1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible on 2040-cars

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Saab owners NEVS denied creditor protection by Swedish court

The story of Saab is practically a Greek tragedy at this point. The quirky Swedish automaker that was once known as a pioneer of affordable turbocharging has been followed by years of news that just seemed to keep getting worse. At this point, maybe the brand name should be allowed to fade away into the ether and be remembered for the good times that it gave us.
Saab's latest predicament is that its parent National Electric Vehicle Sweden (or NEVS) has been denied protection from its creditors by the Swedish courts. According to Reuters, the judges called the business' financing plan "vague and completely undocumented." A company spokesperson told Reuters that it plans to appeal.
Seemingly in reaction to the court's decision, NEVS posted a press release on its website announcing that the company had applied "for a reorganization to create more time for the ongoing negotiations." The automaker continues to claim that it's negotiating with two global automakers to sell a portion of the company, possibly Mahindra, but the process is taking longer than it originally predicted. It seems a distinct possibility that this reorganization attempt is simply a way to buy extra time.

Saab still alive and well at New Jersey dealership

We all know the Saab story: a niche automaker that just couldn't last in the quickening pace of an increasingly competitive industry, despite its loyal following. But just because the automaker has all but completely disappeared, it doesn't mean that the loyal following has as well. In fact Saab Automobiles Parts North America estimates there are some 450,000 Saabs still in use in the United States, and many of them are still die-hard brand faithful who are adamantly clinging to the bankrupt brand they love. And many of those loyal customers are still finding a home at Park Avenue Saab in Maywood, NJ. Although the Park Avenue Auto Group operates Acura, BMW and Lotus franchises, it hasn't given up on Saab just because the company isn't making any new cars anymore. Instead it's set up shop in an old Suzuki showroom and is building a growing list of Saab customers across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – parts of that list acquired from other, closed Saab dealers in the region. The dealership stocks spare parts and is ready to perform whatever service and maintenance existing Saab owners might need, but it's also still buying and selling Saabs: used models with low mileage and manufactured as close as possible to the end of production in 2011. So when an owner of an old Saab is ready to trade up, the dealership has something to offer. And many of those loyal customers, according to Automotive News, are willing to pay top dollar rather than switch to another brand. If and when a Saab owner needs to buy something newer – as most will have to – the dealer is ready to introduce them to a new Acura or BMW, but to date, very few have. That's why Park Avenue Saab still sells about 40 used Saabs every month to customers in the vicinity, across the country or even overseas. Between the sales and service departments, the dealership is still turning a brisk business, but unless NEVS, Mahindra or some other knight in shining armor swoops in and manages to do what GM and Spyker couldn't, the dealership's management know the business can't last forever.

GM recalling 316k vehicles due to headlamp faults

General Motors has announced a recall covering 316,357 vehicles globally, due to the possibility of sporadic or permanent failure of the low-beam headlamps. 273,182 of these vehicles are in the United States, while the remaining affected units are in Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere. This recall includes the 2006-09 Buick LaCrosse (pictured above), 2006-07 Chevy TrailBlazer and TrailBlazer EXT, 2006-07 GMC Envoy and 2006 GMC Envoy XL, 2006-07 Buick Rainier, 2006-08 Saab 9-7X, and 2006-08 Isuzu Ascender. In an email sent to Autoblog, General Motors explains that if the headlamp driver modules are not functioning correctly, "the low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps could intermittently or permanently fail to illuminate." GM states that this problem does not affect things like high-beams, turn signals, marker lamps, or foglamps. As of this writing, GM states it "has not been able to confirm whether the HDMs in these vehicles caused any vehicle accidents." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been notified, but the recall has not yet posted to the government agency's website. Scroll down to read the full details in GM's email. General Motors is recalling 273,182 Buick LaCrosse sedans and Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Saab and Isuzu midsize SUVs in the U.S. for possible intermittent or permanent loss of low beam headlamps. Affected models are: 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse sedans; 2006-2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer and 2006 TrailBlazer EXT; 2006-2007 GMC Envoy and 2006 Envoy XL; 2006-2007 Buick Rainier; 2006-2008 Saab 9-7X and 2006-2008 Isuzu Ascender midsize SUVs. If the headlamp driver modules is not operating correctly, the low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps could intermittently or permanently fail to illuminate. This condition does not affect the high-beam headlamps, marker lamps, turn signals, or fog lamps. GM has not been able to confirm whether the HDMs in these vehicles caused any vehicle accidents. The total population, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports from North America is 316,357. The NHTSA was sent the Part 573 information for this recall on November 25. It has not yet posted to the NHTSA website. Featured Gallery 2008 Buick LaCrosse CXS News Source: General Motors Recalls Buick Chevrolet GM GMC Isuzu Saab SUV Sedan chevy trailblazer buick rainier isuzu ascender