At the moment, Saab Automobile is still bankrupt and still without an owner. There have been more than few talks about some potential buyers and supposedly, one of them has made a move. According to reports, the Chinese company Youngman Lotus Automobile, who was one of the original potential buyers before the bankruptcy, has made an offer on Saab. They, along with Pang Da, made a couple of proposals to buy the brand but General Motors never once was satisfied and a buyout never happened. Thus, when the end finally happened, the receivers of the bankruptcy quickly began actively searching for the iconic and quirky company’s next parents.
According to an Automotive News article, Youngman has put a $446 million offer on Saab’s table. Their plan is to continue to build cars at the Trollhattan, Sweden assembly plant and turn them into a part of a new, global brand. If Youngman were to succeed in purchasing Saab, they still would have to deal with GM if they wanted to continue with the 2011-2012 line up. The only way to completely bypass the owners of the Theta-based 9-4X would be to start from scratch. Supposedly, representatives from both the Chinese and Swedish companies will meet in Beijing to further discuss details. Any outcome can right now be left to speculation. The rumor mill rages on even more as Semcon, a Swedish Engineering firm, has apparently put their name in the hat to become Saab’s next owners. Other bidders such as the Indian truck maker, Mahindra and Mahindra and the Turkish investment firm, Brightwell Holdings, are still in the game.
Source: Automotive News.com
