Sparky
02-06-04, 04:25 AM
There's an interview with Bob Lutz (GM's european head) in the motoring section of yesterdays Independent and I have to say it didn't make pleasant reading. Here's a few quotes "We, in essence, made the same mistake BMW made when it bought Rover". GM allowed Saab too much autonomy for too long but the corporation isn't going to follow the BMW move by selling Saab. Instead, Lutz implies, Saab will become a GM brand rather than a stand alone car maker with it's own design, engineering, purchasing and manufacturing departments. He also says there are no plans to sell the 9-2x or 9-7x in europe.
All worrying stuff if you ask me..the phrase chewed up and spat out comes to mind. The article mentions the lack of proftis at Saab for the last 14 years and consistently failing to make it's sales targets. While this explains GM's drastic measures it also begs the question; Why did they bother buying it in the first place?
The Swedish government should have nationalised it and funded any losses through public money....they've got plenty after all!!
All worrying stuff if you ask me..the phrase chewed up and spat out comes to mind. The article mentions the lack of proftis at Saab for the last 14 years and consistently failing to make it's sales targets. While this explains GM's drastic measures it also begs the question; Why did they bother buying it in the first place?
The Swedish government should have nationalised it and funded any losses through public money....they've got plenty after all!!