Spyker-saab??

[IVR007]

Spykers interest in Saab brought a surge in the volume of searches for 'spyker' at google


For sure, brand-awareness here in Sweden has never been this big, but it's pretty serious business: Jobs and a sense of pride are at stake.

[Laviolette GT2R]

Spyker CEO: waarschijnlijk enige bieder op GM's Saab
15-12-2009 17:04
(Update van eerder gepubliceerd bericht 'Spyker CEO: waarschijnlijk enige bieder op GM's Saab' om reactie General Motors toe te voegen.)

Door Anna Marij van der Meulen en Ian Edmondson

Van DOW JONES NIEUWSDIENST

AMSTERDAM (Dow Jones)--Spyker Cars nv is nog steeds met General Motors (GM) in gesprek om Saab over te nemen, waarbij het onwaarschijnlijk is dat er nog andere partijen in de race zijn.

Dat meldt de producent van sportauto's dinsdag. "Ik kan niet bevestigen dat we de enige potentiele koper voor Saab zijn, maar het is denk ik onwaarschijnlijk dat er nog andere bieders over zijn", aldus bestuursvoorzitter Victor Muller van Spyker dinsdag tegen Dow Jones Nieuwsdienst.

De Zweedse staatssecretaris Joran Hagglund stelde dinsdag op de Zweedse radio dat GM werkt aan voltooiing van een overeenkomst voor het eind van het jaar, maar Hagglund wenste daar geen naam aan te koppelen.

"Er is e e n koper als belangrijkste alternatief voor het vorige maand afgehaakte consortium onder leiding van Koenigsegg Automotive", aldus Hagglund.

Ed Whitacre, interim chief executive officer van GM, bevestigde dinsdag dat Spyker de enig overgebleven bieder is op de Saab-onderdelen. "Ik hou mijn vingers gekruist", voegde hij toe.

Maandag maakte GM al de verkoop van sommige Saab-onderdelen bekend, waaronder intellectuele eigendomsrechten van sommige Saab 9-3 modellen, aan het Chinese Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co (BAIC).

Door Anna Marij van der Meulen en Ian Edmondson; Dow Jones Nieuwsdienst; +31 20 571 5200; anna.vandermeulen@dowjones.com


Link: - Het Financieele Dagblad

[IVR007]

(Spyker is the only bidder left for Saab)
This will probably make Saab bit cheaper again for Spyker/Convers ^^,

[amzamz]

"Saabs have a following because they were quirky. They were shaped like aircraft when most cars looked like sheds. They used two-stroke motors when popular prejudice ran in favour of four-. They had V4s when others had straight-fours. They were first with turbos. And they had their ignition switch on the floor when everyone else had it on the dash. Why? Who knows. Who cares. To be different was to be Saab."

source: Car Magazine, Dec 2nd, 2009 (by Gavin Green)

Doesn't this come in similar to Spyker's designs and attitude? The question is whether it is a recipe for success...

[amzamz]

"General Motors neutered Saab’s Scandinavian quirks, further prostituted its brand by applying it to a Chevy truck and a Subaru, and then went bankrupt. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could do worse than that."

source: Car Magazine, Sep 1st, 2009 (by Gavin Green)

It looks like Gavin Green has become my hero, at least, I enjoy the way he explains things!

[Swisstrader]

Originally Posted by IVR007

(Spyker is the only bidder left for Saab)
This will probably make Saab bit cheaper again for Spyker/Convers ^^,

They should give all of us as current Spyker owners a free Saab...I could use a decent winter car

[amzamz]

Originally Posted by Swisstrader

They should give all of us as current Spyker owners a free Saab...I could use a decent winter car

Count me in

[OnTheLam]

Aren't they taking orders for the Peking-to-Paris?

Now, there is a winter car!

[IVR007]

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Spyker Cars NV's plan to buy
General Motors Co.'s Saab unit hinges on the European
Investment Bank approving a loan before the end of December,
the Dutch luxury-car maker's chief executive officer said.

GM and Spyker are not the 'potential problem for this
transaction', Victor Muller said in a phone interview from his
home in Amsterdam today, adding that winning EIB support before
year-end is the biggest obstacle. So far, the European Union's
lending arm has sent 'neutral signals' on approving the 400
million-euro ($574 million) loan that is key to the sale and
which the Swedish government must guarantee, said Muller.

'It's mainly now down to the government agencies',
Muller said. 'That''s really the main issue. We are getting lots
of support from the Swedish government.'

Spyker, the maker of $235,000 sports cars, emerged as the
frontrunner to buy Saab this month after Koenigsegg Group
abandoned its bid on Nov. 24. GM Chief Executive Officer Ed
Whitacre said on Dec. 15 that the Detroit-based carmaker will
shut the unit if it doesn't reach a deal with Spyker by the end
of this month. GM has agreed to sell technology from Saab's 9-3
and 9-5 models to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.

Koenigsegg Canceled Acquisition

Koenigsegg Group canceled its planned acquisition of Saab,
saying it ran out of time because delays in closing the
acquisition had 'resulted in risks and uncertainties' that
prevented it from implementing a new business plan for the
Swedish carmaker. The EIB in August delayed a decision on
whether to give Saab a loan, which it eventually granted the
Trollhaettan, Sweden-based company on Oct. 21.

While the EIB approved the loan to Saab, the bank must now
re-evaluate the financing with Spyker as the new owner. The
Dutch carmaker is using Koenigsegg's business plan in its bid
and intends to keep Saab's management if it buys Saab, Muller
said.

'In October, the EIB approved the Koenigsegg deal, which
was exactly the same deal -- the same lender, same borrower and
the same business plan', Muller said. 'The only thing changed
is the shareholder, so they have to do due diligence on that'.

EIB Vice President Eva Srejber said that since 'this is a
change of ownership' then 'of course we need to analyze'.

The EIB is in contact with Saab, Spyker, GM and its
adviser Deutsche Bank AG and is 'working in close
cooperation' with Swedish authorities, she said. She declined
to comment on whether a decision would be made before the end
of the year.

Profitable by 2012

Saab was to become profitable by 2012 with annual sales of
at least 100,000 cars, according to Koenigsegg Group's business
plan in September.

Owning Saab would give Spyker access to a network of 1,100
dealers worldwide, Muller said. Spyker currently has 30
dealers. Spyker would also tap into Saab's engineering
resources and supplier network, which could cut costs for some
parts the Dutch company uses in its cars, he said.

From Saab's perspective, one advantage of having Spyker as
owner would be to promote the Swedish company's 'independent'
nature, Muller said. 'That's what's there to be gained for
Saab -- entrepreneurs at the board level', he said.

Zeewolde, Netherlands-based Spyker shares fell 1 cent, or
0.5 percent to 2.19 euros in Amsterdam trading. The stock has
gained 40 percent since the super-car maker was first reported
to be interested in Saab.

No deal will be signed with GM until the EIB has decided
on whether Saab can get the loan, Muller said. Spyker is also
waiting for the European Commission to decide whether potential
Swedish loan guarantees for the EIB funding distorts
competition and for the Swedish state to decide whether it will
give Saab the guarantees.

'Blatantly Clear'

'There is very little point in signing an agreement until
the time that the governmental agencies have approved the
transaction', Muller said. 'Everybody knows exactly what the
deadline is. There is no misunderstanding about that,' he
said, adding GM's CEO had been 'blatantly clear' about a Dec.
31 deadline.

Saab is likely to win European Commission approval for the
EIB loan, Johnny Kjellstroem, who is negotiating the case with
the European Union's regulatory arm on behalf of the Swedish
government, said last week. It's possible that the European
Commission will reach a decision this month, he said.

The EIB supports projects throughout the European Union
and borrows funds in the capital markets it then lends on to
companies under favorable terms, according to its Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Ola Kinnander in Stockholm at
okinnander@bloomberg.net ;
Source: Bloomberg

[OnTheLam]

Thanks for the update. This is fascinating!