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As if you didn’t figure out by now, this would be the appropriate time to politely lobby GM to please approve this deal (or at least counter with an acceptable revision). Not that anyone needed reminding, their Facebook wall has been flooded for weeks.

You know where to go.

In June, I was a very happy man when I rolled home in a 9-5 Vector Anniversary Sedan, with a 2,3t Biopower engine. That car is a real beauty.

BUT, back then I also saw the car of my dreams, a 9-5 Griffin Aero Sedan, Nocturne Blue, 2,3t BioPower Automatic with the same leather interior I have in my own Griffin that I bought in 2010. The color is my all time favorite and the car had everything that Saab and Hirsch has to offer including sun-roof, spoiler, dual exhaust, aluminum pedals, engine tuning, the big stereo navigation, rear spoiler, xenon lights etc etc etc… but it also had a price tag that was way above what I could afford on short notice at the time…

Well Saab’s situation has forced many dealerships to sell out their stock of used cars and today I paid a small visit to ANA in Trollhättan, my favorite dealership just to check out whats going on and I noticed that the car of my dreams was on sale,… The price was just too good to be true. Would the car of my dreams actually become mine?

One big hurdle remained, how to get the money fast enough to pay for it… Well, my parents in-law have been interested in buying a newer car so I called them up to see if they would be interested in buying the 9-5 Anniversary that I owned, which would enable me to buy the car offered by ANA. Well after a few hours I got a call, where they said that they would buy the car! I was really happy that they decided to buy it. It is truly a great car which I have enjoyed a lot and I’ve put in a lot of money into making it better and nicer, so I was happy for them to get a really nice car, but also very happy for myself to be able to buy my 2′nd Griffin, the car I couldn’t take my eyes off back in June… I must say that the visit to ANA had a very unexpected turnout =)

Right away I called up Richard Nilsson, the person at ANA I whom buy cars from, even though it was 22:00 in the evening he didn’t mind to hear the good news and so on friday afternoon the car of my dreams will finally be mine! =)

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Ttela.se reports that Pang Da and Youngman are optimistic to strike a deal by Friday, 25th:

It’s Automotive News China, which reports on a continued hope for Chinese companies, Youngman and Pang Da that manage to get GM on its side in the Saab deal. The intent of the parties signed would be binding on November 15 but will now be extended until 25 November, ie this Friday.

The interesting info is that the MOU will be extended until Friday. This, in combination wit Youngman sending money to Saab to pay the wages, indicates that the Chinese are pretty optimistic about the case.

I’d tend to think that the new offer contained some serious efforts since GM’s spokesman James Cain confirmed that there will be no ok for a 100% takeover by Pang Da and Youngman (di.se):

Are you prepared to accept a deal with Youngman and Pang Da owns 100 percent of Saab?
“No. Let me be clear. Saab and Youngman can do whatever they deem best for the company. But if there is one hundred percent takeover of Saab, they will do it without the vehicles we supply, 9-4X, and without GM’s technology, “said James Cain.

Looks like this week is yet about to become interesting.

kcaco

According to www.ttela.se and www.di.se tuesday morning the new twist is somewhat like this.
A new offer is presented to GM by Youngman and PangDa. In return they get the licenses for 9-3, NG 9-5 plus the possibility to buy 9-4x.
Guy Lofalk and the Swedish Government ready for heading to Detroit without Victor Muller.
The sources say that GM is not in a hurry to finalize anything. Same sources say that “The ball is now with GM. We get a positive answer and negotiations picks up, or a no and in that case Saab goes belly-up”
Youngman has sent fundings to Saab to cover for this months salaries.
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Guess more will unfold as the daylight slowly enlightens Sweden today!

Picture from Car & Driver Magazine
Good old Bud Clark in California is featured in a nice article in Car and Driver.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/ancient-grease-cool-saabs-stay-alive-in-california

Bud has been working on Saabs since early 60 ies. Nice pictures of his cars including the super unique Saab Quantum.
For Saab people in California and US he is an institution of knowledge, Heritage and carrier of Saab history.

Swedens second largest morning newspaper Svenska Dagbladet www.svd.se feature two New York Saab guys. Alvaro Isla and Clint Grimes and their collection of Saab cars. a rally nice write up. They have been to Trollhättan twice most recently at the SU OctoberFest. I did not get a chance to talk with them but I bet they will be back again. Read the rest of this entry →

Cadillac XTS

Mother GM has come down with yet another sibling to big brother SAAB 9-5 and middle sibling Buick Lacrosse. They all share the same last name Epsilon 2. Yesterday at the Los Angeles Auto Show the Cadillac XTS was officially seen for the first time. The other brother Buick LaCrosse was there at the show but big old brother Saab 9-5 was at home in Sweden.
It is interesting to see how similar the siblings are and yet so different.
So what is similar and different: Read the rest of this entry →

The photo album functions in the user profile is now activated. Click on your profile and then album, where you can upload photos that others can view.

Photo taken inside ANA Trollhättan

SaabsUnited Historic rally Team is selling the latest creation. The car that was built in record time to take part in the SU OctoberFest in Trollhättan.
The car has served its purpose and did outshine most of the newer cars in the ANA Showroom that sunny saturday. Read the rest of this entry →

Aside from being a SaabsUnited Crew Member by night: my day-job consists of writing software.  It is for this reason that you would be right in thinking that is rather odd for a Software Engineer to discuss an artistic topic such as automotive visual design.  But, the fact of the matter is: just as there is a heavy artistic component to visual design, there is a lot of interesting science at play as well.  What us Saab fans refer to as “design language” is really just a set of special rules that Saab designers follow when they are making changes to a current model vehicle to give it a more updated, fresh and modern look.  Of course, there is no denying the artistic component to this work (which from my drawings below is sorely lacking), but when all of the embellishments are eliminated we arrive to a fundamental core that is decidedly linear and dare I say: elegant.

And to the right, my friends would be the fundamental Saab grill.  It really is quite simple: a vertically bisected trapezoid with two slanted “bands” on the left and right.  Saabs of the 1970′s and 1980′s sport this grill in its most simplest form as we see in the picture shown below, to the left.

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Let the BIG girls and boys steer the Saab ship into a safe port after having been out on the stormy seas for some time.
Concentrate on something positive and life changing, do not just sit and wait, act!

Well productions has been down for some time and there are very few new 9-5´s out there at least in Sweden. So why not get over to Kongahälla Bil just north of Göteborg and south of Trollhättan. They are the guys who helped me out with a near new 9-5 Aero a month ago. It seams like they have stocked up on some really nice specimens two AERO V6´es and two AERO TTiD´s.
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