A delegation from the Swedish government is to meet with General Motors executives in the US next week to discuss the future of the company’s loss-making Saab unit, Sweden’s national news agency reported.
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Representatives from Sweden’s finance and industry ministries will meet in Detroit with GM and will also take the opportunity to discuss the future of Volvo with its parent company, Ford.
State secretary Joran Hagglund told the news agency: “”As we understand it, GM has not closed the door to a sale (of Saab), even if the official line is a wind-down. We want to make totally sure they (GM) have all the information they need.”
A proposed sale of Saab to Swedish sportscar maker Koenigsegg collapsed in November while a further bid before Christmas by Dutch sports car maker Spyker Cars also fell through and GM announced a wind-down of Saab’s manufacturing operations.
However Spyker has since put in a new offer and has said GM has set a deadline of tomorrow (7 January) for bids.
Saab, which GM has controlled since 1989, posted a loss of US$340m in 2008 and is expected to have made a similar loss last year.
Spyker’s CEO, Victor Muller, has said there are multiple parties still interested in buying Saab, which employs over 3,000 workers in Sweden.
A small number of US Saab owners staged a good-natured protest outside General Motors’ Renaissance Centre headquarters in Detroit on Tuesday as the GM board met. ‘Save Saab’ placards were held up in a neighbouring car park in the hope directors would see them.
