Consider the following:
- Opel may end up part of a US/Canadian/Russian consortium
- Volvo may well end up in Beijing
- Porsche are going to need a bailout by Qatar
- Saturn lives in name only.
- Hummer has gone to an unknown machinery firm in China.
- Many of Chrysler's nameplates will disappear.
- Pontiac is flat out dead (the last sign of life, the Vibe, was snuffed out today).
....and there's probably more that I can't think of as I write this.
Out of all the car companies being affected by the Carpocalypse (copyright, Jalopnik), could Saab be considered the biggest beneficiary?
It was a good article at Examiner.com that prompted this question.
......if Koenigsegg injects some of its own remarkable automotive insight and engineering prowess into Saab, then I truly believe we will see one of the greatest resurgences of intelligent and progressive automobile manufacturing of the 21st century.
I agree.
Of course, the big IF there is largely dependent upon Saab's ability to turn their sales around with new models, and the Koenigsegg Group's ability to invest in developing all-new models, particularly a new 9-3, in the future.
Saab grew an awesome reputation from the 60's through the early 90's, only to lose it to a large degree in the last 15 years (despite what were still some pretty good cars).
It's not often that a company goes through that and had a chance to genuinely return to it's geographical and technological roots.
Saab could well be the biggest automotive winner in this current crisis.
midsommar greetings from sunny scania (typed on my ipod)
Penske may not require badged Saturns. One never knows what this race car legend will do once he is the biggest auto dealer in the U.S.
MARK PHELAN of Detroit Free Press asks today:
"Got advice for Roger Penske?"
But, a great list of questions, like:
"Which foreign automakers can supply Saturn's new model line? Peugeot-Citroen has a wide range of fuel-efficient models and a long-standing desire to get back into the U.S. market...."
http://www.sacbee.com/846/story/1960457.html
(have no idea why an article from the Detroit Free Press is posted first at the Sacramento CA Bee)
Sorry Swade, I think VW will be the biggest winner. Doesn't mean that Saab cannot get past 200,000 vehicles/year by 2011 if they get the engines right.
I still predict Mitsubishi will exit autos by 2011.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1702915
"Saab seeks sporty salvation
Swedish maker of luxury cars buys GM brand"
Nicholas Van Praet, Financial Post
Published: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
"..."It's easy to look at a car company and say 'They don't have a hope in hell.' But I totally disagree," said Chris Budd, whose family owns Budd's Saturn Saab in Oakville, Ont. "Any company can be turned around with the right direction and the right thought process."
The key issue for Saab's 24 Canadian dealers is how their retail businesses will be reorganized. All Saab dealers in Canada are twinned with one of GM's 51 Saturn stores and many retailers sell both under one roof. However, GM is selling each brand to separate bidders and it is unclear how the retail networks will be worked out. Saturn is being sold to Penske Automotive Group, which is doing due diligence on the transaction.
Mr. Budd, who sat on the committee of U. S. dealers that looked at spinning off Saturn and is also a member of the international council for Saab, said Canada's Saturn-Saab dealers are generally pushing for the two brands to remain joined. "It would be the simplest way to solve this." ...
Hope Chris Budd is on JAJ's list of people to call!
The Saturn situation is certainly intriguing -- there is some owner loyalty and a reputation for a good consumer experience. If they can match that to some decent cars, a positive outcome is a possibility.
Note to JAJ, CvK & BE:
Michelle Obama's last words to Barack before his innauguration speech:
" Don't blow it buddy.".
In the next five years SAAB will come out nowhere to most. That is, everyone except SAAB enthusiats. We knew it was possible all along depending on the buyer :)
What a difference a year makes!
Mechanically, the cars are pretty competitive IMO. How much tweaking can be wrung out of the current chassis and ReAxs? Probably not much, but theres certainly no need to reinvent the wheel. An electric rear-drive to silently glide around town would be sweet. And maybe find a way around the five-plus hour water pump on the 2.0 SSs.
All in all, Saab is looking better than ever IMEBO.
...Nonetheless, the pairup could spark the arrival of new business plans using a combination of government investment and cast-off parts of shrinking automakers. Proponents of a new auto industry say by unbundling the giants and incorporating their components into more efficient niche players, new, smaller entities could serve narrower customer groups. The result could be lower prices, better customer service and a wider variety of products...."
That point had URL link to this analysis by some Booz, Allen consultants (a consultancy usually skewed to technology issues):
"Changing Channels In The Automotive Industry: The Future of Automotive Marketing and Distribution"
http://www.strategy-business.com/press/16635507/10102
well, that's all/enough for today, though I do hope there is serious K-Saab energy being applied to the distribution issues.
All I can hope is that CvK et al sign on the dotted line asap and get Saab back on track. I have said this before but Saab needs to get its 'quirkiness' back and judging by what we see in the CCX I just think it might succeed.
Happy Midsommar to all (even if it is winter where you are)
:D
Saturn and Opel are winners.
Saturn as a brand is dead, too - nice distribution channel, zero brand equity.
As to Saturn's brand equity - hard to assess. Distribution often rules over brand or superior product in the U.S.
Calling on Norwegians - is it true that Norway was considering banning all gasoline powered new vehicle sales by 2012?
This article about Eker gets into Norway's position with electric cars and:
"... Ekere responded that SV's national convention in our party decided that would prohibit the sale of new petrol cars by 2012. In the interview in Ukeavisen Management Ekere asked who would establish the infrastructure that was needed for more environmentally friendly cars and who would produce the new types of car. . He thought it was a good idea that the government bought Volvo and Saab, and developed new car with these plants as a basis. http://www.orapp.no/kommentarer/20090619/risikotaker-med-bildilla/
ah, no news here about the mysterious rich Americans in K-egg Group.
from http://www.bilnorge.no/artikkel.php?aid=34155
by Jon Winding-Sørensen 19/06-2009 10:49
"...And even if the accounts which are very small transparent (consolidated into the GM system, and before GM entered, it was mixed together with Scania huge surplus), but there is no protest as loud when it is alleged that Saab has earned money in only one year of his entire history.
But now must be Königsegg-sphere, with no obvious means, over Saab in which debt is at least 2.5 billion [SEK], where the requirements in connection with salary guarantees and the like soon is over 300 million [SEK], and where they currently burn about 200 million [SEK] each month. [remaining debt is and salary guarantees being paid by Sweden are now over 600MILUSD, and the monthly burn rate is about 25MILUSD per month]
Upside is a possible loan of 600 million dollars in the European Investment Bank - but then the Swedish population initially convinced that it is wise to risk tax money on a state guarantee.
Magi?
It may be that it goes, Bård Ekere have been to many exciting things before.
After he went to the wide side Königsegg actually with an operating profit of approx. 1 million last year (it is an operating margin of approx. 1 per cent), but representatives of the Swedish tax being sounded more realistic than super optimistic GM, Opel, Saab chief Jan-Åke Jonsson, Saab stops union, council of Ängelholm - among many others.
By sacrificing the negotiations said Thursday that the State no to chord, on the grounds that they lack concrete information about all the money it now spoken about.
At chords went so smoothly through anyway due NOK most at GM-owned ca. 80 percent of this debt, and that they are pretty desperate to get rid of all the distracting obligations midt inside their own restructuring.
Those of us who are happy in the Saab, and who want the car back - but in a completely different form than what GM has degenerated to - can not do other than hope."
NOTE: VW ads for the Passat and Tiguan, and ads for Ford accompany this article about Eker and money.
But that doesent matter, all that matters is that when im a old man i can can buy a saab or atlest wish i could. Maby my next saab is a saab 90;) i was offered to buy one that only had 50 000km on it and only driven in the summer very cheap some years ago. But i was stupid enough to say no becouse its ugly. Bad judgement.
This konigsegg deal is almost surreal to me. It could possible become crap or the coolest thing in the history of saab ever. I watched an interview whith the norwegian investor and he was wery secret whit the deal and especialy about the american investor that aparently you cant find even on google image search. Its all a mystery but its very exiting, isnt it?:) Saab has almost never been a profitable company, but still here it is. That was what i was thinking when GM went belly down to comfort myself. But it seems the story will continue -and i like it! Even though there will never be a saab 90 ever again and i will have to be satisfyed with my old 9000.
The main thing is to not permit Saab to go to China as the way the Chinese economy is gear will result in production of very poor quality product at the cheapest possible price which impacts on Saab's well-established safety ratings.