Saab Restarts Production at Trollhättan, First Cars Under Spyker Ownership Roll Off the Line

Production begins in Trollhättan Saab, Spyker Cars first comes from the production line Line Between Owner


Announced a new era for Saab as an independent company from the bonds of General Motors, the first car of the Swedish company in the arms of loving Spyker Cars CEO Victor Muller, free, and rolled the production line today in the company's factory in Trollhättan. During the talks between General Motors and the Dutch supercar manufacturer, the system is idle for a period of two months.

The first Saab to build the production line today was a new 9-5 Sedan, a test fleet before the official opening of the power of premium sedan is determined by the end of the year. Connected shortly after the 9-5 with a Saab 9-3 Convertible.

Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile's CEO, CEO Victor Muller Spyker Cars and Trollhättan Plant Director Gunnar Brunius this occasion, was built from a position of prominence in the next production line assemblers and the first batch of cars.

"Today is the resumption of production is a milestone in the history of our company," said Jan Åke Jonsson. "We are up and running as an independent producer and I look forward to the next line of our employees to share their experiences. They have a great commitment to the company and we are now ramp production to meet all the needs of targeted customers.

Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars, added: "Every Saab has worked hard to achieve this important point. Today, the production has a new 9.5 first across the line - a perfect symbol for a new era has begun.

Nummi and UAW seeking closure through cash

Thanks to the hard work and solidarity of the United Auto Workers union, Detroit automakers have known for years that it is extremely expensive to offer early retirements, entice workers to walk away from their jobs or permanently close the doors at a plant. And even though Nummi is an independent company, Toyota, too, is now fully aware of the financial pain involved in mothballing a factory for good. The Freemont, California Nummi plant became expendable after General Motors cut ties with the company during its bankruptcy proceedings, leaving Toyota with more capacity than it needed.

A report from the Silicon Valley Mercury News indicates that the UAW and Nummi have reached a tentative agreement on a separation package valued at $ 281 million, or about $ 60,000 for each and every member of the 4.700 worker plant. The original proposal was valued at $ 253 million, with $ 168 million for hourly workers and $ 85 million for salaried employees.

While $ 60,000 sounds like a king's ransom to simply walk away from a job, the number is not as impressive when considering national unemployment at close to 10 percent. After all, it's not exactly as though there are plenty of quality manufacturing jobs out there - even when times are good.

With Nummi scheduled to shutter on April 1, we can see why some workers are anxious to close the deal. Nummi employee Scott MacMillan reportedly told the SVMN that workers are dissatisfied with the amount of information the UAW is giving workers, adding "that has caused a lot of frustration for the employees." Nummi UAW workers are scheduled to vote later today on the separation package.

Lexus Announces IS 350C F-Sport Special Edition, Priced from $58,375

First of all, before you run down to the comments section to... run us down, what you see pictured above is NOT the special edition F-Sport model but an F-Sport equipped IS350C as Lexus did not accompany the announcement on its new model with pictures.

Not that we've cleared that up, let's see what the IS 350C F-Sport special is all about. To put it briefly, it's a limited run version of the coupe-convertible IS packed with performance and styling accessories from Lexus' F-Sport accessories line as well as additional equipment that will be available only in two colors, Tungsten Pearl or Obsidian.

On the outside, the special edition IS 350C will be distinguished by a set of newly designed 19-inch forged alloy wheels, exterior badging and a unique F-Sport grille not previously available.

To improve handling, Lexus upgraded the suspension with a sway bar, a new set of shocks from Bilstein and new springs that reduce the ride height by approximately one-inch while it also wrapped the new rims in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber size 225/35ZR19 in the front and 255/35ZR19 in the rear.

An upgraded brake kit that is said to offer a firmer pedal feel and enhanced fade resistance is also part of the package.

There are no changes under the hood with the F-Sport model featuring the same 306HP 3.5-liter V6 as the standard IS 350C.

Inside, the IS 350C F-Sport comes with black leather-trimmed seats with contrasting blue stitching and leather-wrapped shift knob and embroidered floor mats with the F-Sport logo.

Other 'Special Edition' standard features include heated and ventilated front seats with wood trim; Bi-Xenon HID headlamps with Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS); headlamp washers; and Lexus Navigation.

Lexus plans to keep production limited to 100 units with the first examples of the F-Sport model scheduled to arrive at dealerships later this month with an MSRP of $57,500 (not including a delivery, processing and handling fee of $875), or roughly the same price as an Audi S5 soft-top convertible that gets a 333HP 3.0-liter V6 TSI.