Messages

1636

Saab in the news / Re: Saab plans to restart production August 9

« on: 08 July 2011, 12:43:27 PM »

I think that was what Victor Muller wants to do with this small teardrop shaped Saab 9-1 or however he wants to brand it.

The last I heard Saab were looking to either use the current MINI platform when BMW replace that car, and collaborate on the engines, or collaborate with BMW to use the new MINI platform for the 9-1.

I may have the facts jumbled up, but it was something along those lines.

I guess Saabs main priority is to survive long enough to be able to do a 9-1 at all!!!! 

1637

Saab in the news / Saab plans to restart production August 9

« on: 08 July 2011, 07:26:22 AM »

Saab plans to restart production August 9
Automaker gets Sweden's OK for crucial property deal
Douglas A. Bolduc
Automotive News Europe | July 7, 2011 14:59 CET

Saab owner Swedish Automobile NV said today that the struggling automaker aims to restart production at its Trollhaetten plant on Aug. 9. The news follows the Swedish government's approval of Swedish Automobile's request to sell part of Saab's property unit to a consortium of Swedish real estate investors, the company said in a release. The European Investment Bank approved the property deal on Tuesday.

Swedish Automobile, formerly known as Spyker Cars NV, last week signed a 28 million euro ($40 million) deal to sell 50.1 percent of Saab's property unit, Saab Property AB, to a consortium of investors led by Hemfosa Fastigheter as part of efforts to ease its cash crunch.

Saab will get about 22.5 million euros at the closing of the deal, which is expected to happen today. The rest will be in the form of a bond. The consortium is allowed to boost its investment to 33 million euros within 30 days of the deal's closing, according to the release.

Saab and Swedish Automobile say they have been able to raise about 61 million euros in "additional funding commitments" over the past few weeks.

Saab continues to negotiate with its suppliers to get them to resume deliveries. Saab said today that it is targeting Aug. 9 as the start date because its suppliers "require a longer lead time to resume adequate supplies" and to take into consideration summer shutdowns at many of the component makers.

1638

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Whatever happened to V4 engines?

« on: 06 July 2011, 11:05:46 PM »

Back in the 1960s and 70s the V4 engine was fairly common finding itself in things like Ford Corsairs and Transits as well as Saabs.

These days, V6 and V8 engines are commonplace, and you would think that a V4 would be easy to make if you are already producing 6 and 8 cylinder versions.

So where are they? Does anyone still offer one? I suspect the manufacturing cost of a V4 versus a straight 4 is probably behind why no one seems to bother with them,  but then again, there are flat 4s etc.

 

1639

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Can one get data off a dead mobile phone?

« on: 06 July 2011, 10:57:22 PM »

My wifes old Samsung mobile phone stared to get a bit flakey last week with regards to getting a signal. Then one day it went off and we haven't been able to power it on again. :-o

Does anyone know if it is possible to retrieve data from a phone that appears to have gone wrong in this way, or is it completely knackered?

1640

Customer Service Desk / Re: "Saab News" section

« on: 05 July 2011, 11:51:20 AM »

Well how about that!!!

What a lightning quick response!!!! :-D

Drinks all round ;-) :-D

1641

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Where are we all from?

« on: 05 July 2011, 09:30:15 AM »

Leamington Spa since 1997, but originally from London ;-)

1642

Saab in the news / Saab aims to develop new models if Pang Da and Youngman investment approved

« on: 05 July 2011, 09:29:17 AM »

SWEDEN: Saab aims to develop new models if Pang Da and Youngman investment approved

4 July 2011 | By: just-auto.com editorial team

Swedish Automobile (SWAN) and Saab said today (4 July) they will develop three new models if approval for investment passes regulatory and other third party evaluations.

Saab announced the signing of final agreements with Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman to convert the non-binding MOU relating to equity investment into binding agreements.

A conditional agreement with Youngman Passenger Car Group was also inked for the formation of a Sweden-based joint venture company to develop three new product Saab models (NPJV).

The non-binding MOU announced on 13 June between SWAN, Saab Automobile, Pang Da and Youngman in terms of which Pang Da and Youngman will make an equity investment in the total aggregate amount of EUR245m (US$356m) in SWAN, have now been incorporated in binding agreements.

The parties are also working towards binding agreements for a strategic alliance consisting of a tripartite distribution joint venture and a tripartite manufacturing joint venture for Saab-branded and child brand vehicles in China, with the deals subject to approval from relevant authorities.

The Swedish automaker added the agreements would allow for the return of Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov as a shareholder/financier of SWAN and Saab Automobile, although the manufacturer added this would be "as soon as the parties at interest have cleared him."

The Swedish National Debt Office has previously said it would allow Antonov to take a stake in Saab, but any deal has yet to be approved by the European Investment Bank.

The NPJV will be 50%-owned by Saab and 50% by Youngman Passenger Car and will allow for expansion of the Saab product portfolio with three models, which until now have not formed part of Saab's current and future product line up.

As such the NPJV will focus on developing three completely new Saab vehicles: the Saab '9-1', Saab '9-6' and Saab '9-7'.

Within the development process of these three new vehicle lines, Saab will be responsible for controlling and managing the design, development and testing process to the start of production and providing other necessary technical and quality control support.

For this, Saab will source existing capabilities and expertise from its technical development department in Trollhättan. Youngman will be responsible for providing the necessary financial investments in the joint venture. The agreement on NPJV is also subject to approval from relevant authorities.

"I am pleased to announce the signing of binding agreements [subject to obtaining regulatory approvals] with Pang Da and Youngman, as it underlines the confidence of all parties in a successful tripartite partnership," said SWAN and Saab CEO Victor Muller.

"Establishing the New Product Joint Venture is a major step for both Saab and Youngman and marks the start of an exciting new partnership. This joint venture offers Saab Automobile the opportunity to develop models that were not envisaged nor funded in our original business plan: for instance, we will now be able to develop a small entry level Saab, a car that has long been on the top of our wish list."

For his part Youngman CEO Pang Qingnian added: "The Saab '9-6X' and Saab '9-7' will be key to enhancing the prestige of the Saab brand to an even larger group of customers in China and the US, while the entry level Saab '9-1' will appeal to urban motorists around the globe."

© 2011 All content copyright just-auto.com.

1643

Customer Service Desk / "Saab News" section

« on: 05 July 2011, 09:26:50 AM »

Is it worth having a dedicated "Saab News" forum where news articles and magazines/online revies etc can be posted?

1644

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: What car would you have if it wasn't a Saab?

« on: 30 June 2011, 12:13:56 PM »

Hopefully Saab will do better than Rover!  At least GM let them keep the new products.  BMW pinched the Mini and sold the rest.  If Vladimir Antonov gets on board (and he is as clean as they say), I think there's a good chance of survival.

Very true - Saab have the brand new 9-5 and 9-4X, so those should have a shelf life of at least 5 years, or longer with a mid term facelift. The 9-3 is apparently close to replacement, and then there is Victor Mullers baby, the 9-2 or whatever he wanted to call it.

In Rovers case, the Phoenix 4 were scapegoats, it was BMW that ensured Rover couldn't survive in the long term. BMW kept the Mini, the R30 (replacement for Rover 25/45) development plans, the Powertrain operation (initially), Swindon body and pressings plant, and the Rover brand itself, and then gave the engineering capability to Ford as part of the sale of Land Rover.

By comparison, Saab is relatively intact, and should be in a better position.....but.......Saabs money seems to have run out within a year :-o

1645

Customer Service Desk / New forum required? Saab 600??

« on: 29 June 2011, 11:10:33 PM »

Here's an oddity I have stumbled across, I bet there aren't many of these left!!!!!

http://www.saabhistory.com/2008/12/01/the-saab-600-1980-1982/

Should we create a separate section for Saab 600 owners? 

1646

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: The 9-5 Mk2 that never was...

« on: 29 June 2011, 11:08:50 PM »

I've just found this link:
http://www.saabhistory.com/category/9-5/page/3/

It seems 2005 might be a bit optimistic, it looks like GM shelved it all in 2002.....so maybe the car wasn't even off the drawing board :-o

1647

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / The 9-5 Mk2 that never was...

« on: 29 June 2011, 10:56:23 PM »

Apparently, I read somewhere that Saab had a new 9-5 engineered and ready for production around 2005, but for some reason GM aborted the whole thing. It used a GM platform, and I am not sure why GM would pull the plug at such a late stage (although they nearly did with the 9-5 that has just come out too :-o ).

Instead the Dame Edna facelift emerged, and Saab faced the same "aging product" jibes in the press that haunted MG Rover.

Well, if this stillborn 9-5 Mk2 did exist, are there any pictures of it anywhere? Does it look like the original, or like the new one?

I can't for the life of me remember where I read about the 2005 "new" 9-5, and am struggling to find any info on it at all :-o

1648

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: When did new cars get so expensive?

« on: 29 June 2011, 10:26:55 AM »

This has puzzled me for a while - new car prices have been creaping up more and more over the years.

My Dad bought a Mk Fiesta 1.1L with brown vinyl roof, metallic paint, cloth seats and rear wash wipe in 1977 for £2000.

In 1983 he bought a 1.6L Sierra with metallic paint, auto box and cloth seats for about £5000.

Around 1986 he bought a 2 year old Escort 1.3L 5 door, cloth seats, 4 speaker stereo for about £5000 again.

He had 3 further Escorts after this, of which I can only remember the price of the last one in 1998 - 1.6 Finesse 5 door, metallic paint, electric front windows, aircon, alloy wheels - £11,500. If Focuses are now over £15k new, how is anyone supposed to afford a new car?

I am seeing more and more Citroen C1s/Peugeot 107s/Toyota Aygos one very late plates on the road now, and they sell for between £6000 - £9000 for a small city car with a 3 cylinder 1 Ltr engine and in some cases aircon, metallic paint, electric windows and alloys :-)

How anyone can afford anything else, god only knows!!!!!

And as someone who works at Land Rover, the cheapest Freelander starts around £22000 I think. Needless to say, I don't drive one myself!!!!!

1649

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Some good news - much needed cashflow

« on: 29 June 2011, 07:37:40 AM »

MG Rover sold the Longbridge site to St Modwen about a year before they went under, in order to release funds. That is why the prospect of Saab doing the same thing with Trollhatten is somewhat ominous - they have already sold the rights to the old 9-3 and 9-5 to the Chinese, and I am not sure what the IP situation is with regard to the current 9-3, new 9-5 and 9-4X is. Are these owned by GM?

MG Rover were selling various assets to help keep the business going, and their cash flow was apparently horrendous - Saabs sounds very similar :-o

Interestingly enough, St Modwen seem to have been there ready to buy the land whenever a midlands car site was shut in recent years. I believe (not confirmed though) that they also got Browns Lane, and Peugeots Stoke and  Ryton Plants too. Well after all, you can't have too many houses and empty light industrial units, eh? :-o

The Peugeot plant at Ryton is now just a massive open spave with a pile of bricks on it, the Peugeot Stoke plant has been bulldozed with a little bit rebuilt to house the training and parts operations, the rest is....houses and light industrial units........Longbridge has been largely demolished with the exception of the assembly end of the site which is leased to the Chinese, the rest has....errr.....light industrial units, and a new college is supposed to be going on, no doubt accompanied by the obligatory supermarket :-o

1650

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: So you win £117m on the Euromillions tonight - what would be in your garage?

« on: 29 June 2011, 07:29:34 AM »

Interesting, but I fear despite a potential big win on the lotto, my garage would still be filled with tonnes of the wife and kids stuff, with any of my stuff relagated to the very back so that I couldn't get to it!!!!!!

And there was me thinking that the garage was supposed to be "my space" ha ha ha

:-D