GM will close the Saab brand

very sad day indeed.

This is very disappointing for all of us. I wish we could have helped.

Cowboy Up!

Can't believe it, this is incredibly sad.

Ugh. so sad.

A light has gone out in our lives.

General Motors are a seriously ....ed up company.

Well then. Merry Christmas to you all.
(but not towards GM Boardroom)

Any chance of the infamous "Swedish consortium" coming in from the left...?

I guess, GM simply had never thought to sell Saab ....
Perhaps these things is simply a magnificent hoax
In the end, General Motors owns Saab

A very sad day indeed for thousands of Saab workers and enthusiasts all over the world. But this is after all a better option than selling the Saab brand to people like the Antonov family.

Will the new Saab 9-5 now reappear as a rebadged Opel?

Oh, I am so sad about this...

My thoughts goes the hard working men and women in Trollhattan, you don´t deserve this!

Unbelievable, I'm literally stunned. Shame on anyone who didn't pull their weight. Bravo all those who tried.

I am sadded as this news will surely ruin many people lifes in Sweden, employees and fans of Saab around the the World.

DAMN YOU GENERAL MOTORS I have believed in GM all my life, drove only GM cars and "keep my GM all GM" but this is how you'll handle Saab?????

I wish I could type some profanity here aimed squarely at GM. Never mind, it's future is limited and it will never recover from it's bankruptcy. To blazes with it.

GM-bastards, this is so sad, also my thaughts goes to the workers and families in Trollhättan that gets to spend a very sad Christmas thanks to emn in suits with own agenda.

This is a very sad day, for the people of Trollhättan and the Saab community. I hope GM takes time to wind down the business properly and announces a special, limited run of the new Saab 9-5 in the coming days. There'll be enough people to buy them.

R.I.P Old Friend.

:(

F***
And so where the plant is going to? The equipment, etc.???
Okay, you may fire people, but all this still remain, I mean Saab is not a brand like Pontiac or Vauxhall, it's not just a badge! It's a plant, people, etc.
I think some party should somehow take all of these right away and start a new brand with all those people.
Oh, what the
Okay I'm just angry now. If you know a way to help to screw GM somehow, just tell me.

It would hurt less having lost a fair game than after this piece of theatre by GM.

Can't believe it! I really was waiting for the 9-5.
Did my part and bougt a 2008 9-3...
So sad...

I just can't believe that.

My thoughts are with you in Trollhattan, you really deserved something better than what GM played here.

It can't be over... Just not possible!

OMG! OMG! OMG!
May you rot in hell General Motors, for all those years of leeching of Saab and making Saab a second-class citizen!

//b0bben - part of the other Saab that still lives on...

i really dont believe this, i cant.

This is the most elaborate I can find:

General Motors confirmed that the company could not complete a sale of Saab Automobile to Dutch Spyker, and intends to drop the brand Saab Automobile.

GM said in a statement that there appeared difficulties in the negotiations that both parties believed to be impossible to solve.

According to GM, the decommissioning of Saab's operations take place in an orderly manner.

- Despite the fact that everyone involved made efforts to the utmost, it is now very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be implemented within a reasonable time. To cope with the activity Saab needed a quick solution, "said Nick Reilly, head of GM Europe.

The decision has no impact on the business as General Motors reached agreement with China Beijing Automotive for the acquisition of technology related to car models 9-3 and 9-5.

Spyker would currently not comment on the findings.

- I have no information I can share with you now, "says Mike Stainton, Spykers spokesman, the E24.

The news has been Spykeraktien to fall by almost 13 percent of the Dutch stock exchange.

GM's CEO and Chairman Ed Whitacre said on Tuesday that Spyker Cars was the only remaining speculator.

If there is business with Spyker Cars is no other option for Saab Automobile than the settlement, was Ed Mr Whitacre's statements.

Then he thought a deal before the deadline in late December to January was possible. Now it is clear that there will be no business.

Föreslå en bättre översättning
Tack för att du bidrar med ditt översättningsförslag till Google Translate.
Bidra med en bättre översättning:
General Motors confirmed that the company could not complete a sale of Saab Automobile to Dutch Spyker, and intends to drop the brand Saab Automobile.

GM said in a statement that there appeared difficulties in the negotiations that both parties believed to be impossible to solve.

According to GM, the decommissioning of Saab's operations take place in an orderly manner.

- Despite the fact that everyone involved made efforts to the utmost, it is now very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be implemented within a reasonable time. To cope with the activity Saab needed a quick solution, "said Nick Reilly, head of GM Europe.

The decision has no impact on the business as General Motors reached agreement with China Beijing Automotive for the acquisition of technology related to car models 9-3 and 9-5.

Spyker would currently not comment on the findings.

- I have no information I can share with you now, "says Mike Stainton, Spykers spokesman, the E24.

The news has been Spykeraktien to fall by almost 13 percent of the Dutch stock exchange.

GM's CEO and Chairman Ed Whitacre said on Tuesday that Spyker Cars was the only remaining speculator.

If there is business with Spyker Cars is no other option for Saab Automobile than the settlement, was Ed Mr Whitacre's statements.

Then he thought a deal before the deadline in late December to January was possible. Now it is clear that there will be no business.

From e24.se

Its a very sad information.

I can´t believe.

It´s not fair.

I HATE GM. Stupid fat company. They have not known to manage a raw diamond like SAAB which has a lot of competences (safety, turbo engines, etc). They are going to give back 8.000 million of $ to the USA government and they can´t save SAAB.

The swedish government has to do something...........

I am so very sad. Yesterday I was out on errands, about a 5 mile radius in a small New England town and I passed 5 Saabs in the first few minutes. My eyes are all filled up, I have loved this brand since the early '70s. This really hurts.

What a shame. I was just looking at the videos from Taiwan of the beautiful new 9-5, thinking of the day when we would be able to buy one to replace our 2009 9-5 Griffin Edition SC, and then this popped up. I feel sorry for the people in Sweden who have worked so hard on this, and for terrific dealers like ours.

John.

does the due diligence harken to gm's intellectual property issues?

"GM's CEO and Chairman Ed Whitacre said on Tuesday that Spyker Cars was the only remaining speculator."

Spyker wasn't the only remaining speculator, it was just the only one GM decided to talk to.

Saab may go down now, but GM will fall much harder.

I cant believe this either!

What is going to happen now? What is the next step - if there is any?

My thoughts are with the great people in Trollhättan, all enthusiasts and Saab employees around the world.

A sad ending caused by a greedy bunch of thieves at GM. They should be disgraced for putting this small but formidable car company out of business and all of those people who will lose their jobs because of it. The Swedish Government should also be ashamed for not stepping up a year ago when Saab needed it instead of this last minute deal which achieved nothing. All you Swedes...vote them all out! Shame on Koenigsegg also for bailing on Saab after all of that effort over the last remaining months!

I will never own that beautiful new 2010 9-5 Aero in Silver...:(
Those videos from Taiwan made me want it more.

A sad day indeed for all Saab Nuts around the world and you Swade....nothing else to blog about. You did a great job with this site and I loved coming to it everyday to see the latest on Saab.

A not so very good Christmas present....especially for all of those poor employees of Saab left out in the snow by GM.

OMG ... can`t believe it!
There is a factory, an efficien one, people working hard, brand image and brand loyalty all over the world.
How can this all just be left behind so easily.
It`s business of course but to me it simply doesn`t make sense to abandon everuthing.

Hope that tools, technology, know-how will still be around and somebody could make use at least of current tech.
Can`t believe it.

Shocked!!! GM has been stringing us along all the time. I hope GM goes bankrupt eventually and every single one of them loses their job. I hope Opel and Vauxhall go under. My tax payer money was given to GM Canada. I hope they rot in hell!

Any statement from Hagglund?

:-( OMG This is very very sad.
I sympathise with the people in Trollhättan. I would drive there immediately if that would change anything. Is there a single chance? anyone?

Bugger!

I cannot say anything that hasn't been said here earlier. I guess now would be the time for that mysterious Swedish group Swade mentioned a couple of days ago to come forward and act?

Ivo

Is it possibly for someone to pick up the assets at liquidation and restart the company with most elements in place?

Seems as if Stahlin's and so many other Saabhaters are celebrating with Champagne.

I've met more incredible people thanks to these cars, gone on incredible adventures and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I just can't believe it's over.

Well I can't say I had much confidence in this ending well since the day Koenigsegg shot us in the face. But I am still absolutely stunned, horrified, and numb right now. It hurts even more that thanks to Saabs United, we know what Saab had in the pipeline, and it looked absolutely amazing. I am now off to take my last final exam of the semester. Hopefully I can get my mind off this for a couple hours... I don't think I will though.

SAD SAD SAD.....
I restate my commitment to never ever touch a GM product again.
However, hopefully there is a continuation of the Saab saga, one way or another.
With all the goodwill, be it soft or hard, it would be a terrible waste to let it fall into darkness.
....it must be, it must...
And then I woke up, bitter taste in mouth from the terrible nightmare....

Can the Saab management play a last trick on GM and file for bankruptcy? Then someone could buy the brand name, factory etc. I am desperate!

But Ed said Dec 31st. Of all the parties interested in this deal... Surely something could have been salvaged here? Jan-Åke?

This just ruined my Christmas. Thanks, GM!

I feel like a part of me has died, that I've lost a loved one, somehow.. Very sad, and at the same time, I'm angry...

i honestly do not think this is the end for saab. "due diligence" is not part of the major hold up issues we have been discussing this week: eib, swedish ministry, etc. this is purely gm being foul about intellectual property, holding saab's technology ransom and killing it before it gets into the hands of anyone who doesn't pass the buck. strange about the deal with baic in this light.

jaj, maud and others will be fighting this decision as it also undoubtedly was not on their radar in terms of financing, loans, swedish govt approval.

gm, pry your pasty death Mr. Potter fingers off our beloved Saab. You can not use XWD in a Chevy Malibu, drop it and move on. Also, is there a chance for Spyker to by the brand in dissolution... like they bought the Spyker name?

I also cannot believe it .And if it was happening one day , I'm sure that someone will re-open Saab .SAAB can't die .Saab is immortal !

So sad.
My only comfort is the fact that I touched and felt the NG9.5 in what now seems to be the curtain in Saab’s life-play.
My 2008, 9.3 may be devaluated in terms of money by earns a priceless place in my heart.
Enough with the obituary.
Maybe the Swedish government through a life jacket in these troubled waters.

Unbelievable. The words that goes through my mind can't be printed here. The Viggen and V4 will now stay with me forever.

Should I still take my trip to the Saab Museum next week? Feeling absolutely drained.

Unbelievable... Another GM car will never find its way into my garage ever again...

I was looking forward to the new 9-5.

Could the winding down entail the sale of all assets to the lowest bidder as part of liquidation? Understandably, not certain technology and certain trademarks, but the machinery behind the manufacturing? I have to find a way to get my SAAB fix down the road...

Disgusting... just doesn't make any sense from so many point of views.

I will NEVER purchase a GM product in the future. NEVER.

GM are EVIL.... they sell the technology and machinery to the Chinese knowing all along they would kill Saab. This way GM made a quick $450 Million but at the same time destroyed the lives of many.

So Sad! The ONLY brand that GM had with fuel efficiency and safety and they shut it down.

Lets all agree never to buy another Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet or GMC! Pathetic! I can’t understand how zero is better than getting something for the brand. Since you don't need the money, can I have my tax money back please?

JAJ has a plan B, right? These words from SW really got me sad:

"Sources are telling me that GM will commence an orderly wind down of the Saab brand.

I cannot, for the life of me, believe that this is going to happen. Can't believe it."

For the first time he seems to lost his hope. Tell us something positive, please?

General Motors, who ever you are and where ever you are, I hate you. I really do. I´ll never touch any GM product again, ever.

True GML, same here.

I see myself collecting old Saabs and buying new Citroens...*sigh* At least the latter managed to become what they used to be... only better.
Cowboy down.

I only can see sad comments over there in the right twitter collumn:
http://newsroom.saab-web.com/
Nothing official statements on that site.

At http://www.gm.com/, saab isn't listed as a GM brand ...

Just this announcement : http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2009/Dec/1218_Saab_Release

GM, is that all ?
You ************ !

Indeed very sad. I think that GM never dared to sell Saab. I realy feel sorry for the people in Trollhättan. I am so happy - do not misunderstand me - that I bought my new Saab this year.

A dark day indeed. Godspeed to the women and men of Trollhattan.

Gee, don't think I can sleep now.

WTF Take 2:
Beijing Autos to explore new cooperation with Saab
(AP) – 2 hours ago
BEIJING — Beijing Autos said Friday it wants to explore further cooperation with GM's Saab Automobile such as "new energy vehicles," after earlier announcing the purchase of car and engine technology from the struggling brand.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings President Wang Dazhong said Saab also wants his company to import and sell Saab brand vehicles in China, which this year became the world's biggest auto market.
The state-owned company announced Monday it had agreed to buy some powertrain technology for Saab's 9-5 and 9-3 sedans, including engine and gearbox knowhow.
In a briefing Friday, Wang would not say how much Beijing Autos paid.
Under the deal, Saab will also support Beijing Autos' efforts to build its own car brands, using the Saab technology.
"We need to grow a global company," Wang said. "We need to explore new opportunities to cooperate with Saab, such as in new energy vehicles."
He said Beijing Autos' sales are expected to pass 1.2 million vehicles this year.
Analysts have said the Saab acquisition will enable it to build a passenger car to call its own, but the company still has to build up its own reputation and product line.
Beijing Autos, founded as Beijing Auto Works in 1958, was the first Chinese car maker to team up with a foreign partner, setting up its Beijing Jeep Corp. joint venture with American Motors in 1983.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

I'm shocked...

The first thing that came to my mind this..

"does the world really need another Toyota?"

I feel hopelessly sad, especially for the great people in Trollhattan for whom my heart goes out. I still hope for a miracle somehow. Maybe like Jeff suggested, someone picking up the pieces under a new name. I am with those who will never buy a GM product again.

Why cant GM just give Saab away, after all they dont want it. Cant they let there be a management buy out or something like that.

A very sad day in my life!!!!

What will now happen to the new 9-5, will it end in Chinese hands as well? What will happen with the brand, can some one else buy rights to produce SAAB cars?

Damn GM, I will NEVER; NEVER and NEVER buy a GM car!!!! FIAT would have been much better home for SAAB. And now from this perspective I am just glad to remember how FIAT played GM for the money, which basically saved them. Stupid, stupid GM!!!

GM stoled all from SAAB and now closing. What a idiotic company GM is.

What an epos (or a comedy, if you wish) looking back at 2009.
Can't GM-top be held responsible for this ins some manner ?
A complete overview with as much as inside information as possible is needed. Swade, you have some stuff for a big selling book, I guess.

Must feel terrible for all people having based their living on saab, all employees, dealers etc. .

I love saab cars. I can't believe it.. Never to buy a GM unless there is a solution... this is so sad - very sorry for the people there...

Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer and now Saab. There may be more. All (well maybe not Hummer and Saturn) great brands with strong bases that ended on a sour note because GM never took the time or effort to make them decent. My grandpa was an Oldsmobile dealer and would be rolling in his grave if he saw the way they went out. Lots of people loved Pontiac. And all of us loved Saab. I just promised myself that my wife and I will never own a GM. So sad. But, on the other hand, lets remember it's just a company, what happened happened, and pray for the folks who will soon be without a job just before Christmas.

So how about Sweden nationalizing Saab now? To give GM a taste of their own callous way of conducting business? If you can call it business. I mean, it's capital destruction pure and simple to kill off a company poised to get back into the black with one of the world's most efficient factories, several new, quite marketable models and kick tens of thousands of Swedish workers out into the street just a couple of days before Christmas?

If they don't do it now, they can forget about the next term as government. If I were a Swede, I would never vote for people who did nothing to save one of Sweden's icons of industry.

Ivo

"We are still open to new offers," a GM spokesman said.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/300028,gm-says-saab-sale-falls-through-but-still-open-to.html

Is that true? Did he say that?

The pile of cash I've been stacking up for the NG9-5 will not be used for another car.
The miney will be spent on some traveling and electrinic fun stuf...

But I'll wait fore another mount before I'll give it up

When someone writes that book I've often mentioned "Saab: The GM Years", I hope they don't change any names to protect the guilty.

Lance Cole, please consider writing this.

Is this really that surprising? Our hopes were built around two speciality car companies with no experince producing in the mass market.

As much as we have appreciated these cars, we are in the minority. Financial viability does not lie, Saab simply got to far from its competition in my eyes.

Sigh. Well there goes my life plan.

Guess there´s no question who´s the bad guy, will be interesting when this "silence agreement" ends to hear from Koenigsegg, Spyker and maby CJ what was really going on.

Complete surprise to the government
- There is a 180-degree turn from the GM's side. We had expected a different answer, says Frank Nilsson at the Economy Ministry.

RelateratI night, the Government received the unexpected announcement.

- We have been in daily contact with the GM. As late as yesterday we had that too. But when we got no signs that GM would close down Saab, "said Maud Olofsson's press secretary, Frank Nilsson.

GM's board took the decision last night, Swedish time.

- Then we were informed. It was a big surprise to us. We had waited quite different information, "says Nilsson.

Maud Olofsson and Secretary of State Joran Hagglund has been located at the Saab factory throughout the afternoon to speak with management, unions and staff.

At 16.00, the press conference along with Saab's Managing Director Jan Åke Jonsson.

- It's very gloomy. A very sad news for all employees and will at the worst possible time, "said Enterprise and Energy Maud Olofsson (C) to TT.

Olofsson has called a meeting with concerned authorities and representatives of trade and business on Monday, in Trollhattan, to review the situation. But just a minute earlier, it is news that the government and the state would go into the Saab, according to the Minister.

- We do not have the knowledge and not money, "says Olofsson.

- I am the first to complain that GM did not want to pursue the deal, "she says.

I'm on board with the GM boycott. Since the late 1970's growing up in Connecticut, I had always wanted a Saab. We all know the reasons. When I bought my 9-5 Aero in 2001, I did so partly in response to GM's purchase of the company in 2000. I figured that GM would destroy the marque, so my Aero would be among the last true Saabs. Sometimes, I hate being right. I can't believe it's happening just as good, new product finally entered the pipeline. It's classic GM -- too little, too late. Pathetic. This is a sad day indeed.

Listening into live GM conference.

Call-in-details are as follows:
Teleconference Dial-In Number(s) for Media:
United States: (800) 230-1059
International: (612) 234-9960
No Passcode required. Operators will request Name & Affiliation

Just make up a publishing group name...like my name is Joe Johnson, JJ Publishign.

Well, the only GM models I bought were Saabs -- three since 1997. GM can kiss any future business of mine goodbye...never will I buy a GM product.

I refuse to accept that this is the end. Saab will live forever. My hatred of GM, which started many years ago when I drove my first GM Saab, will not replace my love of Saab.

It does sound like GM is preventing anyone from continuing the Saab legacy. First they took the brand "mainstream" which increased sales but decreased character. Now they will force us all to buy up the last remaining models and savory them. I believe Saab rallies will still take place, and one day we will pry the Saab Griffin out of the cold dead hands of GM and it will rise to technological prominence again!

There is a live Q&A session taking place right now... heated questions coming in from callers.

and I'm waiting for my 9-3X,
should be delivered in january...
but now I don't know if I get it or I won't to get it!

GM cannot do what they want with the SAAB brand. They just own 1/3 of it. The other parts are owned by the truck manufacturer Scania and the SAAB defence company.

My thoughts go out to the excellent people working at Saab who will lose their livelihoods and to the many Saab nuts worldwide.

Well, I said in a comment 3 weeks ago that it will be like Titanic. It did hold afloat for long enough, but now it will just drop below and the rest will be history. It was fun while it lasted, so long and thanks for all the fish, Saab!

Sad, Sad ...

There is still hope, there must be , right ? It feels kinda like when the kids
find out that Santa doesn't exist.. But deep innside you know he/Saab is always going
to be there.
My thouhts to everybody innvolved, all of us. ( not sure about Maud & GM )

I know he exists..

GM is pointing fingers towards Koenigsegg for suddenly disappearing so close to the disposal date.

...they care kinda right here, Koenigsegg kinda screwed us over with only weeks left in the year...

How many eggs can i put in the back of my 9-5 estate ? More or less than in my 900 classic ?
I'm planning to visit GM Belgium HQ during the weekend...

There are no words to describe the tragedy. I can't believe it. Just too darn sad.

Wonder if I can get hold of a new 9-5 anywhere...? I was looking forward to owning a 9-5 since I haven't before...

You guys have to call into the conference... good questions from the media coming in.

Guardian UK asked employment loss and indirect total will likely be in the thousands, plenty more considering suppliers and such.

SCREW YOU GM!

WTF?-Take 3: Sounds to me like GM "is open to other offers" -- I think the new 9.5 and the other vehicles in the pipeline are headed to China.

BAIC To Make Saab Design-Based Cars As Soon As 2011 | Reuters

* BAIC to immediately start integrating Saab designs

Stocks | Mergers & Acquisitions

* First vehicles using Saab IP available as soon as 2011

* Exploring other opportunities, including green vehicles

By Michael Wei and Doug Young

BEIJING, Dec 18 (Reuters) - BAIC said on Friday it will immediately start integrating its newly acquired technology from GM's [GM.UL] Saab unit into its vehicles, with commercial production for Saab-based cars to begin as soon as 2011.

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC), China's fifth-biggest automaker, recently acquired the rights to three vehicle platforms from Saab for an undisclosed sum.

The hastily arranged purchase was put together in just two weeks, after a larger deal unravelled that would have seen a group led by Swedish sportscar maker Koenigsegg buy all of Saab. BAIC had been a part of that group.

"We will start integrating right away," Gu Lei, president of BAIC's technology centre, told reporters at a news conference. He added that commercial production for vehicles with the newly acquired technology could start as soon as mid-2011.

BAIC President Wang Dazong said his company and Saab are also exploring other opportunities involving other technologies such as "new energy" vehicles.

"We need to have our own brand cars, and we need to grow our competency," he said. "We need to become a global company."

BAIC said on Monday it will buy the intellectual property of Saab and some equipment to make them for an undisclosed sum, as part of a push to develop its own-brand cars. [ID:nTOE5BD08F]

That sale came after another Chinese company, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industry, bought GM's loss-making Hummer unit as the U.S. auto giant restructures.

Wang would not disclose the transaction amount for BAIC's purchase of the Saab designs. But a Swedish daily Dagens Industri put the number at 1.4 billion crowns ($197 million), citing a source who was involved in the process.

China surpassed the United States this year to become the world's largest auto market, as sales soared after Beijing rolled out a series of incentives designed to stimulate consumer spending during the global downturn.

The company's production partners in China include Daimler (DAIGn.DE) and Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), with most of their joint output for sale in the domestic market.

Wang said BAIC's exports are still relatively small, at about 50,000 vehicles this year. He added it is still too early to say if vehicles produced using the Saab designs could be used for export.

"We need time to develop more plans, integrating the technology into our vehicles," he said. "Those plans are in the works."

Most Chinese automakers are either churning out foreign brand cars in tie-ups with global heavyweights such as Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE) and Toyota Motor (7203.T) or focused on the lower end, making cars as cheap as 30,000 yuan ($4,394).

But as wealth grows in what has now become the world's biggest auto market, many Chinese carmakers are looking to boost their profile.

The Chinese government is envisioning that half of passenger cars sold in the country to be self-developed by 2015, according to a media report earlier this week, citing government guidelines, which are expected to be released in the first half of 2010. [ID:nTOE5BF05R]

State-run BAIC is joining Geely Automobile Group (0175.HK) and other fast-growing Chinese auto firms in chasing Western brands to take advantage of a steep global industry downturn.

BAIC has made clear it has no interest in acquiring Saab's production hub in Trollhattan. ($1=6.83 yuan) (Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

This is CRAZY. Brand equity should not be left to die. GM.. wake up. What a shame. This cannot happen. We need to rally the troops.
Saab lovers unite.

I feel like taking a sledge hammer to the next Cadillac Escalade I see!

Quijote !!! The international number is not working with my VOIP from Australia.

60 Years of Saab - A Tragedy in Five Acts
1949 - The Young Rebel
The 70s - How to Win Over Hearts
The 90s - Against a Brick Wall
The 2000s - Captivated and Gagged
2009 - **appy End

Wondering what is the role played by Deutsche Bank in recommending appropriate suitor to GM? Did they do a proper due diligence in the first place? Thought they should seek out companies with financial muscles in the first place!

The inaction of the Swedish government to safeguard a piece of Swedish pride is disgusting and beyond comprehension, to say the least!

They are putting so much blame on due diligence... WHY THE HELL ARE THEY DOING DUE DILIDENCE NOW?! They should be closing they books NOW, not working on Due Diligence. Amazing!!!

@ aussielars, don't know what to tell you.

GM have to learn that this will cost them so much more than a little Swedish car company. It will be the beginning of the end for it.

Very sad, but not really surprising!

A press conference starts now in Trollhättan. Will be transmitted on Swediush radio: http://www.sr.se/webbradio/webbradio.asp?type=live&Id=sr-extra01&BroadcastDate=&IsBlock=

CLOSE GM!!

Only 4 hours ago I wrote here on Saabsunited that this was the first time I had serious doubts only to have to doubts realized. GM's management of SAAB since 1990 has been a complete farce. They could have done so much. Year on year they blamed the brand for not producing the goods and not their own marketing and funding. Their handling of business has been absolutely atrocious in 2009 and GM have shown themselves to be nothing more than egoistic amateurs.

My thoughts are with all those who will be affected by this sad sad news. Everybody in Sweden and dealerships throughout the globe. The least we can do is support our dealers as they hold the key to keeping our beloved vehicles on the roads for many years to come.

GM have to learn that this will cost them so much more than a little Swedish car company. It will be the beginning of the end for it.

The SAAB community is a strong group that will no doubt support each other through this gloomy day(if this is truly the end). The clubs, sites, and meets will continue on and I remain dedicated to keeping that spirit going whether it's in my Classic 900 TC or my 93 9000 or my 9-5 Aero....I'll continue to wave to on-coming SAAB drivers, seek out SAABs in parking lots to park next to, give a pleasant comment of "great looking 9-3" whenever I happen across someone like me.

Keep on SAABin fellow SAABers.

DP
Charlotte NC

nice work GM , as usual.... now we understand why without the uncle sam's aid they would be in chapter 11....

omg.....

The SAAB community is a strong group that will no doubt support each other through this gloomy day(if this is truly the end). The clubs, sites, and meets will continue on and I remain dedicated to keeping that spirit going whether it's in my Classic 900 TC or my 93 9000 or my 9-5 Aero....I'll continue to wave to on-coming SAAB drivers, seek out SAABs in parking lots to park next to, give a pleasant comment of "great looking 9-3" whenever I happen across someone like me.

Keep on SAABin fellow SAABers.

DP
Charlotte NC

Perhaps this was the plan all along since Kegg pulled out?

Maybe GM wanted to maintain the illusion of a going concern through talking with Spyker until the current tooling could be sold off, but now they have the Chinese money the pretence can be dropped???

Very sad news for all the people who are affected.

NY Times asks, is this the final nail in the coffin for Saab. Can a buyer come from anywhere in the next few days, would a sale be considered?

GM: Wind down starts in January, I can't tell you sitting here right now when the wind down will be completed. While there is no interested party right now, its possible that someone may come forward but I don't imagine that happening.

NY TImes: Any chance BAIC would be interested in the whole thing?

GM: They may have bigger appetitites than just the 9-3/ 9-5 technology, we haven't heard from them.

What an intense waste. I am totally want for words.

Today is the REAL Black Friday...

Thats a sad day, really. I was full of hope about the Spyker Deal and I believed it will happen. A very good brand, with a very loyal customer base is destroyed (by an incompetent GM management and a swedish governement which didn't realize what they have!) Now we all have to suffer from the consequences and live with it. Very very sad.

I'll keep my convertible as long as it lasts and I hope that will be eternal.

@ Swade, I want to thank you for the great work and endless effort, I loved to read your blog and I certainly will miss it as much as the cars.

@ the hard working people at Saab. Take my best wishes for the future and I really hope that you'll find another employer, where you like to go to work every day.

All the best
Jürg

On the conference call...GM is still open to selling the brand. One reporter telling GM they ran the company poorly. Good stuff.

BBC: What happens to the brand itself? Who owns the brand, can someone just come in and purchase the brand and build their cars with the brand.

GM: That may be possible during the wind down process.

BBC: How does GM accept responsibility for the way they treated the brand during your ownership of it?

GM: We have tried during the last 20 years to put Saab on the forefront for long term success...BLAH BLAH BLAH BULLSH*T

Thats ok Quijote. I'm trying to ghet in on the presskonference on Svenska dagbladet. But akll of those Swedes who didn't care about Saabs future must be hammering the site. "Fy fan" GM and Swedish government. (hopefully Swedish swearwords won't be moderated by Swade)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

What a great start on the weekend and Christmas. F... YOU GM.

I feel sorry for the people of Trollhetan who face a uncertain new year.

Since they are shuting SAAB down, are they just going to keep SAAB, well the engineers and such as an R&D department? Since alot of SAAB tech has dripped down to the other GM brands, who often have be first on the market with the new tech? If so I'm happy for the people that keep their jobs. But I wont buy anything they make!

Its a pitty that it is GM that probably will get the money we now will have to spend to keep our SAABs running the next decads.......

Oh well, of to the shop to by some beers :(.......

I feel like my girlfriend just broke up with me, forever. How is closing the company cheaper than selling it, for MONEY!

I'm sitting quietly so that there's not even the slightest chance I jinx it, waiting for some revolutionary unexpected last hour Saab saving news... :'( (It hurts even to write "Saab" and think about this... enormity.)

Never ever will I own a GM car! - neither will my wife..

Yeah, GM also takes responsibility for all of the people they just put out of work. More Blah, blah, blah.

The US government/taxpayer bailed out GM yet they are killing Saab to remain solvent. As an American, I feel cheated all around.

I am not happy with this decision! Shame on you GM!

Sad, sad day for us all.

I didn't want to sound negative before but my view was that was always the GM plan.

They played a game with us.

Buggers!!

The unions killed GM, and Saab, if it were not for requirements of the unions in these negotiations, Saab would have been sold already.

CLOSE GM!!

Lets face it this is all about IP because if cash were the issue GM would have sold SAAB already to the highest bidder. GM wants a buyer to fund research into new SAAB technology, GM doesnt want to pay for it but wants the right to use this IP for free. Who is going to want to sign a deal like that?

SAAB is much more than a brand

only GM vehicle what I will own ever is Saab...

Saab gone. Volvo is next. Sweet dreams Sweden.

Very sad. I was just about to buy another Saab, too. GM tried its best to kill Saab (or was it mere extreme incompetence) for many years and now it has succeeded.

GM at the End

2012.12.18 / Delhi. The sale of GM to Tata of India failed. Tata was not willing to pay more than ten cent for the rotten company, while GM CEO Ike Illedsaab considers twelve cent as a minimum. So the former greatest car maker in the world will be closed until December 30th. The whole desaster at GM started three years ago, when GM closed SAAB in Trollhättan/Sweden. GM broke together, last year they had to sell Opel for 100 Euros to Magna. Now that the money is spent and Tata failed to buy, the former big company GM will close forever.

SAABsunited sells over 100.000 cars

2012.12.18 / Trollhättan. The new SAABsunited car manufacturer from Trollhättan, managed by JAJ and Swade, has sold more than 100.000 cars this year. Swade: "I am so proud that we dared to save the heart and the soul of former SAAB. With the help of JAJ and all the good staff here in Trollhättan we have reached more than anyone has been dreaming of in December 2010, when GM closed SAAB. Now we are standing on our own feet and they are at the end. I am not astonished - the way they did their business could not work. I am proud to say that we have satisfied dealers and drivers who stand behind SAABsunited same as they did at SAAB before. Now I am looking forward to next years presentation of the all new 9-9X."

BBC: How does GM accept responsibility for the way they treated the brand during your ownership of it?

GM: We have tried during the last 20 years to put Saab on the forefront for long term success...BLAH BLAH BLAH BULLSH*T

Pass me the Bullsh*t bucket

Coming from a saab owning family that has had saabs in the family since 1972 this is a very sad day.....But if i am being honest this is what i expected would happen all along, after years of neglect at the hands of GM i never thought for one minute they sell saab to anyone else, for that reason i never posted any comments through swades excellent coverage...

I truly feel for all those families in Sweden that have given years of loyal service to saab.

Back in feb/march 2007 i think it was? someone correct me if i am wrong, when GM held a press conference at the saab museum about switching production of the 9-3 to Germany.I happened to be visiting the saab museum that day and i was approached by a radio presenter and asked if would do a live interview on swedish radio about why i was there and what i thought about the switch.I nervously agreed and after telling them that i had come to Gothenburg for a long weekend, and decided to visit the factory while i was there, as i was a lifelong saab owner.I did say that i thought it would spell the end for saab and it has done.I am not proud of being right.

Well, Swedish government, you have a new car ready to roll. You have an assembly plant and a trained workforce of thousands of willing Swedes. You have an established brand with a loyal customer base. Now you have a few men sitting in an office in America telling them that they can't build cars any more. *Do something*.

Looks like GM found out that the new vehicles became TO good and therefor will wind Saab down so that they do not become to strong and competetive against their own brand. AND Opel aspired to become what Saab wanted to be. So expect to see the new 9-5 as the all new Opel Omega and the 9-4X as the new Frontera in the coming year.

I HATE GM, I Despice my own Government that say that they do not have the money to lend Saab for a quick fix when they know that the unemployment will cost the swedish taxpayers S*ITLOADS more that a loan of say 3 billion SEK initially and in the long run enormous sums. AND Good luck to Sweden when Volvo moves all production to China. Back to the stoneage. THANK YOU SO MUCH MAUD OLOFSSON. I HOPE YOU CAN SLEEP AND THAT YOU HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS PLANNING FOR YOUR WINDMILL FACTORIES! AND... You have dissapointed an Uppsala company not being able to build 100 Electric vehicles. Go bleep yourself you ignorant piece of c**p!!!!!

I´m sorry for the language, but I guess you all know that I am deeply sad right now.

:-(

WHY WAS NOT SPYKER ALLOWED TO BUY SAAB? WHY DID NOT KOENIGSEGG GROUP TEAM UP WITH SPYKER? BUT THE BIGGEST QUESTION.... WHY OH WHY DID NOT MERBANCO GET THE CHANCE???????????? PLEASE CJ INFORM US.

I Do not know what car to buy in some years. Absolutely NOT a GM vehicle. I guess.. I´ll ride a bike.

Cheers/Tom

Quijote, thanks for the tip on the teleconference. It was informative and made this situation feel a little more real.

Eric, thanks for mentioning the unions. I had forgotten about the huge negative impact they have had in the automotive industry in general. Do you have evidence that they played a significant role in Saab negotiations?

Conference is now over. The conference will be made available for playback from 11.30am EST up to December 25th.

USA CALLERS:
8004756701
access code: 139204

INTERNATIONAL CALLERS:
13203653844
access code: 139204

Replay of conference call available after 11:45 EST
(800) 475-6701
(320) 365-3844
conference ID 139204

I only caught the last few minutes.

Never give up, you can call me fool and childish but I do not want to give up my hopes....

I completely agree with Christine. I feel cheated. I didn't get to vote to save GM with my tax money, they bailed them out anyway yet they're killing the best brand they had under their umbrella (or maybe off to the side standing in the rain).

As for boycotting GM, it's nothing new to me, they haven't made an appealing car in years. The last decent car they have is the Corvette. I won't boycott them, I just wont buy a car that doesn't appeal to me, which ends up having the same effect on them.

It will be interesting to see what happens to GM in the upcomming years. They got a lot of technology from Sweden. Practically anything new wasn't their own work. They have always been 10 years behind everyone else and it's finally catching up to them. Now that they are down to really just 4 brands, and no where to leech technology/ideas from, I think their cars might just get more boring. I guess boring sells though.

I am so sad right now :( Many many lives will be affected by this and I feel so sorry for you all.

/cry

If GM want to close down SAAB.
Why send crash test to EuroNcap ?

A parting glass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDB87o-njFQ

I'm afraid I might be asking this question too soon, but:

Will the winding down process allow for selling the brand, plant, jobs, intellectual property, Trollhattan real-estate and/or other pertinent assets (even if by bits) to another party, that can keep Saab going from there?

Damn it, what a great Christmas gift to all of us!

Wow this is just the worst news. I am absolutely stunded and frustrated. I wonder if they will auction off the 2010 9-5 that were built. I would be willing to buy it without the warranty.

THE SAME DAY THE NG 9-5 GOT A 5 STAR SAFETY RATING:

New Saab 9-5 receives 5 stars EuroNCAP safety rating
Euro NCAP today announced that the all new Saab 9-5 has been awarded a 5 star rating, continuing the long tradition of top safety awards for Saab.
Euro NCAP now releases one overall star rating for each car tested with a maximum of five stars. This overall safety rating reflects how well the vehicle performs in four areas: adult protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist. The overall score is calculated by weighing the four scores with respect to each other, while making sure that not one area is underachieving.
The ratings for adult protection and child protection are achieved as a result of several impact tests: frontal impact, side impact, pole side impact, and tests for whiplash neck injury protection in rear impact. Euro NCAP also carries out a separate range of pedestrian protection tests to reach the score of the pedestrian rating.

“The new Saab 9-5 performed well in all frontal impact and side impact crash tests as well as preventing whiplash neck injuries with the Saab Active Head Restraints. EuroNCAP is a highly respected international association and it is gratifying to see their safety ratings for the new 9-5 confirm our own findings," says Per Lenhoff, Head of Vehicle Safety Development at Saab. "However, our priority is always to protect real people in real crashes through the implementation of our Real-life Safety strategy."

Saab 9-5 safety equipment: Driver and passenger dual stage front impact airbags; side impact thorax airbag; head protecting side airbag curtain; front seatbelt double pretensioners and load-limiters; sensor for deployment of side airbag curtain and belt pretensioners in rollover; ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchorages in rear seats; front and rear seatbelt reminder system; anti-whiplash head restraints; electronic stability control; brake assist; electronic brake force distribution; forward collision alert; lane departure warning; head up display; traffic sign memory; adaptive forward light

Note: The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan and Saab 9-3 Convertible have also achieved a maximum five star rating in EuroNCAP crash tests. For further details, visit: www.euroncap.com

THIS SUX!!!

I hope GM gets wound down, but in a not-so-orderly-fashion. For what it's worth, I will NEVER buy another GM product and I have owned several.

Swade, thanks for everything over the years, brother.

I'm off to try and find another favorite automobile...but I promise it will not be a GM.

SWADE,

Just wanted to make a personal note, THANK YOU for everything you have done. Since February 2009 , when I bought my first Saab I have turned to SaabsUnited for information and entertainment. You have offered so much to so many!

While we are saddened by the news… allow me to shine a little light…....

Saabs United has been and shall remain a relaxing lounge for Saab lovers…. We will stay with you just as we stay with Saab.

Thanks for everything, your work is appreciated by all.

Do like me Tompa. Buy a couple of old ones. In my case a 67 V4 and a Viggen. Alternate between them so you can rest and look after the one that is not on the road and keep them. And yes I would rather ride a bicycle than a GM car. I'm now ashamed to have owned Opels, a Buick and a couple of Holdens.

Feels really empty now. Like the day after election day, when sweden joined the EU. Depp och suck!
So GM sold the old technology and keep the new 95 so they can rebadge it as a less innovative and pointless GM brand.
The main plan from the beginning.

I am devestated. I could understand if the brand could not stand on it's own merits, but it can. It has been handicapped by GM and then GM holds SAAB accountable for that handicap.

GM - you are a joke. A bad name for American business around the globe. I am ashamed of you.

Totally Gutted.

Merry Friggin christmas....

I am so deeply saddened by this news......its just so unbelievable that a brand this old, and global is going to fade away

They say its a company that has not made any money for years, but thats because GM has been sucking them dry for years, using money to help stop the bleeding in north America

One factory,global reach, fantastic new high tech products ready to go....and this is what happens???? how crazy is that!!

This should be a steal for someone to buy, and make profitable

sorry on a rant

I'm venting

It has been great for me selling these cars for all these years......I will miss them

I have dealt and met some wonderful SAAB owners...I will miss them as well

cheers

Lee

can someone say what happened during the conference?

I would never buy a Saab from GM. But i did the exception when I bought the Viggen. It was just before GM got full control and it still got a lot of Saab DNA. My dream was that a worthy buyer would releive GM from the ownership, and get the spirit back in the brand. RIP SAAB, and GM "DRA ÅT HELVETE"(Swedish meaning that I don't like them very much.)

Sad Sad Sad day.
My 9-5 Aero was one of the best cars ive owned.
There was so much potential for Saab.
Idiots called saab "quirky".
There is nothing quirky about being a pioneer in safety, turbocharging, style, and substance.
The true automotive enthusiasts are being dealt a hard blow with this news.

My heart goes out to everyone in Sweden, and everyone associated with this well-loved brand.

Dan Lehr
Marketing Manager
Lehman Volvo
Jaguar Harrisburg
(former Marketing Manager for Lehman Saab)

Pretty fast people at wikipedia :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors#Defunct_brands

Defunct brands
Acadian (1962–1971)
Asüna (1993)
Beaumont (1966–1969)
Bedford Vehicles (1929–1987)
Elmore (1909–1912)
Envoy (1960–1970)
General Motors Diesel Division (1938–1987)
Geo (1989–1997)
LaSalle (1927–1940)
Marquette (1930)
McLaughlin (1918–1942)
Oakland (1909–1931)
Oldsmobile (1893–2004)
Passport (1988–1991)
Pontiac (1926–2010)
Ranger (1968–1976)
Rapid Truck (1909–1912)
Reliance Truck (1909–1912)

S a a b ( 1 9 4 7 – 2 0 0 9 )

Samson Tractor (1917–1922)
Saturn (1985–2010)
Scripps-Booth (1917–1923)
Statesman (1971–1984)
Viking (1929–1931)
Yellow Coach (1925–1943)

Sold brands
Frigidaire (1919–1979), sold to Ohio-based White Consolidated Industries
Lotus (1986–1993), sold to Luxembourgish A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A.

Former affiliates
Fiat (2000–2005), GM owned 20% at one time with put option
Fuji Heavy Industries, manufacturer of Subaru (1999–2006), GM owned 20% at one time
Isuzu (1971–2006), GM owned 49% at one time
Suzuki (1981–2008), GM owned over 20% at one time

This is just terrible... May of 2008 I purchased a 2008 9-3 2.0T. I used these forums and swade to get good advice from everyone to help me buy the model that was suited to my needs and budget. This just makes me sick.

Well said Gunteman!!

Lets get the SAAB Wave going. And note that I'm now reverting back to the old SAAB font, all in capital.

This is a very sad news for us. I will go and buy some beer or maybe something stronger. I'll never forget You SAAB.

Well it certainly is sad news. I suppose the next question will be where I will find a mechanic and parts for my Haldex.

I kind of figured this day would come, but it sure seems strange for a company to simply piss away so much investment. There must be details that we do not know.

beren

Tompa is absolutely correct: The forthcoming lineup is so good it threatened to undercut the GM 'renaissance'.

GM usurped the world-beating stuff (XWD the most prominent example) to stuff into Cadillac, Opel etc.

But they couldn't/haven't put all the pieces together as elegantly in their other brands. The new 9-5 is a masterpiece and could have easily sold 50 - 75,000 units annually.

Now those sales would have come (mostly) from the Germans but nevertheless represented a lost opportunity for, say, Cadillac (or Opel in Europe).

I'm caught between poles of anger and grief like everybody else here...

A sad day. I loved SAABS since I was a kid. Unfortunately for me, by the time that I was old enough and financially stable enough to purchase a new one, it was a GM brand. My '08 now feels dirty by association.

Wow, I haven't seen a comment from you Swade. I'm just hoping that you might be bidding on SAAB right now.

No - the car is wonderful. Almost 30K miles of heavy driving and not a single problem. But eventually perhaps when I hit 150K I will maybe need a part or perhaps a look at the gears...with only a few hundred machines around that's not going to be too good at some point.

It is indeed a very sad day for all SAAB owners and the hard working employees at the Trollhättan plant.

GM is paying back the Federal government $8 billion and they cannot save/sell SAAB! Come on - this is such BS!

It is only a question of time where GM will also fold. This company is so poorly managed - there is no way in hell it will survive the tough automotive market. I look forward to that day.

GM stole all the SAAB technology. It has been financially convenient for GM to do their creative accounting and shift some of their losses to SAAB since Sweden is a highly taxed country (citizens are taxed at a rate of 51% of their earnings).

One thing is certain, once my warranty is over, GM will NEVER service my SAABs.

The order for my red 9-5SC was placed yesterday, if this ain't a bad joke it will be one of the last SAAB's ever build.
If I ever see in the years to come something like an upmarket Opel, I don't think I'll be objective when talking about it.

I will never buy a GM vehicle again! This was their plan from the beginning!

..and yes, Maud DID mention windmills during the press conference.

'nuff said.

DEAD FOR GM

F***ing f***k!!!

I think our Saabs will become like a vintage fountain pens from the 1920s? Well built, still in good shape and highly sought after on ebay.

There is something more to this, there is a reason two companies could not get Saab sale going... I'm sure it will come out in the laundry.

I am young and new to Saab but I already had two; just bought a 2008 Sportcombi Aero and I am glad I did. It will most likely be the last Saab I own. What a sad day in automotive history.

Thanks GM... PS, you suck.

gm would not let a competitor have current saab technology which was world leading. saab in the hands of others was too much of a threat.

also what if the new company were to flourish? it would have shown that gm management and business practices were/are a disgrace. who would ever back them again with loans etc.

saab had to die for gm to save face.

I've posted here a couple of times before, not a regular poster but a regular browser. Swade, amazing, thank you. It is because of people like you who take the initiative to HAVE a webstie like this that makes my days better, more informative and all of the rest.

I feel very saddened, but sincerely hope that others along with me (a die-hard hardcore SAAB enthusiast who replaces stickers in the engine compartment so they look new, yes that hardcore) won't leave the SAAB community. The SAAB community has made my life better, given me a pastime that I enjoy, and I cannot imagine no more of this. Keep your cars, and keep on SAABing.

Bender.

Interesting tidbit...
"As for the vehicles that had been in the Saab portfolio and product plan, GM executives told High Gear Media this morning there's no current plan to sell the tooling and intellectual property for the fully developed 2010 Saab 9-5 to another car company, though the situation is still under study. The vehicles in development and the company itself could still find a savior, GM executives suggest, but the wind-down process will go ahead in January."

http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1040397_gm-saab-will-be-shut-down

so swade can you show us what the new 9-5 sport-combi would have looked like? getting an image out there might just attract that last investor with deep pockets.

I'm a 30 year Saab tech and while I'm not surprised to hear this news, it is sad. Say what you want about the company, but it's the people I've met and been associated with in those years that made this company special. Oh well, all good things must come to an end, I guess.

They're calling for snow tomorrow. I think it will be a good day to take my 92 Convertible for a drive. Top down, of course.

Mark Nicotera
Thinking SAAB since 1978

A sad day indeed. I bought my first Saab last year, a 2008 9-3 2.0T and I have never loved a car more. I can only imagine what those of you feel who have been with the brand during its heyday.

No. It's just not true!

A dream didn´t come true, a desire died, unbelievable!!
Such a sad day,
I feel for all the employees and their families, and for all the fans all over the world....

Nevertheless, friends, I will drive Saab for all my life, now more than ever....!!

SAD SAD SAD...
But wait and see, there is a magic fairy sprinkling fairy dust around the darkness, and maybe, just maybe, there will be mystery trolls realizing the value of Saab and tries to rekindle the Saab flame...
There are investors, waiting for this to happen, to pick up the pieces, cheaper, faster then with all the other parties involved...
What happened to Crown and Jakob???
Or Merbanco...
Just hoping, wishing, wanting all this struggle wasn't for nothing...

there's really nothing to write from me, im very disappointed. didn't really think this would happen, GM i hope you burn in your slow death!!!!!!!

gm never gave Saab a clear chance from all these negotiations.

farewell saab..........

Definitely a Pox on General Motors, they were never looking for a serious buyer.
A very sad day indeed.

its really finished, no hope at all,

F you GM. F you for taking my tax dollars and killing my car brand. F you for being the bloated, poorly managed, beancounter-driven POS company you are. I will never, EVER buy (another) product from you.

F you Swedish government. F you for refusing to help at all until it was far too late. F you for putting many, many good, hardworking people in a great little town (I have been there) out of work right before Christmas.

Thank you, JAJ. Thank you for doing everything you could to try and save the company.

Thank you, Saab owners community. Thank you for being some of the best people I have ever met in my life. We will stick together through this.

You guys ought to go read the book "On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors." Great read about the inner workings of GM during the 60s (the start of their decline). You can definitely see how they ended up where they are today.

I think I'm gonna go buy that 9000 Aero I've always wanted to go along with my '08 9-3 Aero.

I am so very sorry for those who have loved, designed, built, purchased and cared for these automobiles. I purchased my first in Augsburg, Germany when I was in the U.S. Army and have had a passion for them ever since. This is a very sad day for all of us.

But for some reason I can't give up hope that the brand can be resurrected....

I'm shocked and disapointed, even I was prepared for something like this.
NEVER EVER BUY ANY GM PRODUCT!

Farewell saab. You will always be in my mind.

CLOSE GM!!

Hello SU Folk,

Greetings from the Great White North,

Like some of you here this is my first post but I have been reading SWADE's blog for the better part of this year... and I suspect there are plenty more who have yet to speak up. I bought my first 9-3 SE Hatch back in March of this year despite all the turmoil that was brewing. I have to say that I will have a hard hard time having to replace this vehicle when the time comes in a few years. I have grown more attached to her as time has gone by. I, like pretty much all of you hold no mercy for GM. I believe they should never have been bailed out in the first place... I suspect if GM had gone completely under that would have been the best possible scenario for SAAB since a buyer could have bought them out without the internal politics at GM that have ruled this day. I'm sure SWADE will reveal more in the days and months to come about what has really happened with KG and now Spyker having both failed to seal the deal. The interesting thing is should the brand be "closed" by GM, what is to prevent the Griffen rising from the ashes in the year to come...?

Many thanks to SWEDE & EGGS for the opportunity to unite us all!

Keep the Faith,
MMM

Goodbye SAAB, I hardly knew you. I discovered SAAB too late, but I still love my aging 9-5.

My condolences to the workers in Trollhattan and all the enthusiasts around the world. It's a very sad day.

I think GM wanted to sell SAAB with too many restrictions on the intellectual property to make sure there will be no potential impact on their future (they will probably not have anyway). Do not forget that SAAB was an important R&D center for GM and R&D cost a lot of money.

For a SAAB buyer, I'm sure they wanted the flexibility to use all the technology without too many restrictions in order to have a leadership and a profitability (something GM does not have). GM due diligence cannot completed before December 31st, bull shit and also this is Christmas time and people do not want to work during that period. I know this is a very complex process, but I'm sure they already had a due diligence for their previous negotiations with other potential buyers.

When I saw that GM had decided to cancel the transaction between Opel and Magna, I had little hope that the sale of SAAB happen.

Look at what GM has retained as a brand:
Chevrolet – ugly and I would be shy being seen driving one of those.
Buick – Imagine that one with a Turbo and XWD - not for me.
Cadillac - I would have to buy and wear big rings and jewels to go with the car.
GMC - If you need a reliable truck, go for a Toyota or Nissan.

Ford seems to have a better management and team, because there negotiation with Geely not so bad. Why GM cannot go through? Attitude and Attitude….. With the management GM has in place, I will not bet on their successful future.

Never buy a GM for sure. Of course, I and my wife will keep our 2 SAAB as long as we can (a TurboX and a 9-3). They are great cars. For future GM buyers, you could be in the same situation as the SAAB car owners in a near future.

Great job Swade for all the accurate information and you though you provide to us. Thanks.

To all SAAB employees and supporter, Many Thanks and I'm sad, like many of us, about what's happening.

Not too much to comment. All have been said by now.
Hope the Swedish Govt will care more of the people who lost jobs than of the Saab itself.
No chance for any mysterious consortium, or sudden change of things. All our Saabs one ore sixty year old became historic cars just today.
I start looking for one or two crashed 9k for parts transplant. I really hoped one day I'll be able to buy a real successor of my 9k without any GM influence but I know now it'll never happen.
Really sad.

It´s a very sad day. I´m crying.
I started at Saab in Trollhattan in 1983 and had really enjoyed my job EVERY day. My life is Saab and I love Saab vehicles. Working with Saabs 9 hours every day. We have a brand new 9-5 ready to fly. Great products are build every day in our plant in Trollhattan which is one of the best plants whithin GM (entire Europe ?).
Electric vehicles in pipeline. Replacements to current products in pipeline. Why this decision GM ?
What a Christmas gift to us in Trollhattan :-(

What is the true reason GM ?. Are you afraid of great products from Europe or what ?.

From Fox News:

Recently, GM sold the rights to the powertrains of several of Saab's soon to be discontinued model lines to Chinese automaker BAIC. During a conference call with media today, a GM spokesperson said it is leaving the door open to the transfer of additional technology as part of the dissolution of the company, and did not rule out the possibility that a last-minute buyer for the entire brand could still surface.

GM has yet to finalise the conditions for keeping Opel so there is still time to screw that one up as well!!

I hope GM dies and takes its millions of jobs with it!! They make me want to puke!!

So, GM's 20-year (how to destroy) Saab project finally comes to its fruition. Saab have been well and truly buggered by GM (and the current Swedish government of late too). Maud Olofsson should be very proud of her association with this project towards its end.

I feel for all the Saab (and its supplier) workers who have had to work under the most stressful conditions imaginable and who now face a very uncertain future.

For myself, I feel that I have lost a life-long friend and companion. The unimaginable has now happened and I don't know which way to turn.

A very very sad day indeed.

But! It's never over until it's (completely) over. Like others, I still live in hope.

@saab employee, My thoughs to all of you in these dark times. There are a lot of people thinking of you all. Who knows what the future brings ? It might turn out to be pretty good after all, hang in there.. Its now time to take a gravøl, skål.

Unglaublich! So typical of GM. Like so many others here, I'll never buy a GM product. Bought my first Saab in '84 and still own three. Great cars for all the usual reasons: fun to drive, fuel economy, safe, turbo, space i.e.hatchback, those great, heated seats, etc. Where else can you find that combination in an auto? Sure hope this is not the final ending. Is there any hope?

Saab is gone, and at the same time 10,000 more beige Toyota Camrys and silver BMW 3-series are put on the road.

**** you GM!

I am so angry and frustrated

my first car was a SAAB 99 - now i am driving a 9-3 CV - and yesterday i saw the first 9-3X in my town
I can t believe driving another Car as a SAAB

this was really a black friday

does anybody know where i can find GM HATE stickers

IT can t be over now

See you GM. Hope you fail, YOU F*CKING BASTARDS, GET TO HELL.
And here I come Ford. Let's fuck up GM's buisness.

Oh my word........I've been offline most of the day and nearly passed out when I read this post!!!!! This can't be happening. Who made the comment "There's been no shortage of effort in the last 20 years to put Saab on a sure footing"???? What utter nonsense. GM executives are so remarkably free of the constraints of good conscience. How convenient for them!! Well GM, you're not fooling anyone. Saab's engineering expertise has been put to good use over the years, bringing the other GM divisions out of the technological dark ages. If it weren't for Saab, you'd have been droning around in your lousy "Quad-4's" for a long time!! Now Saab is being discarded like a spent toothpaste tube??? I don't know what to say, except that it will certainly be a cold day in Hell when I buy a GM vehicle!!!

My hope is that Spyker kicks ass and follows its own creed: "Nulla tenaci invia est via" — that you can succeed in almost anything with the right amount of perseverance. I hope they're feverishly working behind the scenes to try to put a deal together. Even if GM isn't interested in selling to them, I'm sure at liquidation some new arrangements could develop. They seem like a group that gets what they want. Or I'm all for a mysterious group coming together. I know you're probably not interested in writing about this CJ, but could you provide any insight on possible solutions that you can see? That is unless you're planning on implementing them yourself and want to keep your cards close, but if not, it would certainly be nice to hear from an experienced leader in merchant banking that knows how to turn a crisis around. Thanks!

Just took a drive in my 9000 Talladega with some tears falling, and yet feeling prouder than ever having a Saab. It is in times like these we all have to show that we love our cars and in that way let everyone know that our passion for our cars are so much more and so much different that other brand's drivers could ever understand.

I was, and still am, in chock reading the news here at SU at work... the holidays aren't starting well :( But still I try to remain a naive optimistic – who will know what will happen after Jan 1st?

And what could be more fitting than a melancholic, nordic classic right now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6eREN3tISg

Definition of GM = Greed, Incompetent management,complacent business and brand management, denial, a breathtaking belief in their own marketing and feeling invincible. They not only f***ked over many good brands but also their hardworking employees and the American taxpayers! Shame, Shame, Shame GM. You have nothing to proud of and the further shame of it all is that your management are so conceited that they see fit to continue to reward themselves bonuses and will (unfortunately) survive only to repeat the same mistakes in the future!

Ladies, Gents,

Stop crying! it is not over yet! what's the English saying? : "IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS".
I did not hear any singing yet, did you?

Apparently, behind the scenes, some heavy negotiations are going on between Deutsche Bank, GM and third parties. I guess the swedish consortium is now at game. I get the idea that some foul kind of powerplay is going on.

I guess Koenigsegg and Spyker were only decoys in the "greater GM strategy". GM is a financial institution, that happens to produce cars as a hobby. Beancounters rule GM; do not even think they are technology driven. Costs is the only thing that counts

For me it's clear: My next car will be a new generation Saab 9-5 estate, built in Trolhatten. As Swedish as you can get

Most realistic hope now is that somebody, maybe Swedish company, gets Saab car brand, then some engineers move in and Saab cars carry on, not as family car, but something hitech expensive.

As GM doesnt want to sell viable company as a whole, chances are limited.

@Robin, is it some insider information you are sharing with us, or just your hope and imagination? Please, it's not fair to torture us fellow SAAB nerds with false hopes and dreams!

@Iggy,
The Dutch saab forum appears to have some inside info. They have a source saying that negotiations will continue on Monday. www.saabforum.nl (in Dutch...)
As long as somebody w/ inside info is optimistic, so am I!

There are obviously hidden reasons for what they are doing and I wonder how much of it could be laid on the Swedish government. During that teleconference I noticed the way he paused when asked about the reason being related to the fact that the Swedes may not have backed Spyker.
Regardless GM is THE reason they were ever on the chopping block at all. There are a lot who have said over the years, to the GM bashers, that GM saved SAAB. Really? Come on. Really? GM bears the brunt of the culpability in SAABs death. From beginning to end.

It is mind boggling how they cannot see the benefit in continuing SAABs existence if only to benefit from SAABs engineering expertise as they have done for the last 20 years.

The best management in the industry.
Brand new wonderful cars and an economy that is starting to come back.
Dedicated workers.
Tons of interest to buy.

This decision makes no sense on any level.
I am sick. I am angry. Somebody DO SOMETHING!!!!

Ivo71 is correct: The Dutch source has been proven reliable in the past, so he'd better be reliable this time as well!
Hope we'll get some news before X-mas. Hate to sit under the Xmas tree in a bad mood.

The posting Robin and I alluded to can be seen here:

http://www.saabforum.nl/viewtopic.php?t=53026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1860

The source uses the forum alias 'nics'.

Ivo

@Robin, Ivo,

Thank you guys, now I can go to bed with some nice thoughts and good spirit, whic I didn't think it would be possible! Even if it doesn't come true at the end!

Thanks to this I now have a life sentence.

Volvo, For Life.

It feels like a wake, and in fact it is. Hard to believe that Saab won't be around anymore. More than the passing of a brand, Saab's finale brings to end a whole era in motor history, and a fine one at that. Saabs always inspired an emotional response, and still do. Too bad the legacy is all that's left to inspire us in the future.

No, Virginia, there is NOT a Santa Claus.

Ugh, what a day. Well, it's better to have loved and lost then to never have loved. Gosh there has to be thousands of cliches. I'm sad, but really nothing compared to how the folks in Trollhattan must be feeling. RIP old friend....

Wow,how do I start, about 11 hrs ago my old boss called me and told me the news, of course I could not believe it, and still can't. This really kicks my ass,'cause I been there before, exactly 2 years ago,I was a Saab sales consultant, for one of the oldest Saab dealerships in the states,which is no longer in bussines, but that's another Saab story....The only people I feel bad for, is the Saab employees in Trollhattan, my heart goes out to you, just remenber, what goes around comes around..

I will never by a GM brand automobile, nor will I reccomend them to potential customers. The company provided a sour experience as a first time car buyer. I wanted to back Saab all the way because I believed in the essence. Now that has all but wafted away, leaving a void in my being.

So as Saab goes to auction, what's to keep a company like Koenigsegg from buying things like all of the factories & equipment to produce the 9-5 in Trollhatten? Do they have that kind of capital without the government subsidies? It would remove the hassle of dealing with GM/BAIC...

how can you fire 3 500 people one week before X-mas with an e-mail , how can a company be so damn cruel.

i will never ever again buy a car from GM.
and i am gone go out and break of the GMC badge of my truck and send to them and ask them to put the badge where the sun never shines ;)

Well this is very sad news.

It was my plan in the next two years to replace our current Saab's with new ones. My first choice was Saab and if they went under I was going to save myself wads of cash and buy Australian built Fords instead.
I was going to buy a 2010 Saab 9-3 SportSedan and a 2011 Saab 9-4x but it seems im going to be buying a Ford Falcon G6ETurbo and a Ford Territory Ghia Turbo.
Im going to bring forward my purchase of a new SUV, I was waiting till 2011 for 9-4x but ive decided im going to go ahead in the next two or three months and buy a Ford Territory Ghia Turbo.

The Ford Falcon G6ETurbo is a beautiful machine, highly capable and very european in design. I love chrome so its a great car for me! Im going to buy it in dark blue!

Sorry Saab but unless you are saved Im jumping ship.

I really cannot believe this. This is absolutely ridiculous of GM to have allowed this to happen. They are, by far, the worst-run company in the history of the world. They have ruined more lives than anyone or anything else. The board members should all be sent to jail.

To coin a phrase that I was heavily criticised for making, Saab was in a spin and the ground was coming up...

A sad, sad, terrible day.

Truly awful, And utterly inevitable I am afraid.

My go thoughts to the workers and dealers.

A very sad day. I'm still holding out for something to come from the wings though.

Swade - thanks again for being the vehicle for all of this.

I am an American and I love my 2007 Saab Aero. American Nazi basterds!!! Hope GM eats the big one in the end. My dad bought a GM and it broke down within the first year my Saab has never had an issue ever.

Discovered Saab too late, love my 9-5 Aero.

I am very sad...My thoughts and prayers go to the plant in Trollhattan, and all those other workers effected around the world. Thank you, Swade, and everyone else for all the gallant efforts. They won't be forgotten. :(

oops, this link came up on google for the end of SAAB and I figured it was the end but its not, I see. There is hope. Scatch my last post above if possible.

oops, this link came up on google for the end of SAAB and I figured it was the end but its not, I see. There is hope. Scatch my last post above if possible.

I hate GM American screw and use up everything they touch. Greedy bastard. BTW I'm American.
I Love to see GM go to the dogs.

Government Motors at it's best.
I have had 12 quirky, SAAB over the years and would have kept on buying them. I'll keep the sonnett III,
Damn you idiots at GM