GM Is Selling Saab To Spyker Cars

johncadengo writes "General Motors said today that it has struck a preliminary deal to sell Saab to Spyker Cars, a tiny Dutch maker of high-end sports cars, saving the Swedish automaker from what seemed like certain extinction after previous bids for it collapsed. A previous bid from Spyker was rejected by GM in late December because GM was uncomfortable with Spyker's Russian backers. The biggest investor in Spyker is the Russian bank Convers Group, which is controlled by Alexander Antonov. In March, Mr. Antonov was shot seven times and reportedly lost a finger in an attempt on his life in Moscow. No arrests have been made. His son Vladimir, 34, is a top executive at Convers and the chairman of Spyker." GM is taking a bath on the deal, financially speaking.

In Soviet Russia ...

[tomhudson]

The biggest investor in Spyker is the Russian bank Convers Group, which is controlled by Alexander Antonov. In March, Mr. Antonov was shot seven times and reportedly lost a finger in an attempt on his life in Moscow. No arrests have been made. His son Vladimir, 34, is a top executive at Convers and the chairman of Spyker.

In Soviet Russia, you WILL buy our car! It doesn't cost an arm and a leg ... yet.

... because in Soviet Russia, you don't own a Spyker, Spyker owns YOU!

GM sells saab...

[smash]

... saab arises as new competitor to GM...GM loses. Again.

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[forkazoo]

This isn't nerdy at all... Have Slashdotters turned into bankers?

Just stick around for a while. Somebody will come up with a good car analogy to explain all of this to you.

I am confused

[Midnight Thunder]

So how does this work in car analogies? Do I have to find a computer analogy instead? ... does not compute.

Re:Marriages Made in Haste.. Oft Leave a Bad Taste

[Anonymous Coward]

Superior European thinking will make this work! You heretical bastard! What you say? Did you call me Commie?!

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[starbugs]

It's a 'nerdy' car.

The new owner of Saab gets shot 7 times, then has the guts to buy one of the most under-performing brands in automotive history.

A Klingon coming to earth would buy a Saab.

And if you say anything bad about Saab, he would make you wish you were Ferengi looking at Saabs' last quarterly statement.

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[YrWrstNtmr]

The fact that the Russian mob will now be using botnets to spam us with ads for v1@gr@, c 1 @ l 1 s, and (shudder) Saabs is news I'd like to know about as a nerd! I mean,

It will be spelled S@@b, $aab, or some combination of the above.

Re:A real geeky car is a GTO.

[moosesocks]

My 73 Olds Delta 88 would crush your little Saab!

Probably true. Saab pioneered crumple zones and collapsable steering columns.

You'd be dead, and my car would be ruined. I know which side of that equation I'd prefer to be on.

Re:GM sells saab...

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn.

Home: Packard Bell Win3.11. Work: Sun 3/80 16MB 525MBHDD. Car: 68HC11. Pants: Underoos.

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[magarity]

As cool as Saabs are, a Klingon coming to Earth would have to drive one of these [wikipedia.org].
 
A Minbari might drive a Saab, though,
 
Sorry, is it OK to cross compare SF universes like that?

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[starbugs]

As cool as Saabs are, a Klingon coming to Earth would have to drive one of these (Rambo Lambo) [wikipedia.org].

But then they would seek out and destroy all the other '300' LM002s, so that no-one else gets to drive one.

Not many people know this.

[JerryQ]

If Benny from ABBA had been called Sven, then ABBA would have been called SAAB. Jerry

Re:How is this news for nerds?

[technohead]

Classic Saab's are the ultimate nerd car, they were designed by vikings and hand built by trolls!

*** FULL DISCLOSURE *** I'm a computer programmer who drives a 20 year hold Saab 900 T16 Turbo convertible ;-)