Daily Auto News Saab Might Die, But 9-5 Might Live On
Daily Auto News
Several sources report that Saab’s future still hangs in the balance – but we shouldn’t expect to hear anything about it soon. Motor Trend explains, “According to Automotive News, who spoke with General Motors’ senior PR man Chris Preuss, the automaker plans no new announcements regarding the failing Swedish automaker.&rdquo.
Dutch automaker Spyker recently submitted a new offer to buy out the troubled brand. While the initial deal included a deadline, Spyker has now extended it indefinitely. “Still, GM has shown no signs that it is interested in the new offer, and is charging ahead with announced plans to shut the Saab brand down over the course of the next few months,” Motor Trend says.
There are still about 2,000 vehicles left at U.S. Saab dealers. But once that supply is exhausted – which may take a while considering that Saab only sold 371 vehicles in November – that may be the end for Saab.
Or will it?
According to Autoblog, a rumor first reported in Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri says that General Motors is “considering taking the recently competed but not-yet-on-sale 2010 Saab 9-5 and resuscitating it as a Buick for America.”
The survival of the redesigned 9-5 would probably make Saab aficionados quite happy. Autoblog says that the move “does make a bit of sense as the car is by all measures ready to go and it would be quite a waste to put it out to pasture before it ever sees the light of day.”
Left Lane News adds, “Considering the recent renaissance within the Buick brand already taking place with the new, edgier LaCrosse, Regal and upcoming Excelle sedans — the idea of a ‘radical’ Buick taking shape with lines true to the Saab heritage may not be so far fetched.”
Even if the 9-5 Buick doesn’t come to fruition, some Saab models will still live on through China’s Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co., which purchased the rights to build the current 9-5 and previous 9-3 sedans.
See how the 9-3 and 9-5 fare in our rankings. Plus, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.
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