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| Saab News |
BMW, Saab Said to Discuss Partnership to Build New Small Car
Bloomberg News
June 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Saab Automobile are discussing sharing parts and technology for a new small car the Swedish automaker wants to build, two people familiar with the matter said. A possible deal for BMW to provide Saab with engines, gear boxes and the platform for the Mini model is in the early stages and an announcement isn't imminent, the people said, declining to be identified because the negotiations are private. An agreement will take at least two months, one of them said. The parts and platform would be used to build a tear-drop shaped car, inspired by the Saab 92 model that was in production between 1949 and 1956. Saab, which Dutch supercar maker Spyker Cars NV bought from General Motors Co. in February, has spent the last three months restarting production and severing most of its GM ties. Spyker Chief Executive Officer Victor Muller said by phone today Saab is '�talking to various parties'� about sharing technology as a way to lower costs.
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Saab, BMW in talks to develop new 9-2 model-report
Reuters
June 11 (Reuters) - The chairman of Saab Automobile is in discussions with BMW in Germany to use its engines and transmissions in a new version of the 9-2 model, a Swedish daily reported, quoting an unnamed source. Victor Muller, chief executive of Spyker and Saab chairman, has said he is deep in talks with potential partners about procuring a platform for the '92', a revival of a tear-drop-shaped Saab model from 60 years ago. Dagens Industri reported on Friday that there were also plans for BMW to supply a diesel engine for Saab's city jeep 9-4X, which will be launched in the European market at the start of 2011. Contact has been made between Saab and BMW over the 9-2, which could be built on BMW's Mini platform, the paper reported. A meeting is scheduled to take place at the end of June. Spyker declined to comment and BMW said it would not comment specifically on the report.
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Saab, BMW may share parts for a new small car, sources say
Automotive News
MUNICH -- BMW AG and Saab are considering sharing parts and technology for a new small car the Swedish automaker wants to build, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. A possible deal for BMW to provide Saab with engines, transmissions and allow Saab to use BMW's platform is in the early stages and an announcement isn't imminent, the people said, declining to be identified because the negotiations are private. An agreement will take at least two months, one of them said. The parts and platform would be used to build a tear-drop shaped car, inspired by the Saab 92 model that was in production between 1949 and 1956.The partnership talks were first reported today in Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri. Saab, which Dutch supercar maker Spyker Cars NV bought from General Motors Co. in February, has spent the last three months restarting production and severing most of its GM ties.
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Muller will present vision for Saab at Europe congress
Automotive News
Victor Muller says he picked up the biggest bargain in the business this year when his company acquired Saab. Now the question is: What can he do with it? Muller used to run a little Dutch sports car company. Now he runs Spyker NV and Saab. When Spyker bought Saab in February, Muller inherited a legendary Swedish brand that got lost in General Motors Co.'s product portfolio. With Saab freed from GM, Muller promises to return the automaker to the good old days of devoted owners driving unique products. That means the likely return of a 92 -- not a GM and Subaru fusion called the 9-2X -- and expansion into other areas where Saab can be uniquely Saab again. Muller will share his vision for Saab's future at the Automotive News Europe Congress in Bilbao, Spain, on June 22-23.
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First Drive: 2010 Saab 9-5 proves being born from chaos builds character
Auto Blog
Chris Paukert
A funny thing happened on the way to bankruptcy court for General Motors. As part of a bid to have its red-stained slate wiped clean, it moved to divest itself of a number of brands in its bloated portfolio, with Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab all earmarked for sale or closure. However, only one brand inspired sufficient passion among both owners and those with the financial wherewithal to rescue it from GM's 'wind-down' apple polishers. Oddly enough, it was the tiny Swede that successfully swam out to the life raft. Saab, the marque with the smallest and oldest product lineup, lowest volume, and the poorest brand recognition among American consumers somehow found a way to survive. How, exactly, did this come to pass? For starters, unlike any other of GM's death-row divisions, owners and fans rallied in dozens of countries, urging anyone who listened to "Save Saab." Now, we're not naïve enough to think that a band of loyalists were all it took to change the course of automotive history, but it's telling that there were no pitchforks and torches '" or even a handful of picket signs '" produced over the axing of the other brands. Saab remains a seldom understood, much loved brand, and we know that the displays of unity from Saab's scorned faithful stoked the fire of unlikely suitor Victor Muller, CEO and owner of Spyker Cars, as his team waded through a stomach-churning series of negotiations. After watching from the sidelines while bids by other small automakers and investment groups fizzled, the Dutch businessman and his team eventually pried the battered brand away from GM '" but not before Saab had been partially liquidated.
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If it arrives, Saab 92 supermini will have hybrid option, cost "Mini plus 10 percent"
Auto Blog
Eric Loveday
Saab's been hard at work hyping the company's possible 92 supermini. Just a few days ago, we brought you the initial story where Saab chief executive officer Victor Muller talked about the 92 as a "super-cool" supermini that draws cues from the company's historic past. Now, a bunch of new details are emerging from the Saab camp. Here's the latest info coming down the pipeline. The decision to green light the 92 will be made within the next 100 days. If the 92 gets the go, a hybrid model will definitely be available. The design for the 92 is all but finalized, as are the specs and dimensions of the vehicle, though Saab's keeping this info under wraps. As Muller tells Autocar, the company targets 30,000 to 60,000 units per year at a price of "Mini plus 10 percent" with a release date of late 2013 or early 2014. Of course, all of this hinges on whether or not the vehicle gets the go-ahead from Saab, a decision that partially depends on the company's ability to find a partner for the 92 project. 100 days doesn't leave much time, but we're hoping a partner steps in and Saab gives the nod to the 92.
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Report: Saab looks to BMW for supermini 92 successor
Auto Blog Green
Eric Loveday
We've brought you reports on the Saab 92 supermini project before, which you can read here and here. The brief overview goes like this: Saab is reportedly working on a successor to the company's original 92, pictured above. The vehicle will slot in below the company's 9-3 in terms of both price and size. Saab's chairman Victor Muller noted that a hybrid will be part of the plans and we should expect to see the 92 sometime in 2013 or 2014. That is, if it gets the green light from the company and if a partner is found. That brings you up to date, but the latest news pouring in now suggests that Saab is in talks with BMW to partner on the 92 project. According to the report from Swedish daily Dagens Industri, Saab and BMW have made contact and are openly discussing a partnership on the 92 project with a formal meeting scheduled for the end of this month. The report suggests that the Saab 92 could be built on BMW's Mini platform. Reuters contacted both BMW and Saab for comment on the matter.
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The Trollhattan project: Rescuing Saab
Armed with new 9-5 sedan, quirky Swedish company tries for a comeback
MSNBC
Paul A. Eisenstein
There's a traffic jam down on the floor of the factory as dozens of newly completed sedans slowly nudge forward, waiting their turn for shipment to dealers around the world. Spyker Cars NV Chief Executive Officer Victor Muller has a bemused expression on his face as he looks down the line and does a quick mental count of all the new Saab 9-5s. '�That's more than we built all last year,'� he says, referring to Spyker, the little Dutch sports car company he revived beginning in 1999. Muller is thinking bigger numbers these days as the new owner of Saab, the Swedish car company that came within a hairsbreadth of failure early this year before being purchased by smaller Spyker. Founded shortly after World War II by a group of Scandinavian aircraft engineers, Saab has struggled from the very beginning, though the last 20 years of uncertainty were spent as a subsidiary of General Motors. The U.S. maker had hoped to profit from Saab's reputation for building quirky cars, turning it into a sort of brand counterpoint to its more traditional luxury brand, Cadillac. But Saab got caught up in the same so-called badge-engineering problem as the rest of GM, and its products ended up looking too much like everything else the company produced.
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Saab's Next 92
Edmund's Inside Line
TROLLHATTAN, Sweden - Saab is reportedly in talks with BMW about using the company's Mini hardware to underpin its new 92 small car. The deal could include the Mini platform as well as powertrains and electrical architecture, and it would significantly improve the chances that this new model will be joining the Saab range. The small, teardrop-shaped Mini competitor is top of Saab Chairman Victor Muller's new product wish list, but has yet to be financed or approved as part of the company's product plan. Muller said at last week's Saab 9-5 launch that a decision on a partner for the project would be announced 'in the next 100 days.' If the project goes ahead, Muller would like to see the car enter production in 2012 but expects 2014 to be more likely.
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Saab and BMW in Talks Over New Small Premium Model for Swedish Brand
Auto Guide
Colum Wood
Saab CEO Victor Muller has commented that his company is in talks with several other automakers over sharing technology for the new 92 model. Presumably this new platform would be the new BMW front-drive setup designed for the next-generation MINI and BMW 1 Series. As the Saab 92 would, however, be a competitor (thought a minor one) for the new MINI and 1 Series then it's possible that BMW is looking to sell Saab the current MINI underpinnings. In addition talks between Saab and BMW are reported to include a new small diesel engine that Saab would use to power its coming 9-4X midsize crossover.
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Video: 2010 Saab 9-5 gets workout on Swedish handling track
Auto Blog
For a while there, it seemed like the 2010 Saab 9-5 might have never seen the light of day. Thankfully, that worry has been wiped away, and we've now had our chance to experience the 9-5 firsthand in Gothenburg, Sweden. In this video, available after the jump, Saab's performance integration manager of vehicle dynamics, Stefan Rundquist, pilots the new sedan around a Swedish handling track, pointing out the different features that make the 9-5 an enjoyable steer (complete with moose test footage!). Maybe it's not the most interesting footage ever released '" "We have a high level of front-end grip... Um, we also have a very high level of rear-end grip..." '" but it's always nice to see a sporty sedan being put through its paces.
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Parts and technology sharing likely between BMW and Saab
SpeedLux.com
Bloomberg News in its columns has once again written about the possible sharing of parts and technology between BMW AG and Saab. They claim their information to be from two authentic sources. New about this joint collaboration had first been reported by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri. The sources requested anonymity as the discussions are yet at preliminary stages. The negotiations as of now stand where BMW would supply the requirements for Saab engines and transmissions. Saab on its part would use the BMW platforms for its cars. The source has indicated a time frame of two months for the negotiations to reach a deal after which there would be an official announcement to this effect. The shape of the car would in probability resemble that of a tear drop. The Saab 92 model that was produced between 1949 to 1956 was of a similar design and must be where the present designers are drawing their inspiration from.
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Saab in Talks with BMW about New 9-2
U.S. News Rankings & Reviews
Saab may have been rescued from oblivion, but it still has a long road back to prominence -- and it needs new models to get it there. Automobile writes, "It's no secret that Saab is hard at work on plans to reintroduce its 92, but it'll need some help before the car can be produced. The automaker is preparing to enter into talks with BMW to do just that." Bloomberg adds, "Saab would buy engines and gear boxes from BMW as well as the right to use BMW's Mini platform for the new 9-2 . . . BMW may also deliver a diesel engine for Saab's new 9-4X, which the automaker plans to start selling in Europe in 2011, Dagens Industri [ Swedish newspaper] said. BMW and Saab will hold a meeting at the end of this month, it said." Still, Saab hasn't been completely forthcoming about plans for a new model. Left Lane News reports that Saab spokesman Eric Geers told them, '�We are concentrating on the 9-5 and the 9-4X . . . A smaller Saab below the 9-3 is not in our business plan though it would be on our wish list.'� However, Left Lane News also point out, "Spyker chief Victor Muller has himself proudly shown illustrations of a sub-9-3 teardrop-shaped hatchback to numerous members of the media, including Leftlane. The smaller model, says Muller, would be essential in both returning Saab to its roots and expanding the brand's global output to the roughly 80,000 units it needs to be profitable."
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Muller: Next 92 won't be 'Saab-aru'
Car Tech Blog
TROLLHATTAN, Sweden--Saab Automobile AB is still four to five years away from producing a spiritual successor to the legendary 92 of the 1950s, but already the new entry-premium car will live by three rules: 1. It won't be a retro design 2. It won't be subjected to a design clinic 3. It won't be called the 9-2X. Under General Motors' ownership, Saab rebadged a Subaru Impreza and named the car the Saab 9-2X. That car was sold in 2005 and 2006. "I deliberately call it the 92 [ninety-two] because I don't like the [name] 9-2. It reminds me of the Saab-aru," Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars NV, said during a press event here. Spyker is Saab Automobile's Dutch owner. "The Saab-aru was the GM monster--not because it was a bad car but because it was nothing," Muller said. "It wasn't an overpriced Impreza or underpriced Saab. It was neither here nor there. That is the type of badge engineering that you will never, ever see at Saab."
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Saab 92 could share BMW / MINI platform
World Car Fans
Word is that BMW and Saab are in talks regarding possible cooperation when it comes to the upcoming Saab 92 mini car. Note the absence of a hyphen between the 9 and 2. That is part of the brand's new naming strategy for future models like the 93 and 94X. According to sources close to the matter, the two companies are discussing ways of sharing parts and technologies for such a car. It is said BMW would supply Saab with the MINI platform, engines and gearboxes for what will clearly be a competitive car. The inspiration for the baby 92 would be the teardrop-shaped car made between 1949 and 1956. It is expected to be about 10 percent bigger than the MINI.
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Video Saab hosts international media – 2 days in 2 minutes
Saabs United
(video Report)
Here's a taste of what I did last week -- a new video from Saab condensing both days of the media program into two minutes of video.
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