'Half Price' Saab Dealer Shutting Down, Publishes Letter Putting Part of the Blame on GM

You may remember our Saab post from earlier this week where we asked you if you'd buy 9-3 or 9-5 sedan at half price. Among the deals we listed were several low mileage loaners with a 50 percent discount from the Shaw Saab dealership in Norwell, Massachusetts.

As we learned today from the Saabsunited enthusiast site, the aforementioned dealership is closing shop on February 3 after 44 years as an exclusive Saab seller.

Fred Shaw, the owner, posted a letter on the company's Facebook page where he announces the shut down and outlines his future plans, which include the selling of the real estate to Herb Chambers (the car shop equivalent of Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts), who will turn it into a Lexus shop.

Nothing unexpected there, but in his letter, Shaw also refers to General Motors and the role it played in the outcome of Saab's failed reorganization efforts. Being an official dealer, Shaw's view on the matter makes for an interesting read. You can check out the letter right after the break.

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2011 Saab 9-3 and 9-5 Sedans for Half Price, but Would You Buy Them?

Ever since we learned about Saab's bankruptcy, many pondered whether it would be a good idea to buy a brand new or a very low mileage example from dealers that wanted to get rid of the cars they had in stock at marked down prices.

The problem is that these cars are offered without a manufactures warranty while we're still not certain what's going on with parts, because sure you can get an awesome deal, but what happens if something breaks or needs replacement on your car; will you find a part in a timely manner and equally important, at what cost?

It's good to keep in mind that being an older model, it's much easier to find replacement parts for the 9-3 series than it is for the newer 9-5.

Lots of questions not too many answers, and this is something that will likely make most mainstream buyers wary.

What we can say is that over the past few weeks that we have been following the subject, prices of the remaining Saab cars in the U.S. have dropped significantly.

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Form an Orderly Queue: Receivers Say More Buyers Show Up for Saab

This is your daily update on the story that is the survival of Saab. Today, we receive news that yet another party is interested in acquiring the Swedish car company, the third in as many days.

Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri confirms last month's report that Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra is also interested in Saab. Mahindra, which already owns Korean carmaker SsangYong and wants to become “India’s first global cult brand”, joins China's Youngman group and Turkish private equity firm Brightwell Holdings in bidding for Saab.

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Saab Saga is a Wild Turkey: Istanbul-based Equity Firm Added to Buyers’ List

Saab hasn’t made a car since last March. Its initial deal with the Chinese fell as did every subsequent overtake attempt basically because GM wasn’t willing to give away its technology to the Chinese for free.

Eventually, the company's owner Swedish Automobile ran out of cash and Saab filed for bankruptcy on December 19. The receivers walked in and made preparations to sell the silverware – or so to speak. Sad, but true: Saab has gone the way of the dodo. End of story, right?

Well, surprisingly enough, now that it is being torn apart, suitors come knocking on its door two at a time. Just hours after Youngman’s latest bid, Turkish private-equity firm Brightwell Holdings is the second company that will bid for the bankrupt carmaker.

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Run, Youngman, Run: Chinese Still want Saab Even Though its Assets Are Being Sold

Declaring bankruptcy doesn’t necessarily mean that you close shop – just ask GM and Chrysler. But when the receivers walk in begin selling off your assets, though, as is the case with Saab, it would take a miracle (to say the least) to survive.

Then again, perhaps miracles do happen. Reuters reports that Chinese group Youngman, which had originally agreed with Saab's owner, Swedish Automobile, to buy the brand and had even injected some cash into it but saw the deal fall apart due to GM’s refusal to let its intellectual property fall into the hands of its rivals, is ready to make a comeback.

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Saab Museum Cars Looking for a New Home – See the Complete Auction List

There's a lot of blame going around over the bleak outcome of the efforts to save Saab, but life goes on and so does the liquidation of the Swedish company's assets including the collection of vehicles from its museum, which is located at the brand's headquarters in Trollhättan.

As we learned from the folks over at Saabsunited, Swedish law firm Delphi has posted a list of all the cars from the Saab museum that will soon go up for auction. The news is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it.

On one hand, some fans of the brand and collectors alike will have the unique opportunity to bid on production, racing and concept models that otherwise would have never been offered to the public.

On the other hand, Saab enthusiasts as well as gearheads would have surely preferred to have all the cars together in a museum where the public can see them.

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Is the Saab Museum up for Sale?

With Saab having bitten the bullet, probably for good this time, the administrators have immediately stepped in and started selling off its assets in order to pay the now bankrupt carmaker’s workers and creditors.

According to a report from the usually well-informed crew on Saab matters over at Saabs United, the bankruptcy administrators are already taking offers for the Swedish firm's Car Museum that is located in Trollhättan.

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POLL: Saab Owners, Which Brand will they Turn to Now?

It's been a terrible year for Saab which ended with the worst possible scenario as after more than six decades of building cars with bespoke designs (or at least for the most part) and some quirky features, the Swedish company filed for bankruptcy on December 20.

Understandably, it's still too early to know what will happen next to the company and its assets, but even though in theory a new party could step in during the bankruptcy process and save the company, the chances for this happening are extremely slim.

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India's Mahindra & Mahindra Interested in Saab, Turkish Suitor Also pops up on the Radar

The sad story of Saab is far from over as the court-appointed administrators who are overseeing the Swedish automaker's bankruptcy are now on the lookout for possible investors to either sell parts of the brand or the company as a whole.

In today's news, Bloomberg reports that Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, a maker of SUVs and a flagship company of the Mahindra Group, which is a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India, is in private talks with Saab's administrators.

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2012 Saab 9-5 car wallpaper gallery

2012 Saab 9-5 car wallpaper gallery and previews http://bugatti-cars-wallpapers.blogspot.com/2011/08/2012-latest-car-spons-girls-photos.html

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1997 Saab 9000 Safety Features with wallpapers

1997 Saab 9000 Safety Features with wallpapers

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Saved by Antonov: Saab Sells Production Facilities to Russian Banker to Get Cash

The Swedish government offered Saab conditional backing for a deal to free up cash for the company (see previous story here), whose production lines have been stopped for two weeks as Saab didn't pay suppliers. "We have decided to allow the Debt Office to conclude an agreement with Saab," said enterprise minister Maud Olofsson during a news conference on Friday.

The government has approved a proposal from the Debt Office to allow Saab to sell real estate, including the production plant, to Russian financier Vladimir Antonov and then lease it back from him. The minister said this deal would bring €30 million to Saab in the first phase, although the real estate was worth much more than that.

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Saab Roller Coaster Continues as Cash Gets Tight

Saab just can't seem to catch a break. After moving from the General's formerly overcrowded pocket into the hands of Spyker, the once-quirky brand is now doing all it can to bring production back online after failing to pay suppliers.

The gist is this: Saab received 400 million Euros (~$580 million) from the European Investment Bank so it could keep on ticking. Sweden guaranteed the loan, meaning whatever Spyker's resolution calls for must get the go-ahead from the Man.

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New Woes for Saab, Production Halted Again After Company Fails to Pay Suppliers

Less than a week after Saab idled its Trollhattan plant in Sweden for a few days due to a shortage of parts after failing to pay suppliers, the company once again halted production on Tuesday for the same exact reasons, despite solving the previous disputes.

"Production is stopped right now. It was stopped this morning," said Saab spokesperson Gunilla Gustavs. "We are working intensively to make sure the flow gets going again. We are having discussions with suppliers and doing our best to come to mutual agreements," Gustavs added.

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Saab Temporarily Halts Production After Suppliers Suspend Parts for Not Being Paid

In a sign of the possible problems brewing up at Saab, the Swedish firm was forced to temporarily halt production for a few hours at its plant on Tuesday as well as on Wednesday after component makers cut off deliveries to the factory because they hadn’t been paid.

“Certain suppliers halted supplies to Saab Automobile pending discussions about payments and supply terms,” Spyker said in a statement on Wednesday. “Saab Automobile expects to resolve these issues in the short term, also to prevent any further disruptions in supply. Saab Automobile has sufficient means to meet its immediate liquidity needs from existing and available sources,” the company added.

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SAAB CEO Jan Åke Jonsson to Retire, Victor Muller Takes Over Temporarily

Dutch automaker Spyker Cars NV announced on Friday that Saab Automobile’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Jan Åke Jonsson, has decided to step down from his position on 19 May, 2011. The company said that until a successor to the longtime Saab executive is found, Spyker Car’s CEO Victor Muller will temporarily assume the role of President and CEO of Saab Automobile AB in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board.

The 59-year old executive, who has worked for Saab for close to 40 years, took over the helm of the company in 2005 when it was still under the ownership of General Motors. Jonsson has been credited for playing a key role in the savior of Saab when the Detroit automaker wanted to close down the brand.

“I have been with Saab Automobile for almost my entire career of 40 years, of which almost six years as the head of Saab Automobile,” said Jonsson in a statement. “The last three years have of course been very demanding and forced me to focus on one thing only – my work. Now it is time for me to also spend some time on other things that had to stand back for my duties to Saab Automobile.”

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Saab Hires Saabs United Blogger Steven Wade to Strengthen its Social Media Marketing Team

If you’ve been following the Saab-saga from the time General Motors decided to let go of the Swedish company in 2009, you’ll probably be familiar with the enthusiast blog Saabs United and its founder, Steven Wade, who did his part to keep the brand alive by rallying up supporters when many thought it was a lost cause.

In a not so unexpected turn of events, Saab today announced that it has hired Wade and appointed him the firm’s social media marketing team. Wade will be based in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

“Saab has hired me to be involved, as part of a global team, in a sustained social media presence that will see Saab presented from an inside view, allowing you access to company events, key people and of course, the cars themselves – in a way that no bigger car company can do,” Wade said on Saabs United.

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Saab Releases UK Pricing and Specs for 2012MY 9-3 Range

We had our first look at the modestly refreshed 2012MY 9-3 range at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, but today, Saab GB announced prices and specifications ahead of the UK launch next month.

The new model year brings some subtle exterior updates such as the restyled front bumpers, ‘ice block’ headlamps, a new grille, a Saab word mark that replaces badging on the chrome trim at the rear end and the addition of a boot-mounted spoiler for the sedan variants.

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Video of the New Saab 9-5 SportCombi from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

The new PhoeniX sports coupe concept pretty much grabbed most of the attention at Saab's Geneva Motor Show stand, but the Swedes also brought along their all-new 2012 9-5 SportCombi. The station wagon model will arrive in the market this fall with the same engine lineup as the four-door 9-5 offering buyers improved practicality and a boot that measures 527 liters with the seats up and 1600 liters when the 60/40 split rear seatbacks are folded down. Hop over the jump for some live shots and walk-around video from the Geneva Show floors.

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VIDEO: Chris Bangle Butts Heads with Jason Castriota at SAAB's Geneva Motor Show Stand

You might think watching two world-renowned designers talking cars would be entertaining . . . and you'd be right on the money. Rising star and Saab's current hot shot design director Jason Castriota penned the PhoeniX concept. Chris Bangle, known for turning BMW on its head with his flame surfaces and unique rear ends, was hanging around Geneva and decided to chat with Castriota about his "aero" style.

Check out the video below for a minute and a half of a little (friendly?) banter between two polarizing designers as they discuss what makes the PhoeniX a Saab.

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