Saab is back

[UtwigMU]

Saab to resume making cars in Sweden

Saab will restart production on Monday as the firm's new owners look to get the carmaker back on track.

Saab went bankrupt in December 2011 and was bought by a Chinese-Swedish investment group, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs), last year.

The carmaker will restart production of its 9-3 sedan model at its Trollhattan factory in western Sweden.

The firm will initially make a petrol-powered version of the car with the aim of launching an electric version later.

"It's very similar, you can't change or develop very much in a year. We acquired the assets in August last year," Mikael Oestlund, a spokesman for Nevs was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

"Our focus has been to get the co-operation up and running with 400 suppliers and ensure the facilities were working."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25180698

Good news, I like Saab.

[Umfriend]

Why won't it die already. There are many nice cars and there simply is no place for many small manufacturers.

[UtwigMU]

Why won't it die already. There are many nice cars and there simply is no place for many small manufacturers.

I'd disagree on small manufacturers. Not all small ones can remain independent but there are presently more brand revivals and new brands than before.

Nissan bringing back the Datsun brand.
All UK brands (Rolls, Bentley, Rover, MG, Lotus, Mclaren, Caterham, Morgan) except TVR and Bristol survived.

In Italy all Fiat owned brands are alive with Pagani founded in 1992, Lambo doing ok under VW
Bugatti revived

Then Spyker, Koeniggsegg...

Tesla in USA

In Russia they plan to revive ZIL presidential limo.

I think globalization, long tail and new manufacturing techniques will allow for more and more diverse cars and brands than few decades ago. For example the VW MQB platform allows for more diverse cars being built (wheelbase...) than before.

[Umfriend]

Isn't Koeniggsegg a VW brand?
Spyker never made a dime and never will
Other than that, all brands, save ZIL you mention are either exclusive brands, mostly part large conglomorates, or brands that offer innovation. Saab is neither.

[VJ]

All UK brands (Rolls, Bentley, Rover, MG, Lotus, Mclaren, Caterham, Morgan) except TVR and Bristol survived.

Rolls = BMW ( link )
Bently = VW ( link )
Rover = bankrupt / dormant ( link )
MG = Nanjing ( link )
Lotus = Proton ( link )
Lamborghini = VW
Bugatti = VW

So it only leaves: Mclaren, Caterham and Morgan for British brands. And then Koeniggsegg...
Spyker = uncertain at the moment, but not looking good.

But there is also Gillet, Donkervoort, Wiesmann and some other small ones.

Tesla in USA: it is a different technology, so they make a gamble with electric cars. Fisker did the same but did not survive, and other manufacturers also have tried.

I think globalization, long tail and new manufacturing techniques will allow for more and more diverse cars and brands than few decades ago. For example the VW MQB platform allows for more diverse cars being built (wheelbase...) than before.

I actually thought for a moment it would go back to the old day of coach builders: car manufacturers offer a platform, and a coach builder builds the body and interior. This was moreso in the early days of cars, and even up to the sixties (e.g. Karmann building on a VW platform). There currently also is a coach builder for a BMW platform (basically, you buy a BMW, and they remove the body and put a whole new one - kind of expensive thing to do).

Isn't Koeniggsegg a VW brand?
Spyker never made a dime and never will
Other than that, all brands, save ZIL you mention are either exclusive brands, mostly part large conglomorates, or brands that offer innovation. Saab is neither.

I've always liked Saab. They have that sense of exclusivity and style, without the in-you-face presence of the German brands. But that is just my opinion.

[UtwigMU]

Probably it won't go back to independent coach builders but the new manufacturing techniques and platform sharing allow for more variety and some outright interesting and different cars are coming out even in small segments.

The problem with Saab was also that GM didn't know what to do with it. GM's brand management is terrible, their R&D is behind, and for example Opel is not doing to well either recently.

[Umfriend]

I've always liked Saab. They have that sense of exclusivity and style, without the in-you-face presence of the German brands. But that is just my opinion.

That may be but they can't demand a substantial premium.[/quote]

Probably it won't go back to independent coach builders but the new manufacturing techniques and platform sharing allow for more variety and some outright interesting and different cars are coming out even in small segments.

Either Saab needs to develop their own platform which requires huge expenditures against which they must either sell large volumes or demand substantial premiums or they need to find another party on whose platform they can build. I see neither as have a decent probability of succes.