2004 Saab 9-3 Linear Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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GM SUV window switch recall urges owners to park vehicles outside

It's not unusual for there to be a lag between an automaker announcing a recall and the official documentation showing up on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. So it's no surprise that a recent GM campaign took about a month to appear in its official capacity. However, there appears to be some big differences between the two reports with potential safety implications.
In late June, GM announced that it needed to recall 181,984 examples of the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Rainier, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7x from the 2005-2007 model years, plus the 2006 Chevy Trailblazer EXT and 2006 GMC Envoy XL. The new documents paint a slightly different picture with 184,611 needing repaired and different model years listed.
The reason for the fix is still the same, though. It's possible for fluid to contact the master power window switch module in the driver's door, which can corrode the part. Eventually this could cause a short circuit, leaving the buttons inoperable and potentially leading to a fire. But the new NHTSA documents add an important note: "A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made."

Saab signs deal to sell 20,000 electric cars in China

Another quarter, another gargantuan deal for National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs), the Chinese-backed firm that bought the assets to Saab in 2012 and then spent two years getting out of financial trouble. The company just announced that it has agreed to a framework deal with China Volant Industry Co. (Volinco), a firm whose principal business is import and export of aerospace equipment and technologies. The tentative Volinco order is worth 8.5 billion Swedish crowns ($996 million US) for 20,000 electric cars that will be delivered between 2017 and 2020. A final purchase order is expected to be finalized later. In December, Nevs signed a deal worth $12 billion to provide 150,000 electric cars to Panda New Energy, a Chinese EV leasing company. That deal will also see Nevs provide 100,000 electric vehicle products and services to companies that Nevs works with. As with the Volinco deal, Nevs will build and paint components for its Saab 9-3 EV in Trollhattan, Sweden then ship the kits to China for final assembly. Given the number and size of its recent deals, it shouldn't be a surprise that Nevs is building a factory in Tianjin, China that will be ready in 2020. Volinco apparently plans to use the trove as company cars for employees. The final agreement will also include giving Nevs access to a range of the aerospace firm's suppliers to assist with its production plans. Nevs is also working with Dongfeng and Renesas Electronics to help develop its current and future cars. Featured Gallery 2014 Saab 9-3 News Source: Reuters Green Saab Green Automakers Electric Sedan NEVS national electric vehicle sweden

Spyker files $3 billion lawsuit against General Motors over Saab's demise

"Smack." That's the sound of Spyker's process server dropping a big ol' pile of legal documents on the doorstep of The Renaissance Center, home of General Motors - or wherever GM's attorneys live during business hours. Contained therein is a Complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and demanding a jury trial, that seeks $3 billion in damages due to "the unlawful actions GM took to avoid competition with Saab Automobile in the Chinese market." Spyker accuses GM of "tortiously interfering" with Saab's business relationship with Chinese automaker Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile (Youngman), actions that Spyker CEO Victor Muller (above) said "deliberately drove Saab Automobile into bankruptcy."
(From Wikipedia: "Tortious interference, also known as intentional interference with contractual relations, in the common law of torts, occurs when a person intentionally damages the plaintiff's contractual or other business relationships.")
The interference in question specifically refers to the very last potential deal, called the Framework Agreement, that Spyker worked out with Youngman. With lots of GM engineering embedded into the 9-4X and 9-5, The General had the right to approve any Saab partnership that would involve the transfer of GM intellectual property. Spyker had been rebuffed over every previous deal with a Chinese firm, including two bids by Youngman, due to GM concerns over its IP getting into Chinese hands and having to face Chinese-market competitors using its technology. The Complaint alleges that the Framework Agreement would have put a firewall around all GM IP - Youngman would only work on Saab's Phoenix platform, said to be just about free of GM tech, and would have no access to 9-3, 9-4X or 9-5 technology until after Saab ceased all ties to GM.