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GM wins appeal, dismissal of $3B Saab-related Spyker suit

It's been a long time since we last heard of the legal battles between Spyker CEO Victor Muller and General Motors, the automaker from which Muller's company purchased the embattled Saab brand back in 2010. To refresh your memories, after struggling through 2011 and entering into bankruptcy, Spyker attempted to save the Saab brand by selling it to a Chinese consortium. General Motors, though, blocked the sale because it did not want any of its intellectual property, of which Saab was in possession of from its days under the GM umbrella, in the hands of a potential rival automaker. Spyker then sued GM for intentionally blocking what it said was Saab's only chance of survival. The $3-billion suit was dismissed after a judge ruled in favor of GM, which apparently had granted a license to Saab to continue building cars using its technologies, but reserved the right to cancel that agreement if Saab again changed hands. Spyker appealed, and, according to Reuters, the appeals court upheld the previous ruling, again siding with GM. National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the company that eventually purchased Saab out of bankruptcy, managed to restart production for a short period before itself falling into financial trouble. We have at least another month to wait before hearing how Saab's next chapter may read.

Mahindra eying stake in Saab owner NEVS?

It's ironic that Saab's current vehicle architecture is called the Phoenix platform, because like the mythological bird, the company keeps returning from the ashes. That's right, the embattled Swedish automaker isn't completely dead yet. Again. Actually, it may be facing yet another buyout, and this time, the buyer may be from India.
Less than a month ago, the situation looked ominous for Saab. National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the carmaker's current owner, temporarily shut down 9-3 production at its Trollhättan factory not long after restarting it in the first place. According to Just Auto, it laid off about 100 consultants allegedly linked to problems making June payroll, as well. At the time, Saab claimed that the measures were temporary, and it was negotiating selling part ownership to another automaker.
Those assertions might have some truth behind them, it seems. Indian newspaper The Economic Times reports that Mahindra & Mahindra and an unnamed Asian automaker are negotiating with NEVS to purchase part of the company. It claims that the Indian automaker sees Saab as an opportunity to add a premium brand to its business.

1999 Saab 9-3 Viggen is a Swede worth remembering on MotorWeek

Today, Saab survives in name only after a protracted series of bankruptcies and attempted comebacks with new owners. At the turn of the millennium, however, the brand was still able to make some great cars, though. MotorWeek is showing off one of its very best in this vintage review for the 1999 9-3 Viggen. The jet-inspired Viggen was the pinnacle of everything Saab's engineers could do at the time. Starting with the standard 9-3, the suspension was hunkered down to improve handling and lower bodywork was added for better aerodynamics. Now that the exterior looked the part, the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder was tweaked to make 225 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque. While that output may not sound hugely impressive by modern standards, those were strong numbers in the day, and the following model year made even more power. After some time behind the wheel of the VIggen, MotorWeek came away quite impressed with this Swede. While the Viggen might not have offered the full capability of high-performance, European contemporaries like the BMW M3, Saab really showed its strengths with this model.