General Motors’ Swedish unit, Saab , announced earlier today that it has received a high level of interest from 27 potential suitors, though due to confidentiality agreements the automaker signed as a part of its negotiations, it cannot name the interested parties.
That’s up from the approximately 20 serious buyers the company announced earlier this month – and it is a higher level of interest than expected by most industry analysts, though obviously the degree of interest from each party cannot be determined.
“It is of course positive that there has been this level of interest,” Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs told Reuters.
“We are now in an intense and more organized phase of presenting the company to potential interested parties.”
Saab has continued to hold meetings with its potential suitors throughout the last few weeks. Though merely speculation at this point, most indications point to interest from private equity firms that would acquire the brand with eventual intention of selling it to a larger automaker in the future. Still, there is some possibility that Saab might remain an independent, domestic manufacturer acquired by a Swedish company intent on securing government financing that would certainly not come to a foreign partner.
Saab is seeking about $1 billion in financing aimed at overhauling production and developing future models. It does have two fresh, GM-designed models on the way, a new flagship 9-5 sedan and a 9-4x crossover.
