The GM dudes have been busy for the past week in Germany....trying to mend fences with Opel and the German government. Things haven't worked that well.
There was this 1-star press conference yesterday. The GM guy was gushing and acting like a hooker at a VFW convention....everything is working out and GM is surging ahead. He wanted everyone to know that the Kaiserslautern plant is to absolutely stay open....and to become a state-of-the-art complex....worldly development.....blah...blah....blah.
I sat there laughing. It was the crap you'd hear in Detroit and Newsweek would report it with a fantastic car in the background.
No one is truly believing much of anything that GM says.
Today, we learn that the Saab deal....a core part of GM in Europe.....has fallen through. The Saab guys.....losing money left and right because of the high cost of building the typical cars they make.....were supposed to be sold off to a Swedish company that makes luxury cars. This company....Koenigsegg.....is apparently backed by China's Beijing Automotive Industrial Holding Ltd (BAIC). It would be safe to say that BAIC has the real money in this deal and wants technology from SAAB. Apparently, the safe view of SAAB surviving is zero.
A basic word on SAABs....for those of you who've never driven the vehicle. It is a high-class car, with great handling in snow and ice. You can't find a single model for less than $25k....which tends to make this unaffordable for the common guy. In my entire village....there might be one. I worked with a guy who bought one....took out the rear seat entirely.....and basically had this huge tank-like vehicle with tons of room for taking cargo. The neat thing is that they make diesel versions and the car can last forever....but when it does break....where the heck do you get parts? Sweden?
So sit back and watch GM sweat in Europe.
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