Currently reading: New Saab 9-5 may live as a Buick
Reports say GM will rebadge the 9-5 if Saab is closed down

GM is considering selling the latest Saab 9-5 as a Buick in America, according to reports in Sweden.

The Saab 9-5 is ready for launch, but it faces an uncertain future as GM will decide if it will either sell Saab or close it down within the next few days.

Any buyer of the company is likely to keep the 9-5 within its portfolio, but, according to Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, if GM closes Saab it will rebadge the 9-5 as a Buick model.

The latter option would give it an opportunity to recoup some of its development costs for the car.

Dagens Industri is also reporting that GM has told Saab's suppliers that it expects it to take five years for the company to be fully wound down, if that is the course of action it takes.

However, GM's talks with prospective buyers - including Spyker - are said to be ongoing.

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HyundaiSmoke 30 December 2009

Re: New Saab 9-5 may live as a Buick

I agree J400, as here in the states SAAB 9-5 is in the same Mid size classification as Buick Regal. It will be a huge redundancy on their part. Plus in a lot of ways you can pretty much say that Regal has been SAAB'ed-up already.

No worries mates, not going to happen.

J400uk 30 December 2009

Re: New Saab 9-5 may live as a Buick

I would have thought it would have been better suited as a replacement for the Vauxhal Omega.

Chunkster 30 December 2009

Re: New Saab 9-5 may live as a Buick

Did anybody see how ugly the new 9-5 is? I for one am glad to see it to disappear. If GM sells the 9-5 to the Chinese and the Chinese end up producing it a couple of years from now, I'd bet there'd be many unkind words levelled at the Chinese for the poor exterior design.