The chairman of GM-owned Saab has been quoted as saying the troubled automaker, whcih filed for creditor protection in Swedish court this week, is still talking to the country’s government about a loan guarantee of EUR500m (US$637m).
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Jan-Ake Jonsson told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “We will continue our intensive discussions with the Swedish government in the coming days.”
He said the loan guarantee would be on condition the government approves the company’s restructuring plan, which includes concentrating all production at Trollhattan. The government also wanted reassurance any state money would not be transferred to General Motors.
He added that there were a “handful of parties” interested in buying Saab. These included both financial investors and other car companies.
Earlier this week, the Swedish prime minister said the government could guarantee a European Investment Bank loan to Saab if a new owner which could cover half the necessary financing emerges. The government has said it does not want to own Saab.
Saab needs around SKR500m a month just to keep running, Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has said, and billions of crowns more to invest in new models to make it competitive.
