Big order gets Saab plant humming again

News reports out of Sweden today indicate Saab has secured a $22 million order from a Chinese investor potentially saving Spyker NV’s ailing unit.

The cash injection from Pang Da for 630 cars follows one for 1,300 units, according to The Canadian Press. Those vehicles were part of the deal secured in late May where Pang Da committed to buying 24 per cent in Spyker for a reported $90 million.

The automaker said delivery of cars would start in mid-summer.

 
This news comes after Saab resumed production following late last week after nearly seven weeks of work stoppage because of supplier payment issues.

Saab Automobile said it planned to increase the daily production rate in the coming weeks in parallel with the full re-establishment of the supply chain.

The first cars to roll off the assembly line were a silver Saab 9-5 Aero XWD and an orange Saab 9-3 Convertible Independence Edition.

With production restarted, Saab said it would focus on building and delivering the thousands of cars ordered by customers around the globe.

As the assembly line was fired up again, the total number of outstanding orders from markets worldwide for the Trollhättan factory amounted to over 6,500 cars. The total order bank, including around 1,600 Saab 9-4X orders, amounts to over 8,100 cars.

This number includes the almost 1,300 cars that were ordered by Pang Da Automobile and for which it paid EUR 30 million up front.

Watching the first car roll off the line, Victor Muller said: “This is a great day for our company and it is great to see the plant running again. We have gone through a rough patch in recent weeks, but Saab is back in action again. I would like to express my deep gratitude to our fantastic suppliers who have worked so hard with us to make this happen, and to our loyal employees who have constantly stood by our side.”

- With files from The Canadian Press