This is the only new car available at Trio Motors in Burton. Everything else at the dealership is used. "It's difficult to sell what you don't have. It's been a challenge," Trio Motors President Ron Collins said.
It's been nearly a year since any Saabs were made in the United States, and it's been several months since any were imported here, so it's getting very, very tough to find a new Saab.
"If we needed a model, we could dealer-trade with someone," Collins said.
The drought in new Saabs began last summer when General Motors announced it wanted to sell the division. For the past few months GM has been in negotiations with Koenigsegg Group A-B, a Swedish ultra luxury automotive manufacturer.
GM CEO Fritz Henderson says he's disappointed that the talks have collapsed.
He's not the only one. "It was a shock. We weren't prepared for it, although we knew some changes were in the works," Collins said.
GM continues to produce Saabs in Sweden, but they aren't being imported to the U.S. Trio Motors became a Saab dealer in 1959, making it one of the oldest in the country. It will continue to service and repair the luxury brand.
"We will remain open as an independent dealership providing service for our customers, but we don't know how long that will last," admitted Collins.
One GM official says the collapse of the Saab deal could mean the end of the brand. This is GM's third failure to sell a car division. Efforts to shed Saturn and Opel have ended badly. Only the Hummer deal is still alive.
