Despite Köenigsegg’s failed bid to purchase Saab, there continues to be a great deal of interest in the GM subsidiary, the latest of which comes in the shape of a bid from Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.
A report in Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri, Spyker’s third bid has put forward for a purchase of Saab. The two previous offers were rejected by GM due to the US auto-giant being unhappy with the terms of the deal.
According to Spyker CEO Victor Muller, GM has set a January 7th deadline for the offer. This deadline has been extended from December 31st last year in order to allow Spyker sufficient time to secure the funds it needs to purchase Saab. Muller has thus far remained fairly neutral with regards to the proceedings, only stating that “We have gotten time for a final offer. Nothing has been rejected”.
Spyker’s projected plans to rebuild the brand revolve around the 9-3, 9-5 and 9-4X Crossover models. Previous reports regarding the introduction of an entry-level 9-1 compact car appear to have jumped the gun as Spyker has shelved such a product in the interim.
The offer is currently looking more like a an equity or share-based deal at present, with Muller stating that Saab’s operations would remain based in Trollhattan, Sweden and that many of its production ties with GM would remain intact. Powerplant manufacture would also continue to lie with GM.
Muller added that Saab’s Trollhattan plant will continue to produce most models, including the new 9-5 set coming this year and an all-new 9-3 due in 2012. The 9-4X Crossover, which shares its underpinnings with the Cadillac SRX and will be produced by GM at its plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, is set to appear later this year or in early 2011.
Although Spyker’s third attempt to purchase Saab shows a great deal of determination on the part of the Dutch firm, it currently sits with a similar problem to previous bidder Köenigsegg; stable funding. Although Spyker’s bid is backed by Arab and Dutch investors, the company itself is running at a loss and only produced 43 units of its own cars in 2008.
