SWEDEN: "Dirty business" surrounds Saab bankruptcy claims FKG8 August 2012 | By: Simon WarburtonScandinavian auto suppliers association, FKG, claims it is sure there has been unspecified "dirty business" surrounding Saab's slow dive into bankruptcy.FKG's comments follow the 6 August announcement of a dramatic filing of a US$3bn lawsuit by former Saab owner, Spyker, against General Motors. GM has said it will "vigorously defend the company against these baseless allegations" at the hearing due to be held in the Detroit automaker's backyard in eastern Michigan.A chorus of voices is now starting to make itself heard on the other side of the Atlantic, that the case, headed by Spyker CEO, Victor Muller, will shed further light on the US manufacturer's huge reluctance to approve Chinese firm Youngman's takeover of Saab."I am sure there has been a lot of dirty or half dirty business behind this last year, what really happened there," FKG managing director, Fredrik Sidahl, told just-auto from Sweden. "Why did GM stick to their nose so hard and did not even listen to different proposals?"When they do this type of action, specifically [in] an American court, it is always big numbers, otherwise there would not be lawyers wanting to take on the case. Naturally, it is a percentage business."GM has not responded to calls from just-auto to its HQ in Detroit but did issue a strongly-worded rebuttal of Muller's claims earlier this week in which it confirmed its intention to fight the lawsuit."We have reviewed the complaint and it is completely without merit," said a GM statement. "We will vigorously defend the company against these baseless allegations."But despite GM's staunch defence, other voices are starting to make themselves heard, maintaining more detail could come to light."There are very strange things that happen," former European automotive supplier body, CLEPA CEO, Lars Holmqvist told just-auto yesterday (7 August). "I see some papers and emails that are very interesting regarding the action of GM. It is not going away."I suspect we have another scandal coming up. If this ball starts rolling, there will be more balls rolling."Sidahl - many of whose FKG members suffered "tremendous loss" with the demise of Saab, especially Tier 1 and 2 suppliers - added news of Spyker's lawsuit had not come totally out of the blue."It does not surprise me at all," said Sidhal "Whatever [Victor] Muller, Spyker and Saab tried, GM did everything to stop that. Of course he [Muller] is a bit annoyed - I think he is right."It is a sad, sad story. I think he has thought this over and turned every stone. He has worked [on] it for the last half year."Part of Spyker's ire has been provoked by what it sees as GM intransigence in its reluctance to allow Youngman to take control of Saab but the Detroit manufacturer insisted it had been open in its dialogue."We were very consistent and very honest in all of our discussions, that we could not support the sale or a structure that would result in a change of control," GM told just-auto the day following Saab's bankruptcy filing."The fact it [Youngman] was Chinese certainly did not help." Also the fact it was a distressed company selling to a potential new market entrant - our interest is in making any GM technology deployed benefits our shareholders."© 2012 All content copyright just-auto.com.
