2011 Saab 9-5
Saab may have some money in the pot, as well as its new Chinese backers, but the struggling Swedish automaker still hasn’t managed to come to terms with its suppliers and thus has been forced to announce that the restart of production at its main plant in Trollhättan, Sweden will be delayed yet again.
Saab originally announced that production would resume on August 9 but since delivery of all parts needed to secure a production start is not yet agreed upon with suppliers, production will not resume on as intended and will be postponed until a full commitment on delivery plans can be secured.
The automaker is currently working with suppliers to nail down payment plans, commit to a delivery schedule and start building the close to 11,000 cars that it currently has in its order books.
If all goes to plan, the hope is that production in Trollhättan will restart towards the end of August.
Despite all its production troubles, Saab has ambitiously announced the development of three new models, a new 9-1 entry-level hatch, a 9-6X crossover and 9-7 flagship sedan.
Within the development process of these three new vehicle lines, Saab will be responsible for controlling and managing the design, the development and testing process to the start of production and providing other necessary technical and quality control support.
Chinese partner Zhejian Youngman Lotus Automobile, meanwhile, will be responsible for providing the necessary financial investments and will most likely oversee the production of the vehicles in China.
