GM buys remaining 50% of Saab: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20000111/ai_n10135025

It is deja vu to note that at the moment Saab is an a very similar position as it was when GM accquired the first half of it. It has one old car and one middle aged one. We have yet to actually see anything else.

1989 Announcenment of the sale of half of Saab: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDA173AF935A25751C1A96F948260

I personally think what is wrong with America Inc is that the whole gamut of businesses and plants is that they need to get ahead of the pack: take GM is an example. Someone said that GM can manufacture high-quality cars, but it neither makes the right kind nor markets them effectively. GM has taught us a lesson in how to effectively mess manage some of your international acquisitions. To quote from the FT – Last Word: “Saab is a perfect example of a niche, much-loved brand that General Motors could have used to launch a series of clever-looking and performing vehicles. Instead, they’ve left that territory wide open to Subaru to exploit.” [end of quote]. Tie this up to the comments elucidated in Part III of Swade’s interview with Eric Geers and everything seems to conjure images of a lost opportunity.

Ultimately, what is certainly for sure is that the current management has had their time and unfortunately, for them all, the proverbial hand-writing is on the wall: mene, mene, tekel, parsin -focusing on the Tekel part – “GM has been weighed in the balances and have been found deficient.”

Announcenment of the sale of half of Saab: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDA173AF935A25751C1A96F948260

It is interesting to note that at the moment, Saab is an a very similar position as it was when GM accquired the first half of it. It has one old car and one middle aged one. We have yet to actually see anything else.

It is also interesting to note that GM did not accquire the second half of Saab until it’s option had almost expired.

GM buys remainder of Saab: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20000111/ai_n10135025

Saab was very successful in the mid-eighties. But in 88-89, the situation rapidly got worse. I guess that the looming financial crises in Sweden was part of the problem, but also (as usual…) the model lineup. They had the 900 (a 10 year old sedan and hatchback) and the 9000 (a 4 year old sedan and hatchback). Déjà vu, anyone?

Also (but I only go from memories), the option for GM to buy the rest of Saab was penned later on, like 1995 or something. But I’m not sure. Anyone has the official company history regarding these “legal” matters? Can’t find anything at the Saab web site about this.