There were conflicting reports today about Saab’s future under a proposed Chrysler-Fiat-GM Europe alliance.
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While the Financial Times reported Fiat plans to include Saab, currently under reorganisation, into the new car group, Saab itself told Reuters it was not in talks with Fiat about a takeover.
A Saab spokesman confirmed to the news agency comments by chief executive Jan-Ake Jonsson in a Swedish newspaper where he said the carmaker was not talking to Fiat, and that there were other serious buyers for Saab which was put up for sale earlier this year.
Eric Geers said Fiat was not among the 10 remaining potential suitors, which have visited Saab’s facilities over the past couple of weeks.
“We now have 10 very serious interested parties which have visited us in Trollhattan,” Geers told Reuters. “What will happen now … we will narrow these down, and we are counting on a close [of a deal] in June, or the beginning of summer.”
Fiat had said on Sunday it would also evaluate a merger of its auto group with GM’s European unit and the Swedish government said on Monday it had contact with Fiat regarding Saab a couple of weeks ago, but that nothing concrete had been decided.
