Saab’s Ghost To Haunt The Beijing Motor Show

Just when you thought that the sad ending of Saab was finally done, it looks like some of the brand’s GM-influenced models will be reborn under the Beijing Automotive Industry brand. Three models, including one based on the former Saab 9-5 and two based on the former 9-3, are expected to be exhibited at next April’s Beijing Motor Show. Read more

The End Is Here: Saab Files For Bankruptcy

In what’s turned into one of the most painful and drawn-out demises in automotive history, Swedish automaker Saab has filed for bankruptcy with a Swedish District Court. The move came after General Motors reaffirmed it would block any transaction to sell Saab to Chinese suitor Youngman, prompting Youngman to withdraw its funding offer. The move left Saab with no alternative except filing bankruptcy, which it deems to be in the best interests of its creditors. Read more

Saab Cancels Agreements With Chinese Partners

If you’ve been holding out hope for a Saab comeback, we’ve got some bad news for you. Saab’s parent, Swedish Automobile, has cancelled agreements with Chinese partners Pang Da and Youngman, after the two companies attempted to change the terms of the non-binding agreements already in place. Instead of investing in Saab, the Chinese companies wanted to buy out the remaining shares of Saab common stock to take a controlling interest in the struggling automaker. Read more

Like An Action Movie Hero, Saab Rises From The Dead

Just last week we paid our last respects to Saab. A local court had refused the Swedish automaker bankruptcy protection, and the lawsuits over unpaid wages and past-due invoices had begun. Clearly there was nothing left, save for the vultures to pick Saab’s once proud carcass clean. Read more

For Saab, It’s Likely All Over But The Crying

The near-final chapter is Saab’s storied history appears to have been written yesterday, when a Swedish court denied the struggling automaker protection from its creditors. Saying that the automaker lacked a clear source of funding to continue operations, the court denied Saab’s petition for the equivalent of reorganizational bankruptcy and opened the door for labor unions and creditors to begin bankruptcy proceedings. Saab is appealing the court’s decision, but it’s unlikely that a higher court will be more sympathetic to the automaker. Read more

Hawtai’s Deal To Rescue Saab Collapses

Bad news, Saabophiles: the latest deal to rescue the struggling automaker with an influx of capital from China’s Hawtai Motor Group has fallen through. Reuters reports that Hawtai was unable to obtain the necessary approvals, but it’s unclear if these were approvals from the Swedish government, the European Investment Bank or the Chinese government. The collapse leaves Saab without badly needed funding, although Spyker (Saab’s parent) insists that dialogue with Hawtai and other Chinese investors (including Great Wall Motor) is ongoing. Vladimir Antonov, the Russian investor with a somewhat questionable past, also remains interested in investing in Saab pending approval of the EIB and the Swedish government. Read more

Can The Chinese Save Saab?

In many ways, the saga of Saab automobiles is playing out like an old-fashioned movie cliffhanger. Each week, our hero (Saab, in this case) seems closer to imminent death, yet somehow survives to fight another day. For the past month, Saab’s financial state has looked bleak: a plan to sell off Saab assets to raise capital was being heavily scrutinized by both the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Swedish Debt Office. At issue was the potential buyer (Vladimir Antonov), a Russian investor with alleged ties to organized crime. Read more

Saab’s IQon Brings The Android OS To Your Car

Wouldn’t it be cool if your car was just like a big version of your smartphone, complete with internet connectivity? If you could upload apps that would enhance your driving, navigation or ability to communicate behind the wheel? Even better, what if these apps could automatically update when new data (or bug fixes) were available? What if your car could schedule it’s own service appointments, or send telemetry data to a dealership the second a problem was discovered? Those features, and more, will all be part of a new Android based infotainment system developed by Saab and currently in beta testing . Called IQon (pronounced “icon”), the technology may be the first truly user-friendly infotainment and telematics system on the market. Read more

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