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March 12, 2010
Thousands of drivers in Saab support road rally
Published: 18 Jan 10 08:05 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24434/20100118/
Dictionary tool Double click on a word to get a translation
More than 2,000 Saab drivers filled a several kilometre stretch of road in the Swedish automaker's home town on Sunday in a demonstration of support for the beloved brand in the face of a decision by owner General Motors (GM) to wind it down.
- Only one bidder for ailing Saab: report (17 Jan 10)
- Spyker chief: we've shown GM the money (13 Jan 10)
- Workers: 'Save Saab from Gangster Motors' (12 Jan 10)
Robertsson said both Saab employees and brand enthusiasts had attended the rally, in which drivers from Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Britain also took part.
Swedish news agency TT said the demonstration started at the Saab museum in its southwestern Swedish hometown of Trollhättan and ended at the Saab factory.
According to local police, the four kilometer stretch was entirely filled by Saab cars, TT reported.
General Motors announced on December 18 that it would wind down the brand which has barely turned a profit during two decades under GM ownership, but several groups have since made last-ditch bids for it.
They include Dutch sportscar maker Spyker, a group comprised of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and Luxembourg investment firm Genii Capital, and a Swedish group fronted by the former chief executive of German truck manufacturer MAN and a former politician.
Amid media reports that Spyker's was the only bid still being considered, Genii-Ecclestone negotiator Lars Carlström told AFP Sunday his group was still in the running to acquire Saab from GM.
Saab, which employs 3,400 people in Sweden, is one of four major brands being sold by GM as part of a massive restructuring that began in 2005 and accelerated last year when the largest US automaker went bankrupt.
Analysts have warned that some 8,000 jobs could be lost with Saab's closure.
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SAAB sales and/or a reasonable bid for the company could. Apparently neither of these have been manifested.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nikolay.rusanov2/SaveSaabBest#
Save Saab Rally - Moscow
http://photofile.ru/users/zigfried/3798579/all/
thank you for your answer, although I'm not used getting answers to rhetorical questions
Seriously mate, you can lay off with the negativity any time you like. We are all quite bored with your uninformative, non-constructive drivel.
Drive off into the distance in your Ford (design-free) Star and find something else to do with your life.
P.S. We are happily owners of a Lancia Ypsilon and a SAAB 95 SW TiD.
Perhaps the leadership at SAAB had something to do with it too. Maybe the fact that the Trollhattan plant was GM's least efficient plant globally had an impact? Maybe when SAAB sent GM's efficiency experts home with a SAAB boot print on their rear end, they were really giving themselves the boot? Perhaps SAAB is a niche brand that can not compete on its own. Maybe they are just too expensive for what you get? -- Too many superior cars in that price range to compete with. GM's management could have had an impact, but SAAB leadership does hold a great deal of the blame as well.