The production lines began rolling again today at Saab Automobile’s state-of-the-art Trollhättan plant, heralding a new era for the Swedish premium car maker as an independent company.
Production at the Trollhättan plant was originally halted for seven weeks. Following the purchase of Saab Automobile AB by Dutch automaker Spyker Cars from General Motors, the first cars to be built by Saab as an independent company will soon be delivered to customers.
To mark the occasion, Saab Automobile CEO Jan Åke Jonsson, Spyker Cars CEO Victor Muller and Trollhättan plant director Gunnar Brunius took up positions on the line alongside assembly workers as the first batch of cars was built.
“Today’s resumption of production is a milestone in the history of our company” Jonsson said. “We are up and running as an independent manufacturer and I am delighted to share the experience on the line alongside our workforce. They have shown tremendous commitment to the company and we are all now focused on ramping up production to meet customer demand.”
First on the line today was an all-new Saab 9-5 sedan, destined to join a test fleet prior to the model’s official launch later this year. Further down the line was a Saab Convertible, now also being produced in Trollhättan as part of the concentration of Saab operations in Sweden. With the introduction of the new 9-5 SportCombi next year, a total of five model lines will be produced at the plant.
“We have a highly flexible, world-class facility here at Trollhättan,” Brunius said. “Our ability to build so many different models in one location improves plant utilization and will deliver valuable efficiency gains. With these state-of-the-art facilities and a dedicated workforce, we are in excellent shape.”
Muller, the head of sports-car builder Spyker Cars, had worked tirelessly to buy Saab from GM last year following the failure of negotiations by Koenigsegg, a similar maker of high-end sports cars.
“Everyone at Saab has worked extremely hard to reach this important point,” Muller said. “Today, production restarted with a new 9-5 first down the line – a fitting symbol that a new era has begun.”
source: speedtv
