A cash injection from a Chinese benefactor has
solidified the reversal of fortune experienced by Swedish brand
Saab, boosting analyst’s expectations of the troubled carmaker’s
residual values in years to come.
The independent Hawtai Motor Group has
provided funding worth €150m (£134m) to save Saab from collapse,
receiving in return a 30 percent stake in Spyker, the brand’s
owner.
Spyker bought Saab out of liquidation from
General Motors in January 2010, but has had severe cashflow
problems with the brand ever since – most recently evident in the
halt in production of Saab vehicles that began on 6 April.
However, industry analyst CAP says that the
residual value of Saab’s top-selling model, the 9-3 1.9-litre Turbo
Edition diesel Saloon, has risen over £1,000 during the last 10
months.
Jeff Knight, monitor editor at CAP, said: “The
rise in forecast values for the Saab 9-3 over the last ten months
has been driven by an increased confidence in the brand; allied to
an improved product content creating a better future used car.”
Sales figures support the claims of increased
confidence by users – Saab in the UK sold 73.5% more units in Q1
2011 than in the same quarter last year, and has recently boosted
its corporate sales team with the appointment of Michael Cutts as
corporate sales manager for the North region.
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By GlobalDataGMAC, the provider of car finance for Saab in
the UK, has also put in place schemes to support the brand’s sales
growth – until July 4th, the lender will be offering reduced
monthly payments on contract hire schemes for business and private
users, as well as 0% finance schemes for all regular models in the
Saab range.