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A press release just came into my inbox, literally 1 minute before I started writing.
Here it is:
——
A conference call will be held on Tuesday, December 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET to provide an overview to media of the plan for long-term viability that General Motors submitted to the U.S. Congress. The call will conclude 60 minutes later at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET.
A copy of the plan and a press release will be posted on the GM media and investor sites at approximately 5 pm, as soon as it has been received by Congress.
Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and CEO, and Fritz Henderson, GM president and COO, will host the call. Participants can listen to the presentation live via conference call.
——
I’ll be at work and won’t be able to listen in, but a download of the plan will be made available, so I guess I’ll be looking for that.
——
I can’t remember a time in the last 4 years where US sales were only in three digits for the month. Maybe it happened once after the Employee Pricing sale in 2005, when they were giving cars away and dealers literally didn’t have any stock left.
For November 2008, SaabUSA sold 852 vehicles in total, down over 50% on the 2,003 vehicles sold during the same month last year.
There were 606 units of the 9-3 sold, down from 1,432 last year.
There were 111 units of the 9-5 sold, down from 261 last year.
There were 135 units of the 9-7x sold, down from 310 last year.
Saab sales were own by 57.5% over all for the month, and are down 32.6% so far for this year in the US.
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14 responses so far ↓
1 Dippen
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:33 am
ok Saab people…fasten your soul belts……
2 turbin
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:36 am
Yes Dippen, hope our collective airbags are functioning correctly.
3 ctm
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:37 am
I don’t find any reasonable rumors in the Swedish media at the moment, so I have given up hope… I’ll just wait until Swade gives me the bad news here at TS…
4 SaabKen
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:42 am
Buckling my seatbelt …….. holding my breath ……. barf bag nearby
5 Wulf (NW Michigan, USA)
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:49 am
This from Automotive News… Saab is for sale.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20081202/ANA02/812029978/1200
WASHINGTON — The General Motors of 2012 will have fewer brands and nameplates, thousands fewer dealers and employees, and much less debt on its balance sheet, under a restructuring plan GM gave Congress today.
GM will focus on its “core brands” of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, the plan says. GM will sell Saab, shrink Pontiac to a niche brand and consider selling or closing Saturn, GM President Fritz Henderson told reporters at a briefing today.
6 SaabKen
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:57 am
If true, then good riddance GM. Not sure if you really “get it” still with this plan.
Pontiac shrunken to a niche specialty brand ? It ALREADY is with mixed identity, low sales volumes that overlap performance of Chevy’s “Sport” models, and models like the G5 (wth ??)
“The number of GM nameplates would drop from 63 today to about 40 by 2012, Henderson added.” ………. SO 40 nameplates will all sell successfully ?!?!?
Still hanging on to GMC ?!?
Shutter Saturn
Bury Hummer
7 Martin
// Dec 3, 2008 at 6:57 am
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=827&docid=50755
“Market and Retail Operations – In the U.S., GM will focus its product development and marketing efforts on four core brands – Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Pontiac will be a specialty brand with reduced product offerings within the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel. Hummer has recently been put under strategic review, which includes the possible sale of the brand, and GM will immediately undertake a global strategic review of the Saab brand. As part of the plan, the company also will accelerate discussions with the Saturn retailers, consistent with their unique relationship, to explore alternatives for the Saturn brand.”
Saab is on sale…
better times are coming ….
8 turbin
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:01 am
Well I just wish Tesla wasn’t up sh$t creek, all-electric Saab 9-X Air anyone??
9 ctm
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:14 am
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac? What about Opel/Vauxhall?
10 jchan2
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:15 am
I think GM will put the Saturn dealer network on the block, then shutter the rest- anything remotely tied to the original Saturn (aka everything in Spring Hill) has already been successfully integrated into the rest of GM.
“exploring alternatives” does not mean closing doors- maybe a sale of the Saturn dealer network to Renault or a Chinese company is on the brink?
11 Dippen
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:22 am
same question here, what about Opel?
12 max
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:24 am
Sell Saab to who? Maybe Rick Wagoner will pony up the millions he’s not getting paid and invest in Saab…. On second thought I hope not….. Are there any real prospects for Saab?
13 Aeroman
// Dec 3, 2008 at 7:41 am
I don’t see how they can sell Saab? It is so integrated into GM it can’t be split out?
This release only really focuses on the US, is it likely that they will bin Saab in the US and keep t as a European brand and dump cadillac in Europe?
Vauxhall / Opel is a winner so that must stay surely!
14 joemama
// Dec 3, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Wait until you see the December sales now that Saab is up for sale.