Saab Roller Coaster Continues as Cash Gets Tight

Saab just can't seem to catch a break. After moving from the General's formerly overcrowded pocket into the hands of Spyker, the once-quirky brand is now doing all it can to bring production back online after failing to pay suppliers.

The gist is this: Saab received 400 million Euros (~$580 million) from the European Investment Bank so it could keep on ticking. Sweden guaranteed the loan, meaning whatever Spyker's resolution calls for must get the go-ahead from the Man.

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New Woes for Saab, Production Halted Again After Company Fails to Pay Suppliers

Less than a week after Saab idled its Trollhattan plant in Sweden for a few days due to a shortage of parts after failing to pay suppliers, the company once again halted production on Tuesday for the same exact reasons, despite solving the previous disputes.

"Production is stopped right now. It was stopped this morning," said Saab spokesperson Gunilla Gustavs. "We are working intensively to make sure the flow gets going again. We are having discussions with suppliers and doing our best to come to mutual agreements," Gustavs added.

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Saab Temporarily Halts Production After Suppliers Suspend Parts for Not Being Paid

In a sign of the possible problems brewing up at Saab, the Swedish firm was forced to temporarily halt production for a few hours at its plant on Tuesday as well as on Wednesday after component makers cut off deliveries to the factory because they hadn’t been paid.

“Certain suppliers halted supplies to Saab Automobile pending discussions about payments and supply terms,” Spyker said in a statement on Wednesday. “Saab Automobile expects to resolve these issues in the short term, also to prevent any further disruptions in supply. Saab Automobile has sufficient means to meet its immediate liquidity needs from existing and available sources,” the company added.

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SAAB CEO Jan Åke Jonsson to Retire, Victor Muller Takes Over Temporarily

Dutch automaker Spyker Cars NV announced on Friday that Saab Automobile’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Jan Åke Jonsson, has decided to step down from his position on 19 May, 2011. The company said that until a successor to the longtime Saab executive is found, Spyker Car’s CEO Victor Muller will temporarily assume the role of President and CEO of Saab Automobile AB in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board.

The 59-year old executive, who has worked for Saab for close to 40 years, took over the helm of the company in 2005 when it was still under the ownership of General Motors. Jonsson has been credited for playing a key role in the savior of Saab when the Detroit automaker wanted to close down the brand.

“I have been with Saab Automobile for almost my entire career of 40 years, of which almost six years as the head of Saab Automobile,” said Jonsson in a statement. “The last three years have of course been very demanding and forced me to focus on one thing only – my work. Now it is time for me to also spend some time on other things that had to stand back for my duties to Saab Automobile.”

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Spyker to Sell its Sportscar Business in Order to Focus on SAAB

Spyker Cars N.V., the Dutch owner of Saab, announced today that is has started negotiations to sell its sports car brand in order to focus on the development of premium car maker Saab, which it acquired one year ago from General Motors.

The Dutch company said it will sell the assets of its Spyker sportscar business to the UK-based CPP Global Holdings Limited, owned by Russian millionaire Vladimir Antonov. The terms of the deal include an initial purchase price of EUR15 million, plus a further EUR17 million to be paid from future earnings over a six-year period. The money will be used by Spyker Cars N.V. to reduce its debt.

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2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

Today introduced the first prototype of the Spyder version of its all-new second-generation sports cars, the Spyker C8 Aileron. Spyker Cars, manufacturer of exclusive, hand-crafted sports cars since 2000. The 2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder was unveiled at the Spyker lounge on Peter Hay Hill on Saturday, and subsequently displayed on the concept lawn at the 59th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday.

Zeewolde, The Netherlands (4 November 2010) – The Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder concept makes its UK debut today at MPH The Prestige and Performance Motor Show at Earls Court in London. For the first time, British motoring enthusiasts visiting the annual celebration of performance motoring will be able to lay their eyes on one of the most exclusive cars in the world.

2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

The Spyker C8 Aileron is an advanced mid-engine, two-seat sports cars, featuring a longer wheelbase than Spyker's existing sports cars, the C8 Laviolette and convertible C8 Spyder. The Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder sports a high-quality, semi-automatic canvas soft-top. The roof's operation is electric/hydraulic, secured by one central latch operated manually.

The 2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder uses the Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine, delivering 400 bhp and is available with two transmission alternatives. The first one is a 6-speed Getrag manual gearbox, with ratios perfectly matched to the V8 engine. A ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox is optional, which comes standard with paddle shifts behind the steering wheel. Both transmissions retain Spyker's trademark exposed gear change mechanism.

2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

The 2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder features an all-aluminium V8 engine producing 400 bhp and generating 354 lbs of torque at 3,400 rpm. The engine is paired to a manual six-speed gearbox, driving the rear wheels via a limited slip differential. For the first time, Spyker is offering an optional automatic transmission on the C8 Aileron. The Aileron delivers a top speed of 300km/h (187 mph) and accelerates from standstill to 60 mph in a mere 4.5 seconds.

The 2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder is fitted with a brand new front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension system developed by Lotus. The new suspension system includes a new kinematic layout of the front and rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, mono-tube dampers, coil over damper steel springs, anti-dive and anti-squat setup for improved handling properties.

2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

All Kharma sound systems are developed, assembled and tested in the Netherlands, with the utmost care by a team of highly engaged specialists. These characteristics of high-quality products and exclusiveness are fully in line with Spyker's brand values of craftsmanship and exclusivity.

Spyker Cars has announced the development of a C8 Spyder convertible spoiler at the Geneva Salon in March, at the launch of the 2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder version of the series. The car is now the first prototype for the convertible model, the production in the first half of 2010 will begin.

The Spyker C8 Aileron comes with an unlimited 3-year manufacturer's warranty. Price: $210,000.

2010 Spyker Sport Cars C8 Aileron Spyder

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Saab to Cut Workforce after Poor Sales Forecast

Sweden-based Saab Automobile plans to reduce its workforce by 200 employees or about one-eighth of its current staff, according to report from Reuters citing a union official. Hakan Skott, a union representative at Saab, told the news site that the move was expected after the company's new owner, Dutch supercar maker Spyker, cut the firm's sales target from 60,000 units in February, to 45,000 a few months later and finally to just 30,000 cars at end of October.

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Simbol Design K1 Attack is a Shed-Built Italian GT with an Alfa V6

From the creators of the Ferrari Enzo-emulating GTX-R comes the K1 Attack, a car that takes styling cues from the Spyker C8 Aileron, Lotus Europa and others. Simbol Design has fitted the Attack with an Alfa Romeo-sourced V6 turbo good for 246 horsepower. Mated to a 5-speed manual, this gives the custom built sports car an apparent 0 to 100 km/h [62 mph] time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 265 km/h [165 mph].

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