STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s Saab Automobiles AB has received approaches from a number of parties that are interested in buying the brand from General Motors Co., a Saab spokeswoman confirmed Friday.
“We have been approached. There were 27 parties interested at one point in the sale process, and we met with 10 of them, so it’s understandable,” said Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs.
“Since then, we have strengthened the situation of the company, and we have an almost ready negotiated deal, so it’s not surprising that some might see this as an opportunity,” Gustavs said.
She declined to name the interested parties or say how many there were.
Earlier this week, Saab’s future was thrown into doubt after a consortium led by Swedish super carmaker Koenigsegg Automotive AB backed out of a deal with GM to buy Saab because of risks created by delays in completing the deal.
The agreement between GM and Koenigsegg was announced in March, but delays in approval of $600 million in loan financing from the European Investment Bank contributed to Koenigsegg’s decision to back out.
Unless another buyer emerges, there’s a good chance GM will consider closing Saab rather than invest the money and staffing needed to turn it around.
GM’s board is due to meet Tuesday at a previously scheduled meeting where the future of Saab will be discussed.
