The axe is hanging over the one and only Saab plant in Sweden, as American parent group GM, looks to close European plants, merge divisions, make people redundant etc. The plant is being played off against the Opel plant in Germany.

Sounds suspiciously like what Ford is doing to Jaguar.

Still, it doesn't really matter I suppose. No American jobs will be lost in either case, American shareholders will be happy...so everyones a winner......unless of course you work for an American owned European car manufacturer.....in which case you're f***ed :mad: :guns2:

Land of the free.....unless you're not in America, in which case you are just prisoners of whatever they want to do..... :irked: :_poke:

Are GM and Ford thick. People buy premium cars because they exude Britishness or Italian flair or German build quality or Swedish design principles. In Europe not many people buy Asian, American or Japanese Luxury cars. Why? because American cars are viewed as crude, Asian cars cheap, Japanese cars bland. Luxury cars rely on their heritage. Why do Ferrari's sell better than Nobles? Why does Enzo Ferrari mean so much to car fanatics? Why are all the great Jags associated with Coventry and the crap one with Ford's old plant in Liverpool?

Heritage is incrediably important and the American's just don't get it! It's okay to build luxury cars outside of Europe. But close down the home factory and you risk killing the brand. Don't believe me? I quote the former Chairman of PAG.

"Jaguar have always stopped it's parent company badge engineering their cars. When BL ran Jaguar, engineers at Browns lane made the engine bay too small to take a BL engine. In short Jaguars staff won't let us badge engineer the cars"

What he should have added to this is "that's why we will fire them". Will Ford workers at Halewood protect Jaguar like this???? No, they are Ford workers and work the Ford way. They just don't get it!!!!

atleast Toyota is safe as their self owned..

nissan could be in danger tho as they been brought by renault ( ****in french designing the micra )

toyota... mmmmmmm

Thousands of jobs have been lost in America as well, as the competetion is extreme in the States, and the influx of cheaper Jap cars has had a real impact on the likes of Ford and GM, why do you think they are making heavy losses and trying to ecnomise.

Jaguar and Saab probably just don't shift enough cars to make the profitable, simple economics I'm afraid. Most people in the UK will buy a car that is well built reliable and cheap, and they won't care where it is made. hence why the best selling cars are either Ford or GM in the UK.

Steve

Saab's are simply not good enough. The badge image is below that of Mercedes and BMW. Their new cars just look the same as the previous models 10 years ago looked. Front wheel drive, Vectra platforms, 4 cylinder engines. Even their unique selling point of safety has gone, all their competitors have 5 stars now.

If you buy a Saab 9-3 2.0TSE convertible over a BMW 325ci, then you not only do you have all the above problems you have the usual depreciation enemy when you sell 3 years later. The Saab new would have been £26,430, and trade in will be £13,775. The BMW would have been £27,835 and the trade in will be £21,000. £12,655 versus £6,835. You virtually lose double the BMW's depreciation with the Saab.

GM's problem with its ownership of SAAB is that SAAB was never truly a premium brand in the first place. The only car that gave them this image was the 900 Turbo convertible. Based on that, GM is trying to make it compete with BMW using Opel platforms, which doesn't work - a bit like the way the Jaguar X-Type is held back by publics' perception that it is just a Mondeo underneath. It's a shame, but GM will see the solution to SAAB's problem as taking away all its autonomy and making it simply another badge, whereas what it really needs is to be allowed to develop its own original cars again, ones not based on Opel Vectras.

Thousands of jobs have been lost in America as well, as the competetion is extreme in the States, and the influx of cheaper Jap cars has had a real impact on the likes of Ford and GM, why do you think they are making heavy losses and trying to ecnomise.

Jaguar and Saab probably just don't shift enough cars to make the profitable, simple economics I'm afraid. Most people in the UK will buy a car that is well built reliable and cheap, and they won't care where it is made. hence why the best selling cars are either Ford or GM in the UK.

Steve
Most Japanese cars for the USA are made in the USA and they are not cheaper, Toyota cars are more expensive than US brands. Hyundai's two most popular model will also be made in the US from 2005.

Ford & GM are not making much per car because they are trying to keep numbers sold the same by offering large incentives. GM has been cutting jobs even when profits were good in the 80's, they moved some production to Mexico to save costs.

Makes you thankfull Ford don't own MGRover really, else they'd be built in India, nextdoor to the Indica/Cityrover's platform.:toastie:
Doubt it, the CR would never exist and neither I suspect would the Rover brand and the MG brand would consist of sporty rebodied mondeos & Fiestas.