Jim Jelter, Marketwatch:
But anyone expecting Saab to be a big moneymaker for GM was bound to be disappointed. It was a boutique car company with a loyal but narrow fan base — nothing more, nothing less.
Company boss Christian von Koenigsegg knows that, and he’s shaping the company’s strategy accordingly. Koenigsegg, in comments Tuesday to the Swedish press, said they are taking a “very long-term approach” to restoring Saab.
As a Swede, and a car guy, he understands Saab’s origins and its strengths. His own company is at the extreme end of the boutique line of carmakers, turning out a mere handful of high-performance, hand-built and exorbitantly-priced road burners a year.
For Koenigsegg, Saab is not a trophy. It’s a massive undertaking that will make or break the company.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s refreshing to see at least one conquest from GM’s expansionist reign released to its native habitat. Perhaps, with a little nurturing from engineers who know how to let a car breathe, it might once again thrive in the niche market it never should have left.
My emphasis added.
Whatever suspicions I have about some of their funding partners, CvK and Eker are the real deal and have livelihoods staked on this.
Talent + pressure = inspiration?
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