Confirmed: Beijing Auto to build last-generation Saab 9-5 in China
11/09/2009, 10:27 AM
By Andrew Ganz
Last month, we reported that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation was planning to buy the tooling and rights to assemble Saab’s now-discontinued previous-generation 9-5 in China, and now the Chinese automaker has confirmed that it will begin production in about six months.
BAIC got the old 9-5 tooling in exchange for taking a small share in Koenigsegg, the Swedish supercar manufacturer that is planning to acquire Saab from General Motors. The Chinese company will produce the outgoing 9-5 after Saab launches its fully-redesigned, all-new model in April. It is unclear what Changes BAIC would make to the outgoing 9-5 to differentiate it from its Swedish-built predecessors.
The move is hardly uncommon; several Chinese automakers continue to produce models that were discontinued by North American and European automakers.
Saab says that it wants for BAIC to assemble its current production models in China soon in a joint venture as required by the Chinese government. The move would expand Saab’s global sales and would follow in the footsteps of Fiat, Mercedes-Benz and other manufacturers.
11/09, 10:45 AM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
Hopefully they go back a few years to produce the car before it got what my wife calls – the horrible chrome mascara treatment on the front end. The rest of the car may be old but it was always solid.
11/09, 10:45 AM
posted by:
Borat
it wasn’t top quality car being built in Sweden (or Finland), I wonder what future holds for it now.
11/09, 10:48 AM
posted by:
RaineMan
So… are they calling it the 9-Ching?
11/09, 10:59 AM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha good one!
11/09, 12:17 PM
posted by:
A4
The new and improved Chinese 9-5, all the blandness – quadruple the unreliability.
11/09, 1:10 PM
posted by:
2WheeledSpeed
You mean the Chinese didn’t just reverse engineer the 9-5 and build it anyways? Wow.
11/09, 2:34 PM
posted by:
SomeJerk
several Chinese automakers continue to produce models that were discontinued by North American and European automakers.
So can I buy a brand new 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP in China?
11/09, 3:05 PM
posted by:
spg900
As I’ve said before, this will be the safest car in China- even though it’s a 15 yr. old design. Wouldn’t want this to hit my Cherry !
11/09, 3:21 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Someone said this before, but how can there be 1.3 billion of them and apparently not one can come up with a f*cking original design of their own? Is it simply forbidden to have an original thought or did they poison their own long before they tried to poison the west?
11/09, 3:27 PM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
Sounds likes something that Susan Boyle English singer would say
11/09, 6:44 PM
posted by:
ayrtonJ
Taking the old 9-5 basically has no developmental costs, thus making it affordable for numerous potential car buyers I understand where you are coming from Johnnycanuck, but it isn’t always the problem of the carmakers in China. The majority of the population’s needs are still far lower than what we consider basic requirements. Owning their first car is already a dream come true, a concept we all take for granted here. Owning a car of their dreams is a different story.
11/09, 11:06 PM
posted by:
IGUANA
I just hope that Koenigsegg has one hell of a marketing plan. As a Saab tech I am seeing the last of the lease cars go out of warranty and there are far too few of the loyal Saab owners left to keep me afloat. I would hate to see that the new car line has no true Saab techs who understand and love the “real” Saabs of old and want to see the “new” Saabs return the name to its former glory.