Saab Parts UK has secured the sale of the last 26 right-hand drive Saab 9-3 convertibles for customers in the UK. The final batch of convertible Swedish metal will be sold through 87 Saab authorised repairers in lieu of a dealer network.
Saab 9-3 Convertible: the last of the line
The final Saabs may be of sentimental value to fans of the marque, although the seven Independence Edition cars being offered for sale come in a rather challenging shade of burnt metallic orange. The remaining cars are a mixture of SE and Aero models, all of them well-equipped.
The Independence Edition trim level was one of the last to be developed before Trollhättan finally ceased production for good in August 2011, and was intended as a celebration of Saab’s first year of independence.
Saab Parts UK is confident that the hand-finished final cars will find loving homes. ‘These cars will carry a sentimental value for Saab fans around the UK, and are the last and best equipped examples of Saab’s Convertible lineage,’ it said in a statement. The company estimates there are perhaps 90 new Saabs in total still remaining unsold at dealers around the UK.
The very last 9-3, probably the last Saab of any kind, was saved by a donation drive led by the Saabs United fan website and is due to be delivered to the Saab Museum on 26 May 2012.
Saab: the latest news
Saab officially filed for bankruptcy in December 2011 and remains in administration. According to Swedeish law, a bankrupt company can still be bought out, and so a slim chance for survival remains and the administrators have now closed the bidding process to buy the remnants of the collapsed car maker.
Chinese car maker Youngman has publicly confirmed a bid, and Indian manufacturers Tata and Mahindra & Mahindra are rumoured to have thrown their respective hats into the ring. Administrators are currently reviewing the proposals but even if every penny of Saab’s assets were sold, a $1.5 billion debt would remain on the books.