Here’s a story I’d missed earlier, from SvD, though i think someone’s touched on it in comments. Tonight’s just a blur……
Svenska Dagbladet are reporting that there’s an as-yet unidentified fourth interested party in Saab, on top of Merbanco, Renco and BAIC.
“It is an international group where many countries are represented. But no one is Swedish,” said a person with good insight into the process.
“I do not think that this new ownership group has been so public. There is no one who knows them.
Robin, in comments, has pointed out that it could be Hyundai/Kia, who also have production interests with BAIC in China.
I enquired a little further and Robin does have sound experience in the industry (to say the least) and some reasonable grounds for his statement here, though he concedes that it’s from association rather than direct knowledge.
Hyundai have been kicking goals all year and would certainly be cashed up, but Robin reasons that they lack a premium brand, especially in Europe, and would benefit from something that can built up into something good.
Would GM want to share with them, though? Hyundai have taken a reasonable amount of marketshare from GM in 2009. In fact, Hyundai are one of the few companies who have actually grown their sales this year in the US market. I’m not sure GM would want to hand them access to modern GM technologies.
It’s an interesting theory and SvD’s source is correct and there is a mystery fourth bidder, then at least we’ve got something to pass the time 🙂
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