

With the company’s impending separation from GM, it’s going to be a great opportunity to observe how Saab turns the situation to its advantage and hopefully getting a new partner goes smoothly.

Source: Motor Authority

Apple Inc. is known for its relatively small, yet loyal customer base and marketing towards select groups of individuals. Saab hopes to foster similar success as it rebrands itself and styles the company to become the “Apple of car makers.” This rebranding signals the brand’s impending separation from General Motors.

“We don’t want to be another Audi,” said Knut Simonsson, director of Saab’s Global Brand and Sales, in an interview with a Dutch car magazine. He said that the future of the Saab DNA lies in “innovation, aircraft history, and Scandinavia,” adding that Saab is trying to transform itself into a “special brand for entrepreneurs, dentists, doctors, and agency people.”

Simonsson stated further that Saab should remain well into profitability with a projected 150,000 cars produced annually, allowing the company to become successful without having to become such a big entity. He suggested that Europe has been the key to this profitability.

The rebranded and revitalized Saab is set to release the 9-5 saloon sometime in 2009, as development is said to be 99 percent done and winter testing is under way. If they really plan to be like Apple, they should at least be prepared to release upgraded or restyled versions of their cars every six months and piss the hell out of people who bought the recently-old models.

Source: Autocar

Saab will exhibit a special edition of the current-gen Saab 9-5, called the Griffin Edition. It is set to be unveiled at this coming January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

According to Saab, people should expect “new altitude in terms of premium standard equipment and value” from the 9-5 Griffin Edition. Under the hood lies a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that is capable of 260 horsepower. It will be available with five-speed manual or automatic transmission.

The Griffin Edition’s exterior has styling reminiscent of the Saab 9-3, along with added dark chrome accents. Framed Xenon headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a spoiler lip at the trunk round out some of the notable exterior elements. The interior features are bannered by high-gloss trim, custom stitching, and leather trim for the seats. Additionally, there are 6 metallic colors for the exterior, along with a polar white option.

There’s no denying that the Saab 9-5 platform is aging. However, the Griffin Edition is a worthy attempt at bringing something new to the table, especially while the next-generation 9-5 is still in the drawing board.

Source: Motor Authority

In its bid to secure a $12 billion government bail-out for the Detroit Big 3 automakers, GM reportedly is planning to ‘shed’ three of its brands—Saab, Saturn, and Pontiac. This is part of GM’s viability plan, which the government required of bail-out seekers before it releases even a cent of the money.

This goes against a previous statement made by GM that only the Hummer brand is up for grabs. However, GM is being advised by members of Congress that letting some of the company’s eight brands would help any turnaround plans. Additionally, the automaker really needs the bail-out money; it needs at least $11 billion at any one time to operate—an amount that GM might not have when 2009 starts unless it gets government aid.

The question now is who would really buy any car brands these days? With the economic crunch and the current state of the automotive industry, there might be little incentive for investment groups to take on the challenge of handling any of the shed brands. All brands are down significantly when it comes to sales. If the plan pushes through, GM will be left with Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC.

Source: Bloomberg

The 1983 9-3 Convertible was Saab’s first venture into soft-top cars. This is why, 25 years later, the automaker is coming up with a commemorative silver anniversary Special Edition version. The car, featuring its definitive Bright Champagne color scheme, will be unveiled at this week’s Los Angeles auto show.

The Special Edition will have a 210-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. It is also available in both a 6-speed manual and 5-speed automatic transmission configurations. Prospective buyers will be able to choose from three colors: Bright Champagne, Jet Black, and Carbon Gray.

This is welcome news, especially after GM cancelled its press conference leading up to the LA auto show. The Saab provides a counterpunch to the sore lack of new GM models for the auto show. The 9-3 Convertible looks sleek and confident, and should attract a lot of attention and buyer interest because of the attractive colors, good (if unexciting) specs, and being ideal for all seasons. It is slated for a January 2009 release.

The LA auto show starts November 21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Source: Autoweek

With General Motors struggling to gain revenue thanks to the ongoing financial crisis, more and more projects are being held back. The possible delay of the Saab 9-4x is just the latest indication of GM’s penny-pinching efforts.

After suppliers of components for the Saab 9-4x were put on hold, the production of the crossover reportedly will commence in the fall of 2009. No final word on the estimated release date, but this development could mean that the 2010 Saab 9-4x won’t be seen until mid-2010.

The Saab 9-4x will still be produced at the Ramos Arizpe GM plant in Mexico. The seven-seat vehicle was intended to be sold worldwide, with a focus on the European market. While the Saab crossover was planned to share chassis with the 2010 Cadillac SRX, the Cadillac hasn’t been put on hold just yet.

This delay is no doubt a result of the financial pinch that GM is in. By cutting back on projects, GM can better control the outward cash flow of the company to help stabilize its financial status.

Source: Left Lane

It’s kind of weird how the amount of previews for the Paris Motor Show have significantly slowed down as the event looms. (We’re nearing October, people!) So I guess we have to settle for those trickling in. And here we have the first pictures of the Saab 9-X Air concept.

The concept’s not too foreign for those keeping track of Saab developments. A hardtop variant was showcased last year in Geneva as the 9X BioHybrid concept. The 9-X Air (as the name somehow implies) lops off the top and slaps on a soft-cloth.

The car is a front-wheel drive powered by a 198-bhp 1.4 E85 flex-fuel engine with a turbocharger slapped on. The engine is mated to a six-speed dual clutch gearbox. And yes, this is still a biohybrid with a lithium-ion powered electric motor.

As for the power figures, the 9-X Air zooms from naught to 60 in eight seconds and returns a green-ish 40 miles per gallon of E85. The 9-X Air is speculated as the next-generation 9-3 Cabriolet that would be offered in five years’ time.

Source: Saab

Swede automaker Saab will take a trip down memory lane by bringing us the Saab Turbo X which will be debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Turbo X is sure to make the Saab enthusiast reminisce about the Saab 99/900 black turbos. It is to be noted that Saab was responsible for unveiling its first turbocharged model thirty years ago in Frankfurt.

The Turbo X is an all-wheel drive turbo limited edition model.

Source: Automoportal