ANA Group former SAAB-ANA in Trollhättan cuts workforce with 40 people

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EDIT: SU have been informed that ANA Group AB will continue to do SAAB repairs but not at the old classic facility in Trollhättan, that unit will focus primarily on BMW and Mini sales and service. They will have a shop in the Överby industrial area. SU where only quoting other most often reliable media www.ttela.se and Swedish Radio P4 Väst.

It is sad news we can read in www.ttela.se and with P4 Radio West today. Once one of the largest Saab dealerships and an important hub for buyers of new Saabs in Trollhättan has now decided to let around 40 people leave the business.

-It was a hard blow for us when Saab went bankrupt in 2011. I can honestly say that the SAAB part of ANA since that day have been in the process of phasing out. The “suit” became way to big when there was no new Saabs and gradually the size of the amount of Saabs rolling on the roads needing service has declined as well. – Joachim Lind CEO Ana Bil AB

This is of course sad news for the Saab owners in the Trollhättan larger regin since ANA has operation and presence in Vänersborg, Strömstad, Uddevalla, Lysekil, Lidköping and Strömstad. ANA is now focusing on other brands like BMW , Mini, Fiat and Hyundai (The New Car).

Only one person in that sales floor is willing to talk to Chrisoffer Sjölin of Ttela and that is Maj Karlsson
– Really sad, but it does not come as a surprise. It a company is not making profit it is hard to just go on. For me personal it is fine now and I have only one year to retirement. – Maj Karlsson, Sales Representative

My Editorial:
The present situation for us Saab owners and enthusiasts seams to get harder every day, now more and more service providers are leaving Saab and starts to work with other profitable brands. ANA in Trollhättan sells BMW like hotcakes and are profitable. It is increasingly harder to find spare spare parts for new Saabs. Many vital parts can no longer be found and need to be found if possible in junk yards. Saabs united has tried to get a comment on this from ORIO but the new leadership with them refuses to talk to us. Not a good sign, old management invited us to meetings. So today the ANA Group´s connection to SAAB is over. Maybe it is time to change name to something that has no relation to SAAB just like what ORIO did when the changed name from Saab parts. It is truly a sad situation we have and are facing, with rapid depreciation and value of the brand SAAB cars as well as the cars we drive. The whole situation is getting more and more complicated for Saab owners by the day. I see SAAB of today purely as an enthusiast and hobby car, not a car to have as a daily drive. Most people want to have a reliable service network and a supply of ALL parts if needed. The 9-3 and 9-5 OG (and to some extent even the 9-5 NG) are antiquated even if SAAB was around the spare parts would have come to an end in 4 years most probably. No car manufacturer (besides MB and BMW) keeps old spare parts. They want You to buy a new car. That is their line of business. Finally I hope that the skilled and nice people of ANA who has to seek other opportunities find new places to work soon. Best of luck and thanks to all of You what You have done for us SAAB people over the years. Thank You All!

Historic trivia.
The name ANA comes from the other SAAB town in Sweden Nyköping where SAAB for many years had the communication, PR and spare parts center. ANA stands for Aktiebolaget Nyköpings Automobilfabrik, (Limited stock company Nyköpings Car factory). They assembled brand like Chrysler, Plymouth, Skoda, Standard, Lagonda, Goliath and Simca.
In 1960 Saab bought the company and formed Saab-Ana. With well over 100 distributor in the network they had a wide product portfolio, Saabs of course, but also Plymouth, Dodge and later Lancia and Opel + other GM brands.

50 thoughts on “ANA Group former SAAB-ANA in Trollhättan cuts workforce with 40 people”

  1. Sad news.
    We just bought a 2010 Saab 9-5SC 2.3 BioPower. And I intend to use that as our daily drive.
    I hope we won’t have any problems with spare parts.
    The car looks, and feels, like new. Wonderful, quite simply. 🙂

  3. I recall my first trip to Trollhatten in 1998. ANA looked like the United Nations with all its flags flying and pretty blue building. How I dreamed of owning my own Saab dealership here in the states that resembled something like ANA. Trued it sounds like the end for us Saab lovers? I will keep my 05 Aero as long as possible. I did trade in my 2010 NG 9-5 because of the limited parts issue. Maybe in 10 years Saab the defense company will restart the car company.

    As far as the court is concerned I cant imagine that would grant another extension after they just gave them one with suppliers opposed to it.

  4. Sad news, but I have to agree with Trued. Recently the gearbox of my MY05 9-3 sport sedan broke. Looked around, and all that was available was either another high mileage gearbox from the breakers, or a rebuild one. No new gearbox could be sourced for reasonable money.
    In the end decided to sell the car, no more Saab for me as a daily driver. I’ll continue to enjoy my 9-3OG T5 convertible, but that is only a hobby and summer car.

      • 6 gears version yes, 5 gears, not that easy. And 2000 euro’s for a gearbox on a car that’s worth maybe 4 at best, is a bit stiff. I would spend it on a hobby car, but not a daily driver.

        • These investment decisions are tough! If you get a new or fairly new car, the deprication cost is likely to be way more than 2000 euro´s during the first 12 months – this is where your 4K EUR SAAB 9-3 is at advantage in the comparison 😉 Getting a new car is always fun (at least for a while) – and expensive.. Even if it were possible to assign correct economic values to experiences, feelings etc, it would still be quite impossible to make the exact economic calculations for the “keep” vs the “get a new car” options – unless you have a chrystal ball. The investment horizons can only be estimated and the future function and costs of each option are unknown. In the end it may boil down to how attached you are to your old car and how much you value change. I wish you good luck with your decision!

          • The car has been sold already. I think we’re missing the point here. For a daily driver, driving Saab is becoming too much of a hassle for my taste . You could argue otherwise, but that’s where I am. And I can live with depreciation in return for a reliable daily driver. Switched to something japanese for the daily grind and I’ll continue to enjoy my 9-3 softtop as summer car.

  5. Our family has three Saab’s here in the UK. 2001 9-5OG, 2010 9-5NG and 2004 9-3NG all three running fine and with no parts issues yet. Seems to be lots of options on parts Neo Bros, Parts for Saab or genuine parts from the local specialist. Are you sure there is not some ‘glass half full’ thinking going on today? Be positive!

    • Agree with you. Our dealer has indeed added KIA but does still a perfect work in maintaining Saabs from 1987 onwards.
      Orio is an official supplier of Saab parts as there are some very good other companies selling parts for Saab too.
      So just go on, maintain your Saab and enjoy the ride.

    • NG 9-5 share a lot of parts with Insignia and Lacrosse, I am not worried. Most parts can be remanufactured. Even windows or headlamps. Soon we all have a 3d printer, a 3d scanner, and manufacture all the things we really need.

  6. Really it’s simple math…As cars depreciate rapidly and parts become inflated or nonexistent the cost of ownership becomes difficult. Many Saabs are heading to the grave, and less cars on the road.. Because Orio doesn’t have certain parts, in a way,, they are putting a dagger or final blow to many cars. The last 3 years under Nevs ownership was the worse thing for the Saab brand…

    It has been said they were the only game interested… Well in doesn’t take away the pain of the slow death we have witnessed.

    Mahindra knows this,,,, and every passing day becomes more critical,, One must conclude with the amount of time it has taken to make a deal seems bleak. I suspect Mahindra very well may be done with it due to the name issue and restrictions Saab AB has demanded. maybe Mahindra never really made a serious commitment who knows.. The life line is getting frail.

    I love my car really do, looks brand new drives new,, However if a deal of significance doesn’t get done that is legitimate and aggressive (Substantial),, I will be selling by summer.. Really sucks. Not much hope left.

    This is the kind of news that will be sending second hand Saabs to their graves prematurely…

    I think Nevs is scrambling to finish the 100 Vehicles in false hope..

    This supposed merger has taken way to long,, and my experience tells me the longer a deal is pending the less likely of it happening specially because of the above.

    The light is becoming over shadowed by darkness.

  7. In the UK there are no real parts issues, yes there is the odd item that is not available from Saab Parts UK (Orio) but as has been pointed out the much in the past criticised use of GM parts has actually proved a boon making many parts available more easily and at less cost than buying them from Orio. Also there are a number of very good Saab parts specialists Neo’s ( a bit more discount for the plug please Mario) being the most note worthy. Here in the UK within in the confines of a used vehicles annual depreciation, the values of nice late lower mileage model Saab’s is actually holding very steady and in many cases is quietly rising as the desirable cars get harder and harder to obtain.

    I have dealt almost exclusively in Saab for the last 13 years and have been heavily involved with the Saab product for over 20 years, I can say without doubt the in the UK that the Saab product still has very loyal and strong customer base and to be frank I find it much easier to sell a nice Saab than it is to buy a replacement car to put back into stock, there is no doubt that nice cars are getting harder and harder to find, consequently I am of the opinion that the cars will run out before the customers do, luckily for me I am of an age where this could well suit my longer term plans forcing me into a state of semi-retirement over the next couple of years.

    Personally I hold out no hope for any continuation of Saab as manufacturer of new cars and feel that the Mahindra deal is doomed to failure, lets hope I am wrong, so as I see it while Saab as a producer of new cars is dead, Saab as an Iconic and character rich used car has a fair bit of life left in it!

    • I’m sorry but what does this have to do with me??? How do I fit into this conversation… I didn’t even write the article? I’ve put a lot of pressure on Orio to come up with parts needed in order to keep the Saab community alive and you give me crap for doing so?…

  8. The other day I received a shipment from ANA in Trollhättan. They have always provided great service – it has been pure pleasure dealing with them. So yes, thank you for all of that pleasure and good service! I truly hope that SAAB will soon generate new jobs in that region and that the chances of that are not insignificant. My shipment contained no critical parts, just some stuff to make perfect – a turboX lip and a 2014 9-3 grill. I believe that these parts have been produced very recently in the SAAB/NEVS factory.

    Good news are the best news of course, like Orio having agreed to take over the parts supply and warranty issues for the 2014 9-3 models. That hopefully means something to the future supply of 9-3 parts. I possess an abnormal collection of SAAB 9-3´s and no bad news so far have decreased my interest in the SAAB brand or in its future. It´s the other way around, my collection has grown with the trouble (I used to keep only one SAAB at the time). The more trouble I see, the more precious these great cars become to me. And there will be a future for the brand of course, for anybody who is dedicated enough. There are even people who specialize in really old SAAB´s like SAAB 99´s and I guess that they have never expected ORIO to supply them with original parts (I would also be surprised if the value of these old cars are sensitive to the news or editorials, e g here on SAABSUNITED). I do actually believe that there are lots of old cars that carry considerable value, despite the fact that no single company is assuming responsibility for the spare parts supply.

    After years of trouble and uncertainty, a high probability for the worst possible SAAB scenario has of course been discounted into the SAAB prices, for quite some time now. “The world” already thinks that there will be no spare parts and no service for SAAB´s, so there is nothing new there. How many times does this fact – or is it fiction – has to be rubbed in? The actual truth is not that simple, e g since ORIO has now accepted responsibility for the 2014 9-3´s. I still get great service for my cars and the spare parts that I need. The situation may or may not slowly deteriorate as we move forward – nobody can know what the future holds. Any prediction based on car history says that the true enthusiasts will always be able to enjoy their SAAB´s. There have always been people driving old SAAB´s and old cars of other brands. A fairly modern SAAB is, and will continue to be, a highly competetive and price worthy option compared to the average used car (which is not a BMW), at least in Sweden. SAAB´s are already very “cheap” due to a discounted disaster and parts may become cheaper with the emergence of generic suppliers. IF the SAAB fleet is dismantled quicker than would otherwise have been normal, this will increase the supply of used and cheap spare parts in decent condition. If you love your SAAB, try to hold on to it – that is my advice, for whatever it´s worth 🙂

    • Yes! So true Jaokim and GrumpyGriffin!

      Saab gave us cars to enjoy and they are awesome. We’ve looked too much to what will be new but we’ve already got the best and we should keep them on the road. I saw a 30 year old Volvo wagon 10 min ago on the highway and it was packed with a family of kids. The car looked and was running great. Drive what you love and be glad Saab gave us such amazing cars

    • Thank you for those links – they deserve some space here! I actually tried to reach my contact in Trollhättan, whom I talked to last week, but was unable to reach him today. Jeez – please save us from disinformation!

    • Trued, could you please explain what this misalignment of information is all about. The CEO of ANA says the complete opposite of what SU writes regarding Saab service at ANA and spare parts in general.

      Secondly, I have to disagree strongly with you, Trued, in where you claim that Saab is not suitable as a daily drive car anymore. I have a 9-3 SC my 2008 and never have I had any issues with parts or service. And I think it is far from being antiquated, at least by my standards. It will be my daily driver for many years to come. By the way, I just ordered the 2012 facelift front bumper (same as in my 2014), which is getting painted at the moment and ready by Friday. It’s going to look very nice when mounted.

      Thirdly, I can again sense a bit of pro-BMW mentality with this BMW dropping (“BMW” mentioned several times in this Saab related article)…

  10. I agree with Grumpy Griffin. In the uk nice late Saabs are hard to come by. I’ve been watching his website for ages and as soon as a car I’m interested in pops up it’s sold, often before it’s listed! This is why I’ve just pounced on a 2011 TTID convertible which was on sale st a Nissan main dealer. I paid about a third of its original price and I think that represents excellent value. It will be my everyday car, hopefully for many years and I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s done the largest part of its depreciation and am hoping it lives up to my expectations!
    I still think Nevs could’ve sold some rhd Saabs here in the Uk but there you go..,

  11. Yes, those of us who want to keep our old Saabs on the road can probably beg, borrow or steal parts from various sources. But the issue is that there will be fewer and fewer of us doing that over time which will lead to fewer and fewer sources, eventually. Its a catch-22 of sorts. But what is needed for Saab to continue in any real form is a sense of security for potential customers; sound warranty coverage, decent dealer access, reasonable repair times (driven by parts availability), etc. A consumer does not want to have his/her car sit in the shop while a search is made for that needed body panel or interior trim piece. A consumer has high expectations given the choices available in the marketplace, so there can be no excuses for the product that those of us who are Saabophiles would be be willing to tolerate. Long gone are the days when a tiny cadre of loyalists could support a brand that makes it by on just a wing and a prayer. So, either Mahindra steps in and makes this happen in a very BIG way, or its over for all of us except for a teensy-weensy sliver of folks who are Saabophiles and will keep their cars as a hobby.

    • I am using one of my 9-3´s as my daily drive and will continue to do so until it expires. It´s an XWD and just perfect for the Swedish winter conditions! When it expires (it´s an -09 with 150 000 km´s on the odometer) – and if SAAB has not been reborn by that time – I may consider turning my biopower convertible into my daily drive (and reserve the V6 convertible for the summer season). If -hypothetically – I were out of SAAB´s now, I would quickly try to find a used one with low mileage and make that my daily drive. In order for SAAB to get a successfull restart, I agree with what you write. I certainly haven´t given up hope regarding that – how could I when SAAB-Mahindra negotiations seem to be going on! But if those negotiations come to nil, I will still know that I have many happy SAAB years ahead of me!

  12. So, I will ask again: how restricted are the rights that NEVS has to the Phoenix platform? Does anyone know? It would seem that this would be critical to the Mahindra deal.

  14. Saab if by far the most important business for Orio and will be for a foreseeable future, in fact service and parts accessibility close to customer will increase.
    Saab Automobile might be gone but you cant take world-class mechanics like Anders E above away….they are still around knowing Saab 😉

    I feel confident that newcomers to Saab, not even in 2015, will be disappointed and might experience possibilites with their Saabs (performance, external, interior wise) that was not so easily done under the OE mfg scenario.

  15. Well it looks like ANA is still and will remain serving SAAB. Personally, I think it is announcing incorrect news in such a way, especially on SU, what won’t help SAAB. Why give it such a negative twist on both ANA and Orio when ANA will continue serving SAAB and Orio is working on the Service Network and on service for the MY14 Saab 9-3 Aero’s? I’ve heard somewhere that there haven’t ever been so many Saab Service Centers as there are now.

    And there’s a difference between a car manufacturer and a spare parts company. Yes, a car manufacturer wants to sell new cars (though ofcourse they also need to produce cars that keep their customers coming back). A spare parts company is all about producing and distributing spare parts. So it’s in their best interest that they produce enough spare parts to keep all the Saabs on the roads as long as possible and that Saab owners keep maintaining and enjoying their Saabs.

    • +1 come on SU guys whats happening overhere. Looking at the facts there will be no real shortage of parts and ANA will keep on going servicing saabs. Whats the deal… Do we have to trade in our ‘old’ saabs for new bmw’s. A few of the bloggers are becoming more negative and thats a pitty. I can imagine that you get frustrated when you are so close to the fire and when you are let down so many times. Lets hope for the best and lets keep our saabs rolling! I am proud to be a saab driver and will stay it as long as possible.

  16. It would be great if someone with the knowledge could post a list of compatible parts for the NG 9-5. I did read somewhere that it shares many of the same parts as the Opel Insignia and Buick Lacross. If only someone from GM Europe could tell us?

  19. Saabsunited used to confirm facts in the past. I hope that you guys will follow that rule again in the future.
    With all my respect to the writers here on SU I wish you better luck next time.

  20. Very sad, because no other place all around a world was more SAAB then this… When you stay there, you could listen on this cross Saab sound from by-pass… Incredible place for SAAB lovers, then they changed traffic lights for traffic circle. And now in this place where SAAB had showroom and service 1,5km from factory they sale BMW, Mini and other low cost cars… Come on, swedish people in SAAB, take power, money and build up again the best cars SAAB. Please SAVE SAAB…

    • I love what you say and see exactly what you mean! Trollhättan is like a Disneyland for SAAB lovers:-)! So many nice SAAB´s in one place, it is almost surreal (since SAAB is otherwise such a niche car). I go there once every year to have one of my SAAB´s serviced by ANA, just to relive that SAAB experience. My understanding is that GM was the owner of that nice building and that ANA left it when GM cut SAAB loose. When ANA later reentered the building, it is quite understandable that they needed to reserve it for their main business, which obviously no longer could be SAAB. That company, however, really has SAAB in its veins and I am glad that they have managed to adapt to the post GM era.

  22. This post ought to be taken down entirely or completely rewritten. Simply adding an unapologetic edit to an inaccurate and uncited post is continuing to do harm to the proud Saab community, ANA, and ORIO. I’ve come to expect much more from SU over my many years of readership.

    • I must agree. IMHO the edit is not only unapologetic, it is also misleading and incorrect. Misleading: the SAAB service was moved from “the old classic facility” three years ago! Since then it has been located to Betongvägen in a nearby industrial area. Probably during 2015 it will be moved again, just across the river, not far from the present location. I´m guessing that the new facilities will be better than the old ones and look forward to visiting them. Incorrect: the author did not “only” quote other media. An editorial was added, containing highly controversial and negative personal opinions, to some extent stated as facts. From previous reading I am under the impression that that the author has rid himself of all of his modern SAAB´s and thereby no longer is exposed to any depreciation risk in relation to SAAB´s. Judging from the content of that editorial…well, I am confused, because that would mean openly undermining the blog subject and the welfare of the readers. There must thus be something that I have missed, but I am nonetheless concerned 🙁

  23. I’ve been in contact with two fine guys at ANA Trollhättan in the past. I really appreciate their helping hand. I just hope that they are not among the people who have to leave the company.

  24. Trued says: “I see SAAB of today purely as an enthusiast and hobby car, not a car to have as a daily drive”. Interesting, I have
    three SAABs; 9-5 (2) and 900 (1). All daily drivers. We put about 30k miles every year on these. I certainly cannot be alone in this experience with SAABs. Add to this his comment with the apparently wrong info that ANA is closing its association with SAAB. A very negative and false piece of SAAB news.

    To me, it is unbelievable to read such negative and biased view against SAAB, on a SAAB blog, and from a one of the writers no less. Certainly, I understand from Trued’s earlier contributions that BMW is closer to his heart. Fine. But I don’t read the SAAB blogs to get lectured that BMW is better than SAAB, no matter what the “objective” truth is. Perhaps he can find a more suitable blog for his interests?

  25. an unfortunate and damaging reaction….and failure to check easily ascertainable facts directly with ANNA. We rely on SU for facts when ther’re facts, and scuttlebutt (rumor) when clearly labeled as such…

    As to daily driving…. it certainly depends on the age and mileage of the car in question…many of us have mid 2000 cars with less than 100,000 miles….they have a useful life ahead of them..We have a 2011 9-3X-SC with about 35,000 miles. I don’t see stopping driving anytime soon…the parts situation in the US seems fine so far.

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