Q & A with Christopher Johnston from Merbanco

Swade & CJ,

So very nice of Cj to come forward having these thoughts shared with all of us Saabiacs and buyers.
And Swade is as fantastic as ever making all this happen here on SU.

Hope all goes well as I am eagerly waiting to change my MY01 9-5 Aero SC to a new 2011 NG 9-5 Aero SC XWD.

Here´s to the future!

Cheers and cowboy up!

interesting and right on the money,

I have never been to Sweden but have envied Swedish products for years,

i have difficulty accepting the current madness where a national icon may 'vanish',

is the situation such that the Swedish population are ambivalent towards SAAB and other fine Swedish icons such as volvo, skf?

i see no such misgivings when the Swedish football [soccer] team come out to play.

whats really going on in Sweden??

a few hundred million now vs long term unemployment and extensive and expensive social welfare payments, i just don't get it.

[good work Swade and Mr C.J.]

As reader for a long time of this blog, I must finally make a comment. Merbanco is what SAAB really needs ! GM owes to SAAB to put them in hands of viable owner as Merbanco ! I am ashamed as a Swede that our conservative government is willing let SAAB go lost because neo liberal principals. Governments have one purpose and that is to defend the interests of its people. We are looosing everhting here Volvo goes to China in 5-10 years, SAAB is supposed to be closed down. Without these brands Sweden would have only been known for making watches in Alps ( mistagen for Switerland ) !
We are not allowed to be proud of nothing here because national pride is not political correct ! Even social democtate leader and potential new primemister has stated that Swedish do not have a cultur to be proud of ! I will pray for the sake of Sweden and SAAB, please let Merbanco save SAAB !

Oh god, a re-made 900Aero cab XWD would be awesome!

Very promising and reassuring. Thanks CJ. I hope they'll give you the opportunity to help make Saab successful again.

Tuesday Dec 1st just happens to be my wife's birthday btw. GM: You know what to do. I'm not asking for much.

@Swade, thanks for another great article to read.

@CJ, Thank you for your time and comments...If all goes well and you're able to obtain Saab, we all hope you'll remain as "people connected" here at SU as you are now.

"Hypothetically, if I were the owner of Saab, we would adopt the plan and adjust from there. It's no secret I am very customer centered."

This sounds very good to me and is also something that will both make it possible for the deal to go through quickly, as well as address some of the major concerns voiced regarding the US dealerships.

Best of luck CJ, my family are staking our hopes up high with you. :)

Yes to Merbanco and yes to CJ from Malaysia.

Fredrik Feinfeldt just doesn't get it. I don't see any leadership in him. Perhaps somebody needs to explain "cowboy up" in Swedish to him.

Swade thanks for your excellent work and many thanks for the insights of what is best for Sweden and SAAB that even an American CEO, Mr Christopher Johnston, knows better than a Swedish government ! Please have fait in us Swedes though, there are reasonable Swedes too however, we are surpressed bread by the political top dogs who tells you what to think and do here ! Most Swedes can still see a bigger picture ! And by the way Swade, be happy that live in Tasmanina. Besides it enables you to think independently ( on safe distance from Swedish political correctness )you live on my favorite spot on earth ! Tasmanina I visited in 2002 and still longs to go back ! I have travelled a bit in my life and also lived and worked in US and Germany but Tasmania is speical to me !

Thanks to both of you !

Lets see how long it takes for Swedish media to get an "exclusive" interview with Mr Johnston...

What I really don't get about the Swedish gov that even the US gov was able to get very quickly. That if they didn't support one of their countries major industries. How many people would they be supporting on unemployment when all is said and done, if they just did nothing? It's one way or another the government is going to be shelling out lots of money. The only bad part that they aren't taking into account though is the butterfly effect of what all this could have on Volvo if Saab were to go down the drain. But I have to hand it to you Swade. Reading comments from CJ is truly uplifting and awe-inspiring. I would be a Saab owner for life under the company with him as the New owner!

A question... I would not expect from CJ to answer it because money is never talket about in the open when it comes to big businesses.. But hypothetically.. Saab has been granted the EIB loan and the Swedish government has said that they would back this up with guarantees even with an owner like Koenigsegg behind SAAB. So if Merbanco were to become The owner we can really say the the EIB box is checked.
The rest of the money would come from Merbanco and I can´t imagine that money is a big issue there. A new owner would not have to go through the ordeal with reorganisation, patents etc etc. It´s all there. Merbanco has allready spoken to GM before and their intentions regarding SAAB is known..

How long would it have to take for Merbanco to kickstart SAAB and get things going? Is a loan from Sweden at all nescessary? From someone like me that does not understand big businesses I would think that a signature and money transfered to an account would make Saab go full speed ahead before the new year.. ?????

Is something like a 2012 900 Convertible XWD even realistic? Is a new 9-3 that close to reality?

Cheers CJ and Swade!

Tom R in Uppsala/Sweden

Swade, it is trully excellent that you can bring one of the main players into a forum and show that there really is hope for Saab. There is a future and if anything the legacy of Koenigsegg is a viable business plan which can be short circuited into action if as CJ says it can happen if all parties take a positive step forward. It was good to see CJ's recognition of the Saab brand values.

The stage is set. Thank you, Swade.

I just hope the good guys win, CJ.

I'd see Merbanco's main contribution to the New SAAB project in the field of customer orientation.
I think SAAB have tremendous experience and creativity in technical and design issues, but I think in the way they and their distributors communicate with their customers there is some potential for improvement.
In this respect, IMHO, Koenigsegg were not exactly what SAAB needs. Admittedly, the PR value of the Koenigsegg deal was substantial, but then again, loyal customers want and deserve care and respect. I think, Merbanco would do a great job to change things for the better in this essential field of marketing.

No matter how this eventually goes I applaud you Swade for your efforts. They are truley noble.

And CJ. Pull this off and I'll buy you a beer. =).

BTW I'm sitting in the driver's seat of my parked 95 Aero with my infant daughter sleeping in the back seat while mom is at the hair dresser. We're both very cozy at the moment. We'd be cozier knowing that dad could buy another new one someday.

CJ> i want to thank you for your time and being connected with us at Saabsunited:)

Swade> thanks for another great article and interview!:)

Wow.
Great insight.
Thanks to Swade for your efforts.
Many thanks to CJ for taking the time to give me a little hope.

The logic of CJ is so clear and lucid that I simply can't understand why Reinfeldt and Olofsson don't get it. Maybe they're just playing tough, but it's a dangerous game. Their negative statements are really hurting Saab. I now wish Merbanco had been the preferred buyer all along.
And, I will now take my place in line waiting for that re-made 900 Aero cab. :-)

lets hope good decission from gm board meeting, still a couple of days waiting. Maybe some bridge loan or extended support from gm needed to find a new owner and finalize deal. Thanks swade and CJ for information and hope also during weekend! Here in Finland press again informs that saab will disappear, my own opinnion is that there still will be future for saab. I am eagerly waiting ng9-5 sedan. My choice will be tid or 2.0t, depending on pricing

Thanks Swade

but I still have not understood how seriously these guys are going for the the deal..... any feelings?

Carlo

I like Merbanco, and I like Mr Johnston. He seems to be "down to earth" and really like SAAB. I would love Merbanco taking over SAAB. Yes.

Swade you're awesome.

Or maybe Merbanko together with Koenigsegg take Saab? Isn't it good idea?

Can we please turn the clock back to June and see that Merbanco
are the team that won the right to buy Saab? Added bonus to
doing that.....I get to relive what was an amazing summer.

I hope CJ and Merbanco are still interested today!!!

1. CJ developed a clear and coherent perspective. "Down to earth" and understandable. An interview in true "Swades"-TM-Quality.

(But current contacts with GM are surely needed?!)
________________________________________________

2. Even here at SU some don't understand, that sometimes in life there are situations, where you should take your heart in your hands and be powerfull together with all the others to pull the things in the right direction.

Complaining and grumbling stops all the energy to be successful. In business "too late" may be TOO LATE. That could mean: game over. Then afterwards you can complain "oh I should have known better …"

There are always little differences in groups of enthusiasts. But SU shouldn't be only self-reflection. We should recognize that we can move the things and take influence on the outside world.

Let's keep the SAAB SPIRIT alive.

As a marketing major right when cj said that he is customer centered really gives me hope if in fact merbanco does win Saab. Companies flourish when they are centered toward customers and base their business satisfying them.

The overcapacity question is an interesting one, because there is more capacity than necessary.

But the existence of overcapacity is not the same as saying one particular factory should be closed. The better question is: is there a place in a crowded field for a company like Saab?

I'm a lawyer by trade, and there is a horrendous oversupply of lawyers in the United States. But truth be told a lot of lawyers just aren't very good, and despite the glut *there's always room for another good lawyer.*

The same is true for the auto industry: there's always room for another good car. There is a lot of overcapacity out there, but most of that overcapacity is dedicated to boring cars designed solely as appliances, which are profitable only at unsustainably high sales volumes. The root cause of the industry-wide crisis has nothing to so with Saab: Saab is a rounding error on the overcapacity problem.

If Saab can make unique and distinctive cars which can sustain high margins, there is plenty of room for Saab in the car market. But it's clear that GM's plan for Saab -- a quirky Swedish variation of its volume-sales business model -- is dead.

According to Swe Tv4 news Mr. Hägglund is on his way to Detroit.....

Wow... I dare not let my heart think that someone like CJ could purchase Saab... I don't want to get disappointed again...

I can't even imagine Saab being led by a party so enthusiastic about the brand...

Swade: Thanks so much for the Q+A with CJ. CJ thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the Saab faithful. The more I hear the more I like your thinking and the more I believe your company would be great stewards of Saab. Best of luck and know that you have a lot of support from all of us.

A twin turbo 900!? CJ, you are the man! :)

Cowboy up!

Why weren't they picked in the first place? Get this done and I will buy two new cars from you in the next few years! :-)

I may be reading to much into this but when I read it the other day I imedidatly thought he was making a dig at the closure of some dealerships that are part of the Saab family and help make the customers happy.

Via the comments section:

"It is the enthusiasts who buy the products! Customers are the lifeblood. I like people who like Saabs!
...this is about the Saab family now. They deserve our best."

Some more reading in between the lines.

"Hypothetically, if I were the owner of Saab, we would adopt the plan and adjust from there. It's no secret I am very customer centered."
Read- We are going to agree to the plan just to get things wrapped up and then change what we see fit after there is nothing anyone can do about it. I tend to agree with the outlook he has here since the "plan" has been approved of on many levels and to try change stuff now would put unbearable pressure on a quick closure of the deal and Saab's business in the interim.
From what I have seen of his comments he seems to be a Saab enthusiast centrist taking the popular enthusiast line about where to take the company from a product perspective. I find this exceedingly interesting as we enthusiasts have said unceasingly how Saab needed to return to its roots and that would be the path to success. We just may get to see if we were right all along;)

Go Merbanco!

The fact that he mentioned XWD as being an important element is what really surprised me alot. People keep associating AWD as a cold weather or bad weather feature and it wasn't originally designed for that in the first place. So CJ's vision of a re-imagined 2012 900(TT-XWD-Cab) is very interesting indeed. As I feel that twin-turbo charging is something Saab should be really jumping on promoting before both BMW and Ford say they were doing it first.

When are we going to start seeing SAAB/Cowboy Up! bumper stickers?

I really do hope that I'm not getting over exited about what may potentially amount to nothing.

.... but on the same token, if this is trully the new leadership of my beloved Saab brand, then what a great way of introducing yourself to, and informing, your customer base.

Best of luck to all parties involved :-)

-Breaking News- (SVT)
JAJ is on his way to Detroit now.

Confirmed via swedish news program "Agenda" on channel 2.

Dippen,

JAJ is flying back in time to fix SAAB. Hahahohohahah.

Dear Santa.

All I want for christmas is a good new owner for Saab so that I in a few years time can replace my Golf TDI with something equalish in size, good fuel economy (TDI or gas perhaps? fwd + electrical rwd as option and with Saabs world class safety.

Hope santa is wearing a Stetson this year ;)

/Mats

I just hope that the last few days have not allowed us to rise our hopes too high...

Swade, you are a blog genius.

If Saab survives into plug-in hybrid era, then things should go smooth from there.

More owners would level the risk.

I hope that papers get signed within 2-3 weeks. GM might even be pleased that BAIC is out of the equation now.

Fortunate for you who dont live in Sweden you where not able to see the latest doom panel on TV. No smiling faces there, another example of swedes being unable to express pried in values that has been created.

Swade and CJ!!!!

Great read - Swade you´re the man. To be able to "lure" someone like CJ to your forum and allow us to meet and greet with him (although virtually).

I know what I want for Xmas :)

Cowboy up! Look at this, with the swedish singer Jill Jonsson. I think she even does the SAAB wave!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83jyXt8jmHs

Thanks CJ for keeping direct contact with the customer base through Saabsunited. I really like your attitude! CJ, JÅJ and Swade, our heroes in difficult times!

Great intervju CJ and Swade!
It´s really nice to here these thaughts, but I wouldn´t count on any Grants and Loans except for the EIB grant. JoJ delivered chritisism to our government this thirsday or friday about this topic. The left wing and the right wing (Reinfeldt, Maud)are fighting about this issue, and I just don´t see the right, who are in power, backing down on this.
That said, I really think that Jöran Hägglund has managed this well, he is on his way to Detroit now, as is JåJ.
Jöran Hägglund (Maud´s right hand) said this weekend that he has spoken to GM, and that they hadn´t given up hope of being able to sell Saab Automobile.

Cheers to you Saabels!

Swade,

It would be really nice if you can implement a world clock feature on your web site with four clocks telling us the time in Wilson, Detroit, Trollhattan and Hobart of course.

We might need those after all. :)

Whoever will own SAAB in the near future (and Marbanco sure as hell sounds good to me too) has to address the market issue. So, lets look at the market for a while, that is at the customers that actually buy the product (hè CJ, are you listening?) and then at some marketing and finally my 2ct on the situation.

For SAAB to survive it needs more than its enthusiasts to buy the products, it needs many others to do so too. Here some driver groups that we can look at:

1) SAAB drivers who really do not care so much about their car being a SAAB or not (I think of many Swedes that drive company cars, cars they do not own at all).

This sales segment consists of cars sold to companies which requires a very good local corporate sales organization and this is where I think SAAB in Sweden has lost many, many sales the past 18 months, and they are beaten by Audi/VW, Volvo, etc who aggressively exploit the negativeness around SAAB.

Deals are price and (today) environment focused. The new 9-5 would not help this segment that much. The car pushes itself into a more executive segment which aims at a far smaller slice, only with the wagon it will regain some strength, but that is at least one year from now...

I guess we have similar situations in a couple of other countries but in Sweden approx. 70 % of SAAB's sales volume has gone to this segment. It will take many years to rebuild the reputation and especially its volumes, if ever.

2) Private owners/drivers
The traditional SAAB clientèle of doctors, lawyers, professors, architects, actors etc., who are relatively well off, (most living outside Sweden) could very well like SAAB once again but these people are no car fanatics, rather design oriented and need cars that appeal to that.

SAAB has a great potential here. I would love to find a model where we could reach many of these people without needing a full dealership at close range. I think we need a new (SAAB unique) approach here. SU could be part of that, too.

But this again is a new path to be paved and it needs to be done quickly in order not to loose too much money in the next two, three years.

Marketing and PR
SAAB mass marketing to the general public (TV ad in Sweden of 9-3x this fall) uses an extremely well made film as such but in my eyes spends its money on expensive media whereas the target group should be attacked in a far more sophisticated /surgical way. When will SAAB use viral marketing?

Learn from Apple: Let the product be your best marketing tool ever. Make products that people will drool over. Make unique products like Aero-X or 9-x Air and I guess you don't have to advertise at all. Good PR will do it all.

And now?
I think CJ has a great advantage over CvK as we already have seen CJ here at SU a couple of times and CvK seldom showed his head anywhere. PR at its best. My creds to this man!

There is a chance he could pull this off, but I think he (or anybody) should not count on the Swedish gov't for pure money in support, rather full support, but without the cash. Just forget it.

So if he wants SAAB to survive as much as I do, he should do it without all these complicated politicians and show them he can do it anyway. Hopefully GM will play along.

I believe in SAAB, the SAAB Spirit and that it all will survive. Amen.

that should have been Merbanco, sorry guys

I work for a GM dealer who sells SAAB too. Previously, I worked for an EXCLUSIVE Saab dealer.( I am not giving my real name or the name of the country. I have been managing the SAAB business for over 15 years and SAAB has become something like my own over the years. My kids grew up while I was driving a SAAB and they cannot think of any think other then a SAAB. I come to this website almost everyday to read about the latest happenings and emotionally it has been an up and down ride for the past few months, still this site is the best in getting SAAB news. I wish to thank Swade for this and I am sure that all of us appreciate and praise his efforts in keeping us SAAB affiondos informed and uptodate. Great Job Swade.

GM made a lot of mistakes with SAAB. I will give them below point by point.

1. The first one was to group SAAB with Cadillac & Hummer.

2. Cadillac had 4 years/100,000 kilometrs warranty with 4 years/100,000 kilometrs free maintenance, included in the price. With these terms, who would buy a SAAB? which had 2 years/100,000 kilometrs warranty with no free services included. This continued for 3 years when SAAB warranty was changed to match that of Cadillac but still no free maintenance. However, by then the damage had been done.

3. No marketing budget for SAAB whereas millions were being spent on Cadillac and Hummer.

4.Then came the BLS ( a SAAB under the Cadillac badge) with lower prices then SAAB with free maintenance and 4 years/100,000 kilometers warranty. Again SAAB suffered as a brand.

5.Lot of technology was taken from SAAB and put into Cadillac. I will give you an example. Cadillac CTS was rated as 3 star in 2007 on safety and suddenly Cadillac CTS 2008 got 5 stars for saftey due to the SAAB technology. In addition the driving characteristics of all GM cars changed to match more of SAAB.GM having taken a lot more from SAAB then giving back to it.

6. When the fuel crisis came, instead of concentrating on SAAB with smaller engines and high performance using turbo technology, GM started shouting about the CAMARO and the Cruze. Completely ridiculous line of action.They could have taken the SAAB brand and taken it to great heights at this point of time by emphasizing on its fuel efficiency, performance and control. How many performance cars can give the kind of mileage, we get out of a SAAB specially on a long drive.?

Over all, I hope GM sells SAAB and relieve it of its over bearingness and big brother using the small brother for selfish purposes.

I pray day in and day out for SAAB and hope the best for it. The Swedish Givernment needs to step in as did the US Government and save SAAB.

Found this Reuters information:

* Saab in contact with suitors for the 60-year-old company
* GM board to consider next step for Saab on Tuesday
* Saab has not made profit in 20-year link with GM
(Recasts first paragraph, adds comments from Merbanco,
background on other bidders)
By Victoria Klesty
STOCKHOLM, Nov 27 (Reuters) - General Motors Co [GM.UL]
said on Friday it was talking to possible buyers of Saab, four
days before a GM board meeting considers whether to attempt to
revive a sale process or eliminate the 60-year-old Swedish auto
brand.
"We can confirm that we have heard from different
investors. We have a close dialogue and close contact with
several who have expressed interest in buying Saab Automobile,"
Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs said.
"It is not so surprising, given that there were 27 parties
who were interested (when Saab was initially put up for sale)
and 10 who came and looked the company over in April and May."
Gustavs would not give any further information about whom
the possible buyers might be or how many potential suitors
loss-making Saab had approached since a potential sale to
Sweden-based sports car builder Koenigsegg collapsed.
Koenigsegg on Tuesday pulled out of a deal it had been
negotiating with GM to buy Saab, blaming the length of time it
was taking to finalise the agreement and obtain European
Investment Bank loans and loan guarantees.
GM has not been in discussions with any other bidders for
Saab and analysts have said they expect the most likely outcome
to be closure of the brand.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co, China's No. 10
automaker, had planned to take a stake in Koenigsegg as part of
the Saab bid.
A BAIC representative did not have any knowledge of
separate talks with GM.
Merbanco Merchant Banking Co, based in Wyoming, had also
been interested in Saab.
Merbanco remains interested but has not had any talks with
GM since the Koenigsegg deal fell through, Merbanco Chief
Executive Chris Johnston told Reuters.
"We are interested, definitely," Johnston told Reuters on
Friday. "Are we interested in a six-month odyssey? Not
really."
Johnston said he thinks Saab deserves to survive. "It's a
great brand and a terrific company. It's got great management,"
he said.
GM's board meets next week and the question of what to do
with Saab will top the agenda.
Saab has not made a profit since it was taken over by GM 20
years ago and estimated it would make a loss of 3 billion
Swedish crowns ($427 million) this year and again in 2010.
U.S. financier Ira Rennert and his Renco Group had
expressed an interest in pursuing a deal for Saab. A Renco
representative could not be reached for comment on Friday.
($1=7.032 Swedish crowns)

"We've had intense dialogue with potential buyers," Eric Geers, a Saab spokesman, said Friday. He said Saab's management team, headed by Jan-Ake Jonsson, is preparing a presentation for GM's board of directors that lays out the company's options.

Mr. Jonsson's case to save Saab will be bolstered by comments from Swedish government officials on Friday indicating Saab's home country remains ready to act as the company's guarantor on €400 million loans from the European Investment Bank. Sweden will send a delegation to Detroit to meet with GM officials early next week.

GM's board will begin its regular monthly meeting Monday evening, and a decision on Saab's future could be made public by Tuesday. GM's post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan included selling, closing or fixing several of the company's auto brands.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703499404574561812872778726.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business

Out there in digisphere, someone is sharing my idea about a Proton-Lotus-Saab combination:
http://forums.motortrend.com/70/7958198/the-general-forum/more-saab-news/index.html
So we are two now at least, that won't be enough to organize a buy-out, but some of the smart guys at Proton certainly considered that ;-)

good to hear from CJ again. thanks for making this happening Swade!

hello there.

Does anybody knows what's going on with the future of SAAB?I want to buy the 9-3 and i don'n know what to do!will GM shut down the brand?

... just checked my wishfull thinking. Protons production figures in 2003: 157305 cars, in 2005 166753 cars, in 2007 only 82441 cars ! Has anyone inside information facts about the brands or holdings financial situation ? With the planned investments in F1 there will be less money for a takeover of another brand i.e. Saab.
Just can't believe an investment from only outside automotive industrie like Merbanco makes sense.

I disagree with Christopher Johnson - honestly, he's probably painting a overtly rosy picture to be polite. He knows the truth. Saab does not have a good chance. It is almost certainly going to go under. I get a sense that Koenigsberg genuinely wanted Saab to live more than any other bidder but realized that it was just not financially feasible.
I've been an analyst with a major investment bank in New York for several years and I specialize in distressed assets (with a focus on the automotive industry now). I went to Harvard Business School as well and did a study on niche automotive markets as well there.

Before I bash Johnson's overtly rosy picture, I just want to put it out there that it pains me to see that Saab is going to go under while crap like Hummer likely will live. (I've always loved Saabs and own a Turbo X + 06' 9-5 "liked the headlights").

Anyways, the market right now is unprecedented. The way future markets works (and a buyer's propensity to purchase a asset) is always based on predictions of future consumer demand. Right now, the demand for cars is falling greatly based on the overall GDP retraction (overspending, consumer debt, etc). Luxury goods are going to be curtailed.

Saab's balance sheet is too polluted right now. It simply costs too much to build each car let alone provide the money for the kind of R&D or marketing that is needed to pull the company ahead of its competitors. The actual figures needed to achieve profitability for the new 9-5 along with actuarial adjustments for any technical problems that will arise from a first generation vehicle is likely to high. (I believe it will greatly exceed the 50,000 figure for FY2010)

The brand is simply not strong enough to carry through. Saab is certainly an industrial asset for Sweden but Sweden is a small country with a relatively high amount of heavy industry anyways (Scania, , Volvo, Skanska etc). The government quiet simply does not have any incentive to keep alive a company that will be unprofitable for the long near foreseeable future.

The only thing, I repeat, only thing that will save Saab is a company with lots of money to spare for 5+ years. Not only that, the fact that the company is in Sweden complicates many investors who do have the money to spare for this (the Chinese most notably) - there remain particular labor laws and engineering requirements in Sweden that create a high barrier of entry for a non-EU company to take the helm. Koenigsegg was Saab's last hope and I think at the last moment, Christian decided that it wasn't worth it to fatally risk the health and future of his small company down with Saab. It would essentially be Christian betting the farm that the vision he had for Saab would blow the competition out of the water. The nature of his financing created a situation where he'd have to outdo competitors who had more money, more technology (through a larger tech force) with less. While the new 9-5 is undoubtedly Saab's most technologically advanced vehicle, the amount of tech that a behemoth like BMW or Lexus/Toyota has access to is staggering in comparison.

The niche market is simply not enough to sustain Saab anymore as well. (But I'm not going to get into that now). Its a sad thing - Saab was truly an underdog, they fought it out for long and created pretty good and well thought out cars with much less resources. If I had a billion dollars and was sitting on it like a rich Saudi prince - I'd risk blowing it on Saab. (but that's just me)

I'm going to buy a 9-5 Griffin before it goes but other than that, when my kids grow up, they're going to not know what car their dad drives.

A re-made 900 Aero twin turbo? Definitely! Put me down for one, but a coupe not vert.

Swade, good job, it 's great you keep us and the rest of the world posted about this potential buyer. We really need this insight.

To Merbanco I say: go for it, team up with Koenigsegg, take on the deal where they left it and no time will be spilled. You 've got a great opportunity here. And the support of many Saab lovers.

CJ: You have a lot of hopes and dreams riding on your shoulders and we're confident you can carry the burden if everything works out.

All:

We have nothing left but hope right now... Hope that GM does the right thing... and that CJ (and partners?) can bring Saab back from the brink.

Check this out:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a0WY7wvjVjXg

In a nut shell says that BAIC wants SAAB asap with Wang Dazong telling everyone to "stay tuned"

It gets me a bit nervous though as it talks about SAAB being attractive for its technology, there is nothing mentioned about the brand itself. Only an idiot would strip SAAB (a well established western car company) of its technology, and use it to try to introduce Chinese vehicles to the western world. Lets hope that this doesn't happen.

@CJ:
Your beeing here with us is very much appreciated. I've got a feeling that you'd fit quite well into the Saab family. And I'm sure that your expereience could help Saab out of those hard times.
I've mentioned here before that I've promised my three year old daughter to buy her a 9-3 convertible on her 18th birthday. I hope you can help a a father keep his promise.
In the meantime I'll do my best to order a new 9-3 for me soon...

@Swade:
SU is just awesome. Thanks for the great coverage.

@all:
Good to be here with you to keep the spirit alive.

If and I say if, Mr Johnston really does understand the Saab customer base and customer issues as his words appear to indicate at face value, then he and his ilk are the people best minded to save Saab- are hey not?

It is all about situational awareness, rational lateral thought, and communications being linked,not separate to, the marketing function.

Rational accountancy minded analysts will tell us that Saab, in bean -counter terms is stuffed. But that thinking relies upon cognitive perception - ie perceived wisdom- which is in itself a contradiction in terms.

The costs of Saab going under to the Swedish socio- economic model, far outweight, the few hundred million or so, that a loan to save Saab represents.

I thought Fiat and the Agnelli fmaily might step in- their Saab and Wallenberg family links go way back to before the Saab 9000 'Type Four' bodyshell sharing. How can BAIC possibly ever understnad Saab? How coudl the Chinese model ever understand Volvo too? All the Chineses adn Koreans want is the intelligence.

The answer is that Saab needs expert analysis from those experienced in distress, brand contamination and customer thinking. Of the players on the scene, maybe Mr Johnston's lot were the ones from the word go.

One coudl consider a conspirarcy theory here - teh Chinese auto industry 'played' Cvkoenigsegg to lever tiself a deal that delivered Saab entirely to Beijing.

As I said in a previous post, the customer is the point, not thetool to achieve the point, and SCNA sacking dealers with 40 years brand knowledge was madness.

If Merbanco really mean what they say, and know what they say really means, then they can have my vote now...

Let's face folks, the new 95, really is Saab's last chance saloon...

I have a 2001 9-3 Just can't imagine life without Saab, What about Scania, if not how about a tie up with Lotus, just thinking out aloud. Keep up th good work and many thanks Swade.

Subsidising business-as-usual SAAB wont help. Promising billions of state $$$ to anyone prepared to take over SAAB is a slippery path, would that give us a better brand and cars? Frankly, it's not even honest to blame SAABs problems on the current economin depression.

SAAB can make great cars, I'm stil in love with my SAAB 99 Turbo :). We need someone who is really, really, interested in SAAB for SAAB and not in a risk-free state-aided industry.

As an owner of 13 Saabs since 1999, (I presently own four) I sure would have liked to have seen Roger Penske get involved in buying Saab after his bid for Saturn (part of GM) bit the dust.

Penske knows cars and he knows trucking and leasing.

Penske's problem with the Saturn deal was that he couldn't get any future guarantee of production, so he backed out of buying Saturn. Saab could have fixed that production problem.

But of course, Saab does not have the dealer network that Saturn did in the US. Saturn was somewhat European oriented and only sold 2 cars -- about the size of the 9-3 and 9-5 -- usually made by Opel. Saturn was a cheaper car than Saab but it's cheapness often hurt it against its competitors.

Seems like both companies should be bought -- one for production and one for the dealer network.

For those of you who don't know who Roger Penske is, he is a famous American race car driver who has a great US racing team, and also started, and is still running, a very successful truck leasing business in the US.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penske

Merbanco and Penske. That would be something.

I sure will miss Saab if it doesn't make it. I guess I will buy used Saabs until they are gone or too hard to get parts for.

Blueler, I have to say that I am with you. I am a lawyer (32 years) and I have to think that what is fundamentally wrong with this country is that the MBA beancounters of the world have driven us to ruin.

A thousand reasons can be given as to why something will not succeed. And the beancounter mentality that cares more about a quarter of a penny than it does about an effective product has brought the US to its knees.

My area of expertese is personal injury law. Despite the technological prowess of BMW and Lexus and Mercedes, when it comes to safety, Saab is still number 1.

The 9-5 and 9-3 are, pound for pound, the safest cars in the world and I don't want to be in anything else.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just gave the 2006-2008 9-5 a personal injury claims rating of 42, the best score of any four door car in America.

So when it comes to safety, little Saab has clearly shown it can compete with the big boys.

I also know from personal experience about Saab safety. My daughter was in an offset head on collision in a 1999 9-3 with a Daihatsu Charade at about 70 mph for both cars. My daughter walked away from the accident and the driver of the Daihatsu was dead at the scene.

I am eternally grateful that Saab didn't have the beancounter mentality when it made that 9-3.

Does Swade have an update from Mr.Johnston since the Dec. 18th news from GM? Is Merbanco still actively engaged in the acquisition process with GM?