Saab said on Monday it was hopeful about its future after the Dutch company Spyker eliminated the deadline for U.S. General Motors to meet its new offering for the loss-making Swedish brand.
“It is important to us that there is an ongoing dialogue between stakeholders (buyers) and GM. We can still expect that the conclusion will be,” said Saab Automobile spokesman Eric Geers.
After making a renewed bid for Saab Sunday, two days after GM said it would close the unit Swedish, Dutch sports car maker Spyker announced it was extending indefinitely its proposal to buy the brand for less than three hours before the expiry of the Monday at 2200 GMT.
“Spyker have been in contact with GM today and continues to develop its proposal for the acquisition of Saab. Spyker has extended the validity of its proposal, therefore, until further notice,” the company said in a statement.
Saab employs about 3,400 people in Sweden. According to press reports, the closure could lead to more than 8,000 job losses, including subcontractors and other dependents of the automaker.
Earlier Monday, the Swedish government held a crisis meeting with local officials in the hometown of Saab’s in Trollhaettan in southwestern Sweden, where it vowed to help the region and the employees who risk losing their jobs work.
Spyker was a Dutch automobile manufacturer, started in 1880 by coach builders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker.