FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[What's Burning?]

Or perhaps like the Mini brand, they could redux a 900 and enjoy great success distributing through another maker's channel.

[LewEngBridewell]

The company I work for uses Scanias. All the drivers that come up from the depots think they're great.

They do indeed seem to be very popular. The motorways are full of 'em!

[andrew]

The company I work for uses Scanias. All the drivers that come up from the depots think they're great.

They do indeed seem to be very popular. The motorways are full of 'em!

Many a Scania has got a good bit of wheel spin going up through the gears exiting my yard and flooring it down the service yard with an empty trailer.

[madbrad]

But the company's assets won't evaporate overnight. If the market for the product still exists, and provided some corporate raider doesn't buy them up to dispose of them in dribs and drabs, is there not still some slim chance a smaller, sleeker SAAB could emerge from the ashes?

To quote the same article:

"Though a theoretical chance remains for a new buyer to step in during the bankruptcy process, analysts said Saab's troubles underline how difficult it is for a small, niched carmaker to survive in today's competitive global market."

From that I assume survival requires someone(who GM approves) to buy them or provide the capital these people were supposed to. From what I gather, only a few days window is available for someone to do that. Methinks there's no one who wants to.

What I can't find an answer for is whether either GM or Muller will continue to own the trademark. With that, they or anyone who pays for the right can build a car, any car, and place the Saab badge on the hood. It's what happened with the Mini just as What's Burning said. A company would do that only if they thought it would make money, ie the name itself were expected to draw sufficient showroom traffic.

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Perhaps SAAB Aerospace will license them use of their trademark. Surely GM can't interfere with that.

[madbrad]

It's too bad Tony Fernandez didn't buy it.

[bud]

Perhaps SAAB Aerospace will license them use of their trademark. Surely GM can't interfere with that.

I don't know if they still own the licence to the Auto works.

[madbrad]

What's happening to their truck making division, Scania?

Sorry for the late reply, but Scania and Saab de-merged in 1995. And that wasn't SAAB Automobile, it was SAAB AB, who did not own SAAB Automobile anymore. SAAB AB had no more need to be associated with Scania since it was no longer in the car building business. Somewhere along the line Volvo ended up with 17% of Scania, but sold that to VW in 2000. Volkswagen owns some 70% of Scania today.

[madbrad]

Perhaps SAAB Aerospace will license them use of their trademark. Surely GM can't interfere with that.

I don't know if they still own the licence to the Auto works.

Saab AB lost any rights when it sold 51% of the car arm to GM in 1990.
The owner of the SAAB trademark you speak of is Swedish Automobile NV, formerly Spyker Cars NV.