People are still working. People are still getting incredibly frustrated. I’m one of them.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts here, there seem to be so many big personalities involved in this affair and the focus is well and truly on them and the various perspectives they embody. All of these players have an angle, have something they’re trying to protect and a good dose of spin they’re using to put it out there in the public domain. Some of it is genuine. In my humble (and very personal) opinion, some of it is camouflage.

For the rest of us …… Scrape away all the big-business and industrial politics and you’ve got the people, the entity, that I’m concerned about: Saab Automobile. It’s a company that’s full of people who already have, and who under the right circumstances can continue to make a wonderful contribution to the automotive landscape.

I only started at Saab back in April of this year but I’ve met so many people who are working on great projects at Saab. Projects that will make a real difference to the cars people might be able to drive in the future. The vast majority of these people have remained committed to Saab, even in the most dire circumstances.

From the people I know at Saab, they want to be there not because it’s a job, but because they love working for a place that’s innovative and challenging. They love the company’s identity, the opportunities that such a small yet diverse company offers – being involved in the whole vehicle design process from start to finish on one small campus. It’s an environment that few other car companies on earth can offer.

Make no mistake – this company is viable. All of the required elements are there.

What it will take is some investment and some goodwill on the part of the people in the decision-making seats. I wish I could rely on a quote that I learned from a prominent former football coach here in Australia – the ox is slow but the earth is patient.

Unfortunately, I can’t. The clock is ticking.

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And whilst we all wait for those people, here’s 7 minutes of Arnold Schwarzenegger fighting and screaming, which is pretty much how many of us feel right now.

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Thoughts for a new week…….

A lot of people are writing to me, asking if we’re going to hear something soon about the sale (or otherwise) of Saab Automobile.

Let me answer all of you at once: I’m waiting just like the rest of you.

Sorry, but I’ve got no magic answers or insights for you. This is a corporate page and we can’t give a running commentary on these constantly changing events. We can’t say anything about what’s going to happen, until it happens. As I’m sure you’ve come to understand by now, this whole process is extremely delicate and complex. It’s the business equivalent of every amusement park ride you’ve ever had, all rolled into one.

There’s a hell of a lot at stake – a car company with thousands of people connected to it, a wonderful past, a promising future, as well as the economic stability of a region and in many respects, a more-than-reasonable portion of Swedish industry. The knock-on effects of this falling one way or the other will have serious consequences for all concerned.

If you’re keeping yourselves well read from a variety of sources then you might sense that reports about this affair are becoming more and more about people and personalities. For me, it would be really unfortunate if that’s what this came down to.

This is about business and keeping a great company alive.

I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but it really does come down to the fact that Saab is a great company, with great products right now, even greater products in the pipeline, a very efficient and flexible factory, a supremely intelligent and committed workforce and a valuable heritage.

The notion that a deal should be struck to save Saab Automobile comes down to one thing and one thing only – That we have something valuable to offer to the right owners and partners.

Which we do.

Thanks once again for your support. I know you’re tired. We’re tired, too, but we keep on working and fighting. I hope the suits can continue to negotiate in good faith and that we can all have a successful outcome to celebrate, sooner rather than later.

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