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There was a reversal on the decision of the Saab board not to sell and now it appears the Chinese are buying Saab! I don't see this as any worse than the Indians buying Jaguar and Land Rover.
Thoughts? Can you see yourself buying a new 9-4 or the redesigned 9-5 (which IMO is a very good looking car)
It all depends on what the Chinese investors do. Tata has been rather hands off when it comes to Jaguar and Land Rover. They are happy simply letting the Jag and LR guys run the show. If the Chinese group takes the same approach with Saab, they have a chance to be succesful again. Although, I think in order for Saab to get there, they will need to form some sort of strategic alliance with another manufacturer as I don't see them having the resources to develop things like hybrids and electrics and even more advanced engines and transmissions independently. The first two are things they will need to have in their portfolio to do business in the US.
My question is...what really is Saab, at least in America? I mean SAAB could stand for Sad-Ass Automobile Business.
I just don't understand where Saab is supposed to compete or what market they're trying to appeal to. I know a LOT of people and I work at a large company but never ONCE have I known a person who owns or owned a Saab.
It'll be interesting if Saab engineers and designers could get full control over product development and what they can do without GM's influence. Their vehicle passenger safety was very good. Magazines report Saab had some of the most comfortable seats while still wrapping around the driver to keep him planted in hard cornering. To me, they should keep the FWD for base models to keep prices down until they rebuild the brand whil offering the all wheel drive as a high end option.
I don't buy Chinese goods, and I certainly don't buy GM goods. SAAB still has too many GM components, and now the Chinese connection double sours the deal.
It's a shame. I always wanted a SAAB. Now that I can afford one, I don't want one anymore.
It all depends on what the Chinese investors do. Tata has been rather hands off when it comes to Jaguar and Land Rover. They are happy simply letting the Jag and LR guys run the show. If the Chinese group takes the same approach with Saab, they have a chance to be succesful again. Although, I think in order for Saab to get there, they will need to form some sort of strategic alliance with another manufacturer as I don't see them having the resources to develop things like hybrids and electrics and even more advanced engines and transmissions independently. The first two are things they will need to have in their portfolio to do business in the US.
I imagine that they will likely follow a similar model to MG, now known as MG Motor, owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC):
Basically, cars for the Chinese market are made almost entirely in China, while cars for the EU are assembled in England as CKD's made in China.
Because Saab does have some brand recognition in the US, it could be a better inroad to the market for a Chinese company versus MG, absent since 1980. I'd imagine that any Saab sold in the US or EU would likely be assembled and/or partially manufactured in Sweden to appease American and European buyers who are wary of Chinese build quality.
Of anecdotal note: in the Chinese market, there's a serious vogue for European cars, and a growing interest and respect for Scandanavian design and thought; utilitarian, minimalist, but stylish and aesthetically-sound. I've spoken to a number of mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese who have enquired as to my ethnic heritage during business dealings, and upon hearing I'm ethnically Swedish, have told me that they find Scandanavian culture "fascinating," largely due to its pragmatism. I can see Saab having a fairly respectable presence in China with its current models, which will give it the funding to develop new and unique models for the international market.
Also of note: the current 9-5 shares a chassis with a Buick. Buicks are top-sellers and well-regarded in China. I'm sure that the notion of purchasing what is basically a more "European" variation of a Buick will be greeted a lot more warmly in China than in the US.
I'd love to see the company stay Scandanavian for feel-good old-timey warm fuzzies, but, well, we all know that ain't happening. I'd rather see the Chinese pump a whole ton of money into the company and release some new models than see it disappear.
My question is...what really is Saab, at least in America? I mean SAAB could stand for Sad-Ass Automobile Business.
I just don't understand where Saab is supposed to compete or what market they're trying to appeal to. I know a LOT of people and I work at a large company but never ONCE have I known a person who owns or owned a Saab.
I guess you've never lived or worked in the northeast.. tons here.
My question is...what really is Saab, at least in America? I mean SAAB could stand for Sad-Ass Automobile Business.
I just don't understand where Saab is supposed to compete or what market they're trying to appeal to. I know a LOT of people and I work at a large company but never ONCE have I known a person who owns or owned a Saab.
Saabs are basically nonexistent in Phoenix & Southern California, but you see them here and there in Denver-- not as many as there were 10-20 years ago, though. Although yeah, I've only personally known one person who actually drove one.
Volvos are also becoming more and more rare. I think most of the people who used to drive Swedish cars have moved on to Audi or Subaru.
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