Ford sold Volvo in 2007 - before the big financial thingie. After the big financial thingie, a LOT of credit dried up, and a bunch of wealth simply evaporated into vapor.
Consequently, companies were willing to take risks with auto companies (and could find investors to go along with it) in 2007. By 2009, it was an entirely different world. Unemployment went way up, the amount of available money went way down.

Ford, to its discredit, hadn't integrated Volvo fully into its engineering structure. While that hurt profitability, it made it easier to sever.
GM finally got its act together around 2007 with Saab, but by then it was too late. With a small product line (much smaller than Volvo's), and a technology and parts base heavily intertwined with GM Europe, Saab wasn't that easy to split out.

Nobody big had the money for it in 2009 - car sales were down 30% from the year before. So a small company was given the run of the company. To make the sale for a small amount of money, GM maintained about 300 million in debt - an audacious amount for a company itself undergoing bankruptcy.

Fast forward to now, and there appear to be trust issues with some of the suitors of Saab. Maybe they're all they say and no more, maybe they will keep production in Sweden, maybe they'd unbolt everything they could and ship it to the world's largest car market. Nobody knows. That one of the companies involved used the word "Lotus" in their name in spite of the obvious trademark potential really ought to raise an eyebrow, IMO.

In a nutshell, that's what's going on.

posted by 76.251.86...

• Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, Mitch, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:06:59
  • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, Rob , Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:21:24
    • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, Dreadnought, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:50:05
  • Chinese makes GM Cars, so why not Saab, Mysaab, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:03:32
  • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, George K, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:44:18
    • Typical shortsighted GM management stupidity, nwas, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:18:34
    • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, Dreadnought, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:57:55
  • Because GM wanted Saab to die, nwas, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:09:28
    • GM wants Saab to die, rm, Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:40:21
    • +1, ChuckD , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:02:25
      • Re: +1, Justin VanAbrahams , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:21:47
        • GM's take on it, Sam, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:40:23
        • Re: +1, steve, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:19:16
  • Because Volvo sold for $2B and Saab for $70M, dmz789qqq, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:57:38
  • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, 50N40W, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:23:36 <-- Viewing This Message
    • integrated Volvo fully into its engineering structure, Trev, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 10:42:09
      • Re: integrated Volvo fully into its engineering structure, 50N40W, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:17:09
        • Re: integrated Volvo fully into its engineering structure, Dreadnought, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:47:26
    • Re: Ford sells Volvo to the Chinese but GM won't sell, ST, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:58:28
    • Lotus is likely a non-issue, steve, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:32:51
      • Why Wikipedia is an idiot website, Sam, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:37:54
        • another article on Youngman using the Lotus name, ryan , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:50:10
        • Wikipedia isn't the issue, steve, Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:04:14
          • by the way, ryan , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:47:23
          • umm, ryan , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:44:26
        • Hear, Hear, ryan , Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:42:19

No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.

• Prev by Date: Re: how can I avoid the funny characters?, steve, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:17:00
• Next by Date: Lotus is likely a non-issue, steve, Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:32:51
• Main General Bulletin Board

StateOfNine.com

SaabClub.com

Jak Stoll Performance

M Car Covers

Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)