Dutch carmaker refreshes bid for Saab

• Source: Global Times
• [01:12 December 21 2009]
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Spyker C12 Zagato

Dutch sports car maker Spyker said Sunday it has made a new bid for Sweden's Saab Automobile, two days after its American owners General Motors said it would close the loss-making unit.

"The Spyker leadership has submitted a renewed offer in the hopes of securing a future for Saab, its employees and the brand – despite the announcement that the winding down of Saab would begin," the company said in a statement.

Spyker said it hoped "the renewed offer would remove each of the obstacles that were standing in the way of a swift transaction."

"We have made every effort to resolve the issues that were preventing the conclusion of this matter and we have asked GM and all other involved parties to seriously consider this offer," said Spyker chief executive Victor Muller.

Muller said he was confident a deal could be done by the December 31 deadline set by GM to complete the sale. Spyker's new offer remains valid until 17:00 Eastern Time today (2200 GMT).

General Motors said Friday that it would close Saab, based in western Sweden, after it failed to agree upon a sale with the Dutch carmaker.

The Detroit carmaker said in a statement that it had been in talks with Spyker but that "during the due diligence, certain issues arose that both parties believe could not be resolved."

GM said the move to end Saab operations was among "some very difficult but necessary business decisions" as it tries to restore profitability after a massive bankruptcy restructuring aided by the US and Canadian governments.