Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of engine components supplied by BMW to bankrupt Saab as the German automaker launched a lawsuit against Saab Automobile Parts for EUR2.6m (US$3.3m).
BMW has filed the lawsuit in Saab Parts’ home town of Nyköping, although the component supplier says it intends to contest the multi-million Euro complaint, insisting it is not liable for the goods as it has not received anything.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“We received the documents earlier today,” Saab Parts CEO, Lennart Stahl, told just-auto from Nyköping “It is likely we will contest the law suit. We have had some informal discussions prior to this – we thought our comments earlier were good enough but apparently not.
“I don’t know where the parts are – we have never got anything from BMW. We are not a sales company and there are no Saabs with BMW engines – I guess they [engines] are in Trollhattan. I guess they are the property of the receivers.”
In September, 2010, BMW said it had received a “a major order” from Spyker-owned Saab for petrol engines with deliveries starting in 2012.
Specifically this covered a 1.6 four cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine for a new Saab model series, although no financial or contract volume details were disclosed.
Nyköping District Court confirmed BMW had filed its EUR2.6m lawsuit, but if a preliminary hearing in October or November fails to resolve the matter, it would go forward for further evaluation.
“It is about delivered goods to different Saab companies,” Nyköping District Court chief judge, Magnus Widebeck, told just-auto from Sweden. “The goods have been delivered, that is what is stated by BMW.
“The problem is Saab Automobile in Trollhattan has been put in bankruptcy and that company cannot be sued for this money, therefore BMW seeks to file against a company not in bankruptcy.”
The chief judge added Saab Parts had not yet filed its response, but the Court had asked for an answer within three weeks.
BMW’s engine with start-stop and other measures was designed to reduce emissions as well as fuel consumption and was due to have been assembled at the automaker’s Hams Hall engine plant in the UK.
BMW earlier told just-auto it could neither “confirm or deny” the lawsuit, with Widebeck adding: “For the time being there will be written communication.”
