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Here's a free translation of the Expressen article. Posted by SWEDECAR [Email]  (#112)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from SWEDECAR) on Thu, 24 Feb 2005 09:26:22
In Reply to: Saab, GM Deny Reports About Possible Sale, extraextrareadallaboutit, Thu, 24 Feb 2005 05:50:40 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
As usual, forgive me for any grammatical/spelling errors.
Anders
<FRENCH RENAULT WANTS TO BUY SAAB
Trollhättan. The end is near for Saab and the manufacturing plant in Trollhättan.
Citing reports from the newspaper The Daily Industry (Dagens Industri) GM wants to sell Saab.
Possible buyers can be found in China and France.
The famous Volvo-Renault deal went sour but it looks like that a new French-Swedish car alliance is near.
The Daily Industry says that GM has started negotiations with Renault and with a company in China about a selling/buying of the Saab brand name.
The news comes only a couple of days after that the GM vice president Robert Lutz declared that GM is satisfied with the Saab brand and the GM want to keep Saab.
The news, also only a couple of weeks after that GM showed its interest in having the middle class Cadillac manufactured in Trollhättan.
The future is dark
Even if GM doesn’t sell the brand name Saab the future looks bleak.
Right after the Geneva car show, GM decides to move the next generation 9-3 production to Russelheim.
Saab 9-5 comes out with a new version this fall but the next generation will be made in US.
Cadillac BLS, that was presented in Geneva, only reach a volume of 10,000 cars a year and even that one in the long run is planned to be built in Russelheim.
A stepping down of production is expected in Trollhättan from 2007 when the production of 9-3 and 9-5 is lowered.
Saab turnaround
Why GM has done a 180 in just a month about Saab is explained by DIs (Dagens Industri) source within GM, in that no one within GM believes in the sale and marketing capacities of Saab.
In USA the 9-2 have flopped big time and the bigger SUV 9-7 lives an anonymous life.
GM is loosing money and is having a sale on many car models in USA. GM has to do this to not loose its number one position in the car world to Toyota.
Poker face
GM wants to show that everything is normal under the Geneva Car show that starts this Sunday. That’s when the new 9-3 SH is revealed to specially invited guests. But the 9-3 SH arrives to late to save Saab.>
The Swedish article in Expressen
, Thu, 24 Feb 2005 17:55:08, Thu, 24 Feb 2005 09:26:22 <-- Viewing This Message
, Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:03:05, Thu, 24 Feb 2005 08:41:08
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