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Koenigsegg prunes U.S. Saab dealer list

11/13/2009, 9:55 AM

By Andrew Ganz

Soon-to-be Saab owner Koenigsegg confirmed this morning that it is cutting ties with 81 of Saab’s 218 dealers in the United States in an attempt to significantly restructure the small automaker.

Current Saab owner General Motors sent out a letter via FedEx to the 81 doomed dealers on Wednesday on behalf of Koenigsegg, which will operate Saab under the name Saab Cars of North America. The dealers should be receiving their letters today at the latest.

The surviving 137 dealerships were selected on account of their profitability, selling rate and locations, a Koenigsegg representative said this morning during a conference call with reporters. It is unclear when the dealers will need to close their doors, although General Motors will continue to support the survivors through October 2010 when Koenigsegg takes over.

Saab Cars North America’s chief operating officer, Mike Colleran, said today that the deal for Koenigsegg to acquire Saab should be completed by the end of the year.

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11/13, 10:13 AM

posted by:

85ZingoGTR

There’s gonna be 81 dealers despising Koenigsegg for this.

11/13, 10:32 AM

posted by:

Borat

So how many cars can 137 dealer network handle? It wasn’t that extensive to begin with. Perhaps overwhelming for Sweden, but for states…

11/13, 10:36 AM

posted by:

Kid Icarus

I truly hope that Koenigsegg can return SAAB to it’s glory days of old

11/13, 10:47 AM

posted by:

excrement_between_my_toes

The best thing about GM selling Saab is that Saab’s can no longer be associated with that giant pathetic, poorly run automaker known as GM. I really wish GM did go under and all those over paid union assembly line workers lost their jobs and their pensions. That would be sweet!

11/13, 10:49 AM

posted by:

Smegley Wanxalot

What is Saab selling now – maybe 500 units a month nationwide? They should have 10 dealers max.

11/13, 10:50 AM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

Yeah, but 137 total stores? That’s not a dealer network that’s an outlet mall.

11/13, 11:11 AM

posted by:

JakeK66

As leftwing and I know, there is only one STL dealership and if they close that one, heck, there goes Saab for the (somewhat) large STL market – although there maybe one in Illinois – but no St. Louisian would dare step on that side of the river to buy a car.

11/13, 11:13 AM

posted by:

JakeK66

Oh, and I actually almost bought a Saab last month, they only had new black ones left that I could afford, and I hate black. My exact words to the salesman were “I’ll buy any color 9-3 except black”

11/13, 11:16 AM

posted by:

DenverGuy217

I’d rather see 137 dealerships remain open in the more prosperous SAAB territories like the Northeast and NorthWest and work out a long-term restructuring plan versus the other choice of no SAAB and no dealers.
It makes perfect business for the company, maybe not-so-much for the SAAB owners that live outside those areas

11/13, 11:34 AM

posted by:

armstealer

GM should send them offer letters to apply to be new Chevy dealers, ha.

JakeK- I bet the salesman’s response was “Oh, you don’t like black? I have a beautiful midnight charcoal 9-3 I can sell cheap!”

11/13, 11:42 AM

posted by:

And The Winner Is…

Wow, that’s a huge % cut. Maybe they can feature SAABS at IKEA stores. You can get the $4.99 Swedish meatballs and a new 9-3, some assembly required.

11/13, 11:48 AM

posted by:

JakeK66

armstealer –

Yeah, needless to say I found out all that meant was that it was a metallic black car AND it was a $500 option! It’s still black!

I’ve owned around 5 cars since the redesigned ‘03 9-3 came out. Every single model year I have looked at the Saab and I have yet to ever buy one!!!

11/13, 12:03 PM

posted by:

DenverGuy217

SAAB – Subaru would have made for an interesting company.

11/13, 12:07 PM

posted by:

Smegley Wanxalot

Jake, sometimes the saabs in my area sound good but I also wont buy. They were advertising 12k off any new saab a month ago.

with 137 dealers and limited parts availablity I’d never buy a saab unless I lived enar a dealership, never planned to move, and never travel outside my city.

11/13, 12:27 PM

posted by:

JakeK66

Smegley – The dealer was a concearn I had too. I thought Volvo had a much better shot of staying alive with whoever buys them out, and they’ve always had at least 3 dealers in my area including one next door to my work and have always been alot more popular in the midwest.

Saab closing these dealerships should be a concearn for those who have a Saab in a non-Saab friendly area.

11/13, 5:47 PM

posted by:

howsmydriving

Given the number of IKEA stores that will soon be selling SAABs, the overall number of SAAB retail outlets should remain constant, by my calculations…..

11/13, 5:47 PM

posted by:

leftwingagenda

would be nice if those letters went out with the proper letterhead, but w/e…

11/13, 9:32 PM

posted by:

netguru2000

I just saw a ‘89 Saab 900i on the road; it’s amazing how cool and different those cars were. After GM got a hold of them they used universal platforms and thought it would be enough to slap on a 3 panel grill. If Koenigsegg can realign themselves with Saab’s roots, they would surely bring back a following (as a long as they don’t bring back their reliability issues).

11/13, 10:33 PM

posted by:

Borat

howsmydriving, good math :)

11/16, 12:52 PM

posted by:

TomF

Saabs will never have a serious following in the red states. It makes sense to pare the dealer body back to a blue-state + SoCal emphasis. New England, mid-Atlantic, Chicagoland, and the west coast. That should be it.

Not much good if you’re trying to drive a Saab cross-country and you throw a rod in Cheyenne, but blue-staters don’t drive cross-country, they fly.

 
 
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