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.
Left Lane News tells us that Beijing Automotive’s range will include two sedans and a compact SUV, all of which will use Saab’s old platforms. Since the Chinese company doesn’t also own the rights to Saab’s exterior styling, expect the cars to look a bit different than their former Swedish cousins did.
Like most things that went wrong with Saab, GM is ultimately to blame for this, too. When GM was trying to sell off Saab in 2009, it was Beijing Automotive that stepped up to buy the rights to select Saab platforms, engines and transmissions. The deal ultimately kept Saab afloat until Spyker stepped in to buy the company.
While it was sad to see Saab go, it’s even sadder to see their picked-clean carcass used to build made-in-China Saab clones. If there’s good news to be had, it’s that the Beijing Automotive model range isn’t likely to hit the United States any time soon.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
