Saab Files for Bankruptcy: What it Means to You

Saab filed for bankruptcy protection in Swedish court today. An official statement from GM says operations in the U.S. will continue normally as the brand begins a move toward becoming an independent entity, meaning it will no longer be a subsidiary of General Motors.

Swedish law doesn’t allow for bankruptcy protection unless “there is reasonable cause to assume that the purpose of the reorganization will be achieved.” That means the company should survive the reorganization process and is looking for both private investment and funds from the Swedish government in the new independent company. Saab spokesman Jan-Willem Vester said the move is a positive one.

“We’re excited because there is no longer uncertainty,” Vester said. “This brings clarity [to the company’s future].”

GM stated in documents filed with the U.S. Treasury Department that it expects the spinoff of Saab to be completed by Jan. 1, 2010.

There are 228 Saab dealers in the U.S.; 71 are stand-alone shops while the others share space with other brands, from both GM and other nameplates. Vester stood by the company’s statement that it plans to continue U.S. operations as always, including warranty work. The U.S. is the company’s single-largest car market.

GMC Envoy, Chevy TrailBlazer, Saab 9-7X Ending Run in December

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know it would be in time for Christmas. GM is closing its Moraine, Ohio, assembly plant Dec. 23. That’s where the GMC Envoy, Chevy TrailBlazer and Saab 9-7X SUVs are produced. The plant was expected to close in early 2009, but this sad new reality facing 1,100 workers moves the date up to 2008.

GM had already accelerated the closing of this and other plants, initially scheduled for the summer of 2010. The recent consumer shift from SUVs and trucks to smaller cars has made a gigantic impact on every automaker’s SUV plans. However, these three SUVs specifically were aging models that were not due for upgrading.

The TrailBlazer and the Blazer before it have been around since 1983. It seems 25 years of the line were enough.

GM to close Ohio SUV factory Dec. 23 (Detroit News)

Cadillac, Saab's Employee Pricing Discounts

Cadillac and Saab round out our GM employee pricing updates. The high-end nameplates don’t suffer from any lack of significant deals, particularly Cadillac, which sees larger and larger discounts as the model price stretches higher and higher. Conventional wisdom says if you have $100,000 to afford the XLR-V, you probably don’t need the $15,000 off that the employee discount grants … but who’s going to turn down $15,000, right?

The bread and butter for Cadillac, though, is its new CTS sedan, which we really like here at Cars.com. Discounts of roughly 10% should keep it selling well. Nearly $13,000 off an STS-V is also darn alluring to our muscle-car side.

A short list of available discounts is below. Be sure to check GM’s full list at its website, according to your zip code and the trim level you want.

First Drive: 2008 Saab 9-3, Saab 9-7X Aero

Saab surprised us at last week’s event, not with tremendous new offerings, but with slightly altered versions of existing models. Even more surprising was the fact that we were impressed by the cosmetically altered 9-3 sedan and wagon, and not so much by the powerful V-8 engine that was added to the new 9-7X Aero SUV.

2008 Saab 9-3

The 9-3’s svelte exterior and Euro-cockpit dashboard are all business, with plenty of straightforward controls and, improbably, an SUV-sized glove compartment. GM had a couple versions to test out; even with the base turbo four-cylinder and an automatic, the car moves about as quickly as an Acura TSX. The SportCombi wagon with the turbo V-6 and a manual transmission proved entertainingly quick, though the stick shift is a bit clunky for an entry-luxury car. Then again, you can’t have everything when your car starts five grand less than most competitors. — Kelsey Mays, Cars.com reviewer                     

Ch-Ch-Changes: 2008 Saab's 390 hp 9-7X Aero

In the latest instance of answering questions that nobody asked, GM has announced a high-powered version of its slow selling Saab 9-7X SUV. For 2008, Saab will offer a 9-7X Aero with the much-lauded 6-liter small-block V-8 from the Corvette, for the shopper out there who might be looking for such a thing. The problem is, there aren’t many shoppers for the Saab 9-7X period, let alone one that guzzles even more gas in today’s mileage conscious world.

The 9-7X is by far the worst selling GM SUV on the market. It managed to sell just 558 units last month. The more expensive, and more loathed by the public, Hummer H2 sold 825 units.

Will a high performance version of the 9-7X — which itself is little more than a Chevy Trailblazer disguised as a Saab — priced at $44,945 (not including $745 destination) help the flagging brand? We’ll have to wait until it hits dealers this fall to see if anyone’s buying.

Related
2007 Saab 9-7X Expert Review (Cars.com)
More Saab News (KickingTires)
More Forecast News (KickingTires)

Cars.com Review Wrap-Up

It’s been awhile since we posted a wrap-up of our recent expert car reviews from the Cars.com Research section. It must have been something to do with all those darn auto shows. Anyway, our staff wasn’t sitting on its laurels. Check out reviews of some of the newest vehicles on the market:

• 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550
• 2007 Saab 9-7X
• 2007 Ford Expedition
• 2007 Lincoln Navigator
• 2007 Ford Edge