[viagsjicguara]

Wow.

One GM brand has had even lower market share than Hummer, and that's Saab. And now it finds itself in the same position - under "strategic review." If no buyer is found, Sweden-based Saab will likely fade away.
Even including Europe, Saab sales are small for a parent company the size of GM. Its best year worldwide was 2006 when about 130,000 sold in the U.S. and Europe, a Saab spokesman said. By contrast, GM sold more than 300,000 Buicks in the U.S. alone that year.
GM is asking the Swedish government for financial help as it tries to find a buyer for Saab.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/...hanges/10.html


The Saturn brand has been amazingly resistant to success. After years of hard work, GM has finally admitted the car line has been "disappointing" and it is in discussion with its dealers about what's next.
For now, GM isn't planning to do anything with Saturn beyond the life-cycles of its current models. If no one steps forward wanting to take Saturn over when the models are done in 2011, the brand is done too.
Over the last few years, Saturn has had a complete makeover of its once drab line-up. The new cars are flashy-looking and mostly well-received by critics.
The Saturn Aura was even voted car-of-the-year by auto critics at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. When its close relative, the Chevrolet Malibu, received the same honor in 2008, its sales took off. But the Aura's sales never took off and fell even lower last year.
Part of the problem has to do with Saturn's "No haggle" pricing policy. In exchange for agreeing not to finagle on deals, Saturn dealers got big exclusive territories with many miles between them. But that means it's much harder to find a Saturn dealer than one who sells Chevrolets or Pontiacs.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/...changes/9.html

[SaraKonradtt]

Saab wont be able to survive on its own. There had massive losses before GM bought them so they could use Opel parts to save costs. And even then GM wasnt really making any money with Saab.

So, While I think Saab does build great looking cars I think every car maker that cant stand on its own legs should go bankrupt. I wouldnt give a dime to the car makers, whether they're German or American or whatever.

Maybe the world economy just doesnt have the jobs for all those people and the job market was living in a bubble too. And if I were a government I'd rather hand out all that money too unemployed people and projects for creating new jobs, rather than giving it to companies that still produce goods for the 20th century.

[Enjoymmsq]

Good riddance.

Over priced badge-engineered-Swedish-wierdness, and a line with absolutely no street cred and a terrible reputation.

What took so long?

[neotheMit]

As far as Saturn goes, the brand was once a big success, but the division had a unique culture/structure that GM could not resist interferring with, (and that other divisions were both jealous and afraid of)

As the interferance (and neglect) got more and more intrusive, the unique things that had given Saturns such a dedicated cult following disappeared into GM's general corporate sameness, and that was slowly the end of that.

Eventually Saturns became just another car, and GM has only itself to blame: for sticking with the old and comfortable and only giving lip-service to the new.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/bu.../04saturn.html

[FLOMOUSLY]

I like Saabs, genuinely good looking cars.

However considering they are basically just Vauxhalls they are very pricey.

If anyone has sat in a GM Saab the build really is just the same as a Vectra or whatever, why would people pay loads for that?

[lh88gFzI]

I wonder how many taxpayer bailouts these guys are gonna get. They way I see it even if the restructure ppl arent gonna buy cars on a grand scale, ppl DONT wanna spend money, they wanna save it.

**** how about the consumers get a bailout to pay off our debts...that way the banks get their money and ppl would be outta debt...sorta like a new slate, then we can go back to gettn in debt.

[enentique]

**** how about the consumers get a bailout to pay off our debts..

Because paying off debt doesn't stimulate the economy.

[lh88gFzI]

Because paying off debt doesn't stimulate the economy.

neither does giving billions to a failing company/organization when they use most of it for their bonuses and amenities.

and i disagree, paying off debt does stimulate the economy, banks get their $$ and thus they are able to lend out more of it to other banks and ppl and so forth

[blodwarttufla]

Saab would work a single car brand with very little variants and a very low advertising budget, so you only serve the few weird people that buy them but are very loyal to the Saab Brand.

[Bromymbollile]

Saab would work a single car brand with very little variants and a very low advertising budget, so you only serve the few weird people that buy them but are very loyal to the Saab Brand.

That would be my family and me, I grew up in Saabs from the 96, 99, and up through the 9000. Great cars in the day!

and always fun to drive... the whoosh of blowing by cars up hills and on the freeway never got old. The original sleeper car.

[enentique]

.

and i disagree, paying off debt does stimulate the economy, banks get their $$ and thus they are able to lend out more of it to other banks and ppl and so forth

The banks have received billions of dollars in bailout money, yet there is still a credit freeze. I think the United States and its inhabitants are finally realizing that we have all lived well beyond our means and relied on credit for far too long.