GM mismanagement of Saab

[Steve McF]

https://www.saabplanet.com/gm-mismanagement-stolen-saab-tech-cancelled-dreams/

[Steve McF]

It's a sad state of affairs. But once you are part of a larger parent company, you no longer have control of your own destiny. I am particularly sceptical of large American manufacturers taking over European manufacturers.

Whilst GM were mucking about with Saab, Ford were mucking about with Jaguar. BMW had previously mucked about with Rover and Land Rover. What is apparent, is that these parent companies do not understand the companies they own, and meddle in the running and direction of those companies.

They force platform and technology sharing with inferior/incompatible other brands within the group, and then blame the brands when it doesn't work out. They 'technology strip' and asset strip these companies for their own ends, and then spit them out or sell them on.

[Audax]

You have to look at why Saab became part of a larger parent company in the first place, they didn't have the funds to run as an indepedent operation. Saab would have been dead in the 90's if GM hadn't have stepped in, if Saab could have been successful indepdently then GM wouldn't have needed to buy anything in the first place.

It's what I believe is the overall economics of the industry, realistically there's only space for a few large car companies on the planet. Over time as we go through financial growth and contraction, the contraction periods will kill off another of the big holding companies. I fully expect that in 50-100 years time that there will be basically 1 giant holding company for USA with a few brands, 1 giant holding company in Europe with a few brands, 1 giant holding company in China with a few brands and probably Toyota for Japan and SE Asia with a few brands and Tata doing the same in India. Everything under those companies will be shared parts bins and will be brand engineered.