The sale of Saab could have failed due to disagreements between GM and BAIC

After the surprising news that Koenigsegg was abandoning its purchase of Saab from GM, Autoblog has echoed a very interesting rumour about the various unknowns surrounding the failed sale of the Swedish brand. For now, as we say, it is a rumour, but I find it interesting, since one of the reasons for the failed sale of Saab could lie in the frictions between GM and BAIC.

In the multi-million operation to buy Saab by Koenigsegg, there was another party involved: the Chinese manufacturer BAIC, which was going to finance Koenigsegg with the aim of becoming a minority partner in the new group and also continue manufacturing the previous-generation Saab 9-5 in China, a model that, despite its age, is still very valid for the Asian market and of a good standard.

But it seems that BAIC, in its very important position, began to demand more from GM, such as technology, patents, etc. This is something General Motors was not willing to accept, since it could become a problem in the future if the Chinese brand had access to GM technology. If we add to this cocktail of ingredients the fact that the time the operation was taking was working against Koenigsegg, and that it had little else it could do in this new situation, it becomes easier to understand why it abandoned the purchase of Saab.

As I mentioned at the beginning, and without any intention of being sensationalist, it is a rumour, but I found it very interesting. As for the future of Saab, nothing is known for now, the most negative forecasts point to the disappearance of the brand, but on the other hand let us remember that we were on the verge of seeing a restructuring plan for the brand; the situation is certainly complicated. The Swedish government itself is confident that GM has a Plan B for the brand and that it will not end up disappearing, which would be one more to add to the history of brands that GM has swallowed up (Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn).

Via | Autoblog en español