Archive for the ‘Rumors’ Category

The good news for Saab keeps on rolling: last month, we mentioned that the company's sale to Koenigsegg was looking like a done deal (thanks to a €400 million loan from the European Investment Bank), and now comes word that Saab is developing a new, small concept vehicle to presage the company's future lineup.

The concept vehicle is set to debut within the next 12 months. Saab's Director of Global Operations, Knut Simonsson, says, "It's going to be very important and will indicate what the Saab message is going to be." In short, it will "define the new Saab".

Although Simonsson declined to elaborate on the vehicle's particulars, he did say...

Rumor has it that Hyundai is working on its own telematics system to rival GM's OnStar and Ford's Microsoft Sync. The news comes via a memo from Hyundai's manager of brand strategy, wherein he asks members of a focus group to help name the new product. Apparently, the system will have four  major focuses, including safety/security, news/entertainment, navigation, and diagnostics. Of the names suggested so far -- including "Fuse" and "Emerge" -- none really stand out, but then, we weren't asked.

If true, this is an intriguing bit of news for Hyundai, which is riding a wave of positive press these days. However, we have to wonder where the...

A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Crown -- a consortium of American investors led by former auto industry executives -- is making a play for Volvo. The group's bid for the brand is substantially lower than that of current front-runner Geely, but we pointed out that the Americans do have some advantages at the bargaining table, especially when it comes to one of Ford's biggest concerns: intellectual property. China in general, and Geely in particular, aren't known for respecting IP rights, and as negotiations move forward, we suggested that could become a sticking point.

Apparently, it has become a sticking point.

Two sources close to...