Make wind power, not cars - March 05, 2009
Saab, the manufacturer of solidly Swedish cars, is in trouble. General Motors, the giant US car company set its Swedish Saab brand adrift, in mid February, in a restructuring operation.
Saab then turned to the Swedish government for help. The government said no. Subsequently GM said it had set aside enough cash to pay Saab’s bills (Reuters)
Well now an alternative has been levelled at Saab: give up making fast, weird-shaped cars and instead make wind turbines. This is apparently what Swedish trade minister Maud Olofsson has said in the aftermath of the Saab abandonment by GM. Greentech Media has been doing its scan of the Swedish press, so you don’t have to. Saab might as well contribute to Sweden’s green power output, according to Staffan Laestadius quoted in a Swedish magazine:
"Producing wind power is more realistic for Saab than ever being a profitable car manufacturer again. It is also substantially more desirable for Sweden," he said.
Saab’s subsidiary Kockums Industrier sold off its wind power manufacturing operations in 2000. Maybe now is the time to get them back.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy
