General Motors is still progressing with its plans to wind Saab down, GM CEO Ed Whitacre has confirmed.
Speaking at a news conference to announce him as GM's permanent CEO, Whitacre said talks with Spyker were progressing but there was nothing to report at the moment.
"We have not changed our direction on the wind down of Saab's operations," he said. "There have been advanced talks with Spyker but we have no deal to announce this morning.
"If and when we do we will let you know and that's my only comment on the issue."
Talking about his appointment as permanent CEO, Whitacre said: "I don't think going permanent will change much going forward, I am just trying to do teh right thing for this company and its people. What this place needs now is stability."
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Re: GM: 'No Spyker sale yet'
Yes, I hadn't forgotten the Opel fiasco but GM was just pulling Europe's chain with that whole situation. Also, the fuss surrounding Opel/Vauxhall during that time was almost entirely focused on the loss of employment, rather than the loss of the brand or the heritage, as is the case for SAAB.
Can't argue with that- it's all conjecture and we will find out soon enough I suspect. Budget deficits and creaking economies might have a little more to do with it? Either way, I have very little confidence that GM has any intention of selling SAAB. I fear that they are dicking us around again, imagining that they can convince us that 'they tried'.
Re: GM: 'No Spyker sale yet'
Possibly, although it is probably also due to the length of time this whole saga has taken to play out. I seem to recall there being much more 'fuss' about Opel/Vauxhall than there has been about Saab.
And the Swedish government knows the details of Saab's position far better than the general public, which may hint as to why they are not interested in stepping in - they know there is no future and they would be throwing away their money. They will need it to pay unemployment benefits to all the Saab employees soon enough...
Re: GM: 'No Spyker sale yet'
You might be right but I don't think you should underestimate the strength of feeling many people have for SAAB. Not yet. How many other brands has GM culled (murdered?) in the last year or so? How much fuss was made about those brands? Maybe a bit of row in the states but nothing anywhere else. SAAB has received support from many people in many different countries. It's a shame the Swedish government has been so disinterested in stepping in.
Also, with all due respect, I think it should be SAAB employees and dealers that decide what is best for them, not the rest of us.