What Should GM do with SAAB's 2010 9-5 Sedan and 9-4x SUV?
Unless you have been living under a rock, you've probably heard about GM's decision to close down its SAAB brand after it became clear that the Spyker deal could not be completed in reasonable time - or so the Detroit automaker claimed.
Some say, there's still some hope left for the once innovative and quirky Swedish brand as during the wind-down procedure, a savior might come forward and express interest in Saab as a whole or a part of the company.
There's even talk about a second life in China as GM could sell more Saab assets to BAIC or another domestic maker.
In any case, one of the first questions that arose after GM's decision, which, let's not forget, will leave several thousands of workers without a job, is what's going to happen with the production-ready 2010 9-5 sedan and the almost-ready 9-4x crossover?
Bear in mind that the premium sedan is based on GM's Epsilon 2 platform, also used on the Buick LaCrosse and Opel Insignia / 2011 Buick Regal, while the 9-4x shares its underpinnings with the new Cadillac SRX.
Officially, General Motors has not said what it will do with these two cars nor with the current 9-3s.
In what concerns the two new models, we can think of several options that GM may have including killing them off entirely, rebadging the cars under a different name and even selling the rights / assets to another automaker - although, common sense says that the last option is probably the least likely to happen for obvious competitive reasons.
So, here's the question we would like to ask you, our readers: What do you think General Motors should do with the new SAAB 9-5 sedan and 9-4x Crossover?
PS: The photoshoped 2010 SAAB 9-5 sedan with the Buick snout was made just to prettify the article
2010 SAAB 9-5 SEDAN
_____________________________________________________________________
SAAB 9-4X BIOPOWER CONCEPT
- Saab Auto's New Owner To Launch An Ev Based On The 9-3 By Early 2014, Will Initially Focus In China
Saab, the Swedish car brand that just refuses to die, will have a new pure-electric model based on the underpinnings of the 9-3 on the market by the end of 2013 or early 2014, according to the company's new owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden...
- Bs Of The Day: Gm Planning To Rebadge The 2010 Saab 9-5 As A Buick In The Usa
The folks over at Saabsunited were quick to pick up an article from Swedish business daily Dagen Industri claiming that, according to an unnamed inside source, GM will re-badge the 2010 SAAB 9-5 sedan as a Buick in the USA and use some of the tech on...
- Gm Sells Saab 9-3, Current 9-5 And Other Assets To China's Baic
It was confirmed today that General Motors has come to an agreement with Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd (BAIC) for the sale of certain key assets from SAAB. BAIC, China's fifth-largest automaker, bought the intellectual rights for Saab's...
- 2010 Saab 9-5 Sedan And Sportcombi: Official Illustrations?
A pair of allegedly official computer generated renderings showing the 2010 Saab 9-5 in both sedan and SportCombi (station-wagon) forms have found their way into the net through a dedicated Saab site. The author of the article on Saabsunited, Swade, supports...
- 2010 Saab 9-5: Clearest Spy Shots Yet Including First Peek Of The Interior
Finally, Saab seems to be getting closer to replacing its flagship sedan, the ageing 9-5 that is one of the oldest cars in the market as it has been around in its current form -albeit with several facelifts- since 1997. These latest spy photos are some...