“Sir not appearing in this story.”

“Find your own road” was the US motto for SAAB Automobile from 1995 through 1997. It was often an unofficial battle cry by SAAB fans during these turmoils times in the last
few years.

A forward path for SAAB is still unknown, over a year after the official bankruptcy.
The equipment used to produce has been sold, but not the name. This, to me, echos the sentiment that Mahindra and Mahindra stated of their interest – that it was for the technology, rather than for any bit of an actual “SAAB”. There has been yet more speculation as to the new owner of the plant, NEVS, and even statements that they intend to build electric machines based upon the aging 9-3 platform.

Much as it has always been, this is still complete speculation, and there is little beyond. Even if NEVS does this, it is my feeling that what made SAAB – SAAB is all but completely gone. This proposal is not dissimilar in my mind to the BAIC releases
based upon last-generation cars, IF it happens. There are hints at what was there, but that sparkle, that drive, that true SAAB factor is no more.

This, in my mind, is what has caused this stagnation over the last few months, and to no
longer be relevant – SAAB is our passion. SAAB, however, in my mind, is no more. SAAB has endured many hardships in the past, but at this dark time, I feel it’s best to find my own road rather than wait for something to happen. I hope to see you there!

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

The proper means of which to ensure one’s electrical device utilized by several components of the vehicle is operating in a proper, cleansed environment.

Hello. My name is Simon Quinlank, and I am the King of Hobbies.

What you will need for this weeks hobby is:

• A standard bristle toothbrush of the medium or hard variety – SOFT IS NOT SUFFICIENT!
• A small bottle of Vinyl Shine
• A small round case of drill bits
• A handful of leaves
• A bottle of cleanser from a foreign country
• A flask of weak lemon drink

This weeks hobby is called “The proper means of which to ensure one’s electrical device utilized by several components of the vehicle is operating in a proper, cleansed environment.”

Firstly, you must find a car. If you do not have one, yourself, ensure to ask the person whose you intend to clean that you wish to use their vehicle, or just don’t tell them. If you decide to ask, you may do so like this:

“Hello, my name is Simon Quinlank, and I wish to use your car for the demonstratory purpose of detailing the battery. May I do so? ANSWER ME!”

Once you have your car, open the bonnet and locate the battery. The battery is the device with the large metal horseshoe devices attached with hoses that run from them.

This battery is so weak, look at how small the hoses are! It can not be properly circulating the juice!

Now, using your standard bristle toothbrush, apply a small bit of the foreign cleanser, and vigorously rub along the hoses clockwise to ensure they are warmed and will be ready to expand when the battery is properly cleansed. NO OTHER COMBINATION IS ACCEPTABLE!

When you are done, your battery will automatically turn sideways, and the hoses will appear to be missing. This is your key to cease cleansing them. You may drink your weak lemon drink now, or save it for later. Finally, apply the Vinyl Shine to the top of the battery in a counter-clockwise motion utilizing your drill bits.

When you are nearly done, the hoses will reappear. I should be telling you that they will be larger, and the horseshoes will enlarge in size. The leaves are then placed upon the battery to shade it from the light. You must ensure they are covering both sides of the battery!

Bye!

Copyright ©2012 by Simon Quinlank. All Rights Reserved.

What inaccurate news can do

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

So, BMW has, according to TTELA and others, once again denied the rumour of them being interested in Saab. Like they did from the very beginning, but back then they somehow failed to get that information out as the rumour didn’t die but kept spreading among bloggers, media and Saab fans.

Once again, hundreds or more Saab fans and former employees are devastated as the light of false hope made of amateur journalism and pure speculation was extinguished. Who takes responsibility? No one. Doesn’t seem like there are too many people left who know the meaning of this word. A word that was once filled with an essence of dignity and importance but now left like a piece of non-recyclable waste waiting for its final disposal in a bedrock made of ignorance and egoism.
For some people, the eagerness to find and report breaking news is obviously greater than the care and respect for the Saab workers. They have already lost their jobs and this is a difficult situation for them. Playing with their faith by reporting good news with little or no proof is not respectful.

Some people think it’s hate that make me write articles like this one. That makes me express an opinion different than the ones of some other Saab writers out there. They think that I, with hate as my weapon go to war to try to harm other people who care about Saab. Nothing could be more wrong. What drives me is love. Love for the only car maker I truly care about. Love is a mighty word and a power that will defeat anything. People have tried to attack me in various ways and the attacks all have one thing in common. They failed. You may dislike or hate me, but I will never hate other Saab fans even if they have opinions different than mine. That’s the way it is!

A seriously ill patient has no higher wish than to hear that he’s been cured. But if that information turns out to be false it doesn’t help him, then it’s more likely to make his already tragic situation even worse. Who thought that this would ever have to be explained?

Keeping faith and using it as a crutch for the soul in times of trouble is never wrong, but when the information given is invariably proven incorrect, the crutch breaks leaving its user at risk of losing balance and falling.

Copyright ©2012 by Lars Svensson. All Rights Reserved.

Not necessarily the news..

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

Sometimes, I question things. It’s a nasty habit, but my teachers were unable to get me to cease doing so after many years of indoctrination.

Let me start out this story with a “real world” citation. Amityville Horror. It was a horror (pulp) book which stated it was true, so many people initially believed it. It was later discovered to be a complete fabrication. This was a popular belief which still exists that it is true to this day, based in media, as it was for rampant speculation once more with Tata bidding for SAAB.

While amusing, and hopeful, the biggest issue of taking something given at more than face value as fact is that it spirals into a state of being ‘truth’ in the mind of the reader, which supports both sides, even when it is eventually admitted to be incorrect.

I can see how it may be exciting to be able to share this information: To provide hope even while the future appears bleak, even if it is incorrect. However, we are not leading troops into a surely outmatched war: We’re just trying to report the news.

We can attempt to discourage this behavior with facts, but we will not attempt to force them to be accepted – it’s up to the discerning party to decide if they choose to believe the story laid out before them. These hypocrisies are within plain view, but nobody chooses to acknowledge it.

Tata publicly stated that they are not interested in SAAB. You’re more than welcome to disagree with my hypothesis – I offer only this as my advice, as I believe that history tends to repeat itself.

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

saab philosophy, philosophy, Tata, giggity, saab, emperors new clothes

Peace in the Saab world – at any price?

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

 

As you probably know, there has been some turbulence in the so called Saab community lately. It caused me to take a time out which I hereby declare as ended. The wind has now fallen and the waves on the ocean on which the Saab fans are sailing are now hardly perceptible. Statements about the importance of peace and unity have been made by various writers in the Saab world. A noble thought and I truly believe that it is based on the best of intentions.

Even the shiniest, most beautiful coin does however have not only one but two sides. The one most people want to look at, and wants everybody else to look at is the one I’ve already mentioned. Shiny and golden, maybe with a portrait of Sixten Sason on it. The other side is not as shiny, but the trained eye can see that it does have an importance that has to be taken seriously to avoid hidden dangers.
Whoever asks for peace in the Saab community always, forever and at any price also asks for passivity. Passivity was not what made Britain great. No one has ever been awarded a prize for being passive. Passivity will also never lead to profitability. If every statement made about Saab is allowed to stand uncontradicted, unchallenged and untested for the sake of maintaining peace it will lead to a lower quality and decreased relevance. How valuable is it to be the world’s fastest runner on the distance of 36 meters when no other runners are competing at this distance? For the Saab community to be useful, strong and alive it has to move. Most of the time the movement will be smooth and gentle but our community must be allowed to rear like a wild horse when there is reason for it to do so. A community that does not move at all is dead.
How entertaining would the German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger be if he entered Allianz Arena in Munich for a game of football without an opposing team? Who would be able to see his brilliance? Why would he even make an attempt to show it?

Whoever has the competence required for what they do and knows it does not fear opposition. Opposition is the spark plugs of the engine we refer to as the Saab community. The fuel is not petrol or diesel but passion, that has to be ignited to be able to lead to a movement forward.
I’m aware of that some people will read this as an attempt to cause aggression and conflicts. Some people will want to read it that way to be able to criticise me. You are welcome to do that but I want you to know that I write this from my heart with Saab’s best interest in mind. I will not cause conflicts just for the sake of causing conflicts. But I will also not remain silent when I disagree with what is being said. Whoever chooses to do so is not contributing to the work to support Saab. Avoiding a battle is just a less honourable way of losing it.

Copyright ©2012 by Lars Svensson. All Rights Reserved.

“North Street Capital was not real,” according to Victor Muller.

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

While not 100% SAAB related at this junction, it still pertains to the twists and turns within SAAB.

The U.S. private equity fund that would buy the Spyker sports car business from Saab Automobile’s former holding company Swan is now out of the picture. “North Street Capital was not real,” writes former Saab chief Victor Muller in a text message.

With the SAAB bankruptcy, Victor Muller is essentially left with an empty holding company – Swedish Automobile, or SWAN. But Spyker sports car is still under Swans roof.

In late September, Victor Muller introduced a plan to sell Spyker to U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital for 32 million euro, which is more than 282 million krona.

“Our business is safe,” said Alex Mascioli, a racing driver behind “North Street Capital”, when referring to NSC mid-October.

In November, at the height of Saab Crisis, Victor Muller told that Spykers’ deal with North Street Capital would be completed before the year end.

Near the end of October, this company up as a potential savior of Saab. A rights offering of 70 million krona and a loan of nearly 400 million krona to Saab would be guided by the reconstruction.

Guy Lofalk did not accept this deal, and chose to discontinue the reconstruction. “There is no money we have seen,” said of the promised funding from the North Street Capital.

Now it seems Victor Muller have reached the same conclusion about the U.S. venture capital firm.

But is North Street Capital is still in the process of buying Spyker?

“North Street Capital was not real,” replies Victor Muller, “This means they pretended to make a deal, but in fact they could not at all that. They could not provide credible evidence of assets.”

In mid-January, all SWAN directors left, except Victor Muller himself. There were differences of opinion about the Swan would be financed, according to their press release.

Talks about a sale of Spyker continues; yet another option is to retain Spyker in SWAN, and “expand the business through acquisitions,” according to the press release.

Source: DI.SE

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

SCNA (Officially Chapter 11), Hires restructuring chief.

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

SAAB Cars North America Inc (SCNA) has not opposed the involuntary bankruptcy petition and was inducted into Chapter 11 by a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Delaware. The involuntary petition was filed back on Jan. 30 by 40 Saab dealers.

As its first official act, SAAB Cars filed papers for permission to hire James V. McTevia as chief restructuring officer. He will be charged with selling the assets and winding down operations.

SAAB Cars is the U.S. subsidiary of the bankrupt Swedish automaker SAAB Automobile AB. The parent company, SAAB Automobile AB, filed for bankruptcy in Sweden in December.

While the above article is somewhat oblique, I would like to remind folks that this petition is for claims exceeding $1.230 million, stating that SNCA owes them remunerations related to “unpaid warranty and incentive reimbursement and related obligations.” Surely 1.2 million would have been more than paid for if the auction was handled properly..

Source: Bloomberg

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

Detroit AAM acquires full ownership of e-AAM..

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

Detroit, Michigan, February 29, 2012– American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) today announced that it has acquired full ownership of e-AAM Driveline Systems AB (e-AAM) in Trollhättan, Sweden. e-AAM, previously a joint venture between AAM and Saab Automobile AB (Saab), was created to provide customers around the globe with innovative solutions for electric driveline systems including electric all-wheel-drive (eAWD), plug-in hybrids, and full electric vehicles.

Under the purchase agreement, Saab’s bankruptcy estate has sold its minority stake in the joint venture to AAM. e-AAM is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAM. This transaction gives AAM full control of the operation that will continue the full scope of engineering, developing and commercializing the full range of electric driveline technology systems for passenger cars and crossover vehicles.

“AAM remains totally committed to e-AAM”, said AAM President & Chief Operating Officer, David C. Dauch. “As a wholly owned entity, we now have greater flexibility to support e-AAM’s customers without limitations. We are pleased with the progress we are making in this new and emerging driveline technology, and expect to play a leading role in this important new product segment.”

Source: Reuters.

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

Volvo confirms interest, but not bid for SAAB

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

Volvo has previously stated interest in parts of Saab’s bankruptcy. Some sources are claiming that Volvo has placed a bid.

“It’s up to the administrators to comment on bids,” states Per-Ake Froberg, Volvo’s Media Relations Manager.

He confirms that Volvo is still interested in SOME PARTS of the machinery and test equipment which would be used in Volvo’s own business and not to restart the Saab factory in Trollhattan.

Source: DI.SE

Copyright © 2012, by Shawn Holwegner. All Rights Reserved. Please do not republish without permission.

How most SAAB news is uncovered.

Please note that Our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

How the majority of SAAB news is discovered:

 

(With apologies to XKCD – Shawn).