Spyker Cars May Still Buy Saab from GM

There still may be a future for Swedish automaker Saab. Earlier today, Danish automaker Spyker Cars approached General Motors with an 11 point proposal to buy Saab, rather than let the American automaker shut down the brand forever.

Spyker CEO Victor R. Muller announced the new proposal, saying "We have made every effort to resolve the issues that were preventing the conclusion of this matter and we have asked GM and all other involved parties to seriously consider this offer." Now it is time to see if General Motors will take the ball and go home, or if this time they are serious about previously stated plans to sell Saab.

Since making the announcement that Saab would begin to be rolled down starting January, GM has come under fire from all sides. Swedes are understandably upset about GM's treatment of the brand. One Facebook user posted on General Motor's page that GM has done nothing with the brand, letting it essentially die on the vine. Others have posted similar rants on GM's page, venting frustration at what was once the world's largest automaker. General Motors is facing mounting criticism from Americans who are enraged over GM's federal bailout with taxpayer dollars and their current actions. These people are openly wondering how much the phasing out of Saab will cost, and what this cost will do to the plan GM has to pay back the federal bailout money. Chrysler has made plans to not pay back their bailout funds and now others fear GM may follow. Surely, many argue, GM could sell Saab for some money rather than spend money to close the Saab shop.

It is possible GM has been trying to play hardball. The announcement to close Saab forever may have been a calculated one, engineered to bring heat on Spyker Cars. If that is the plan, it has blown up like so many of GM's other engineering feats. First the electric car, now Saab - GM has not learned that killing cars does not make it more popular. Instead, such actions only fuel the fires of GM's negative public image at a time the automaker cannot afford many missteps.

Spyker Cars seems optimistic an arrangement with General Motor's can be reached. "We are very confident that our renewed offer will remove the impasse that was standing in the way of an agreement on Friday, and this would still allow us to conclude the deal prior to the expiry of the deadline originally set by GM of December 31st," said Muller. Muller even goes on to say the falling apart of the previous deal was "collective" instead of blaming the whole thing on GM. Spyker is being very gracious about the situation and obviously has serious interest in Saab. No doubt Spyker sees the high-performance Saab brand fitting in nicely with their own high-performance pursuits. Now the only question that remains is will GM play ball this time, or will they pout to the unsympathetic world yet again?

To read Spyker Car's press release, click here