#spyker

General Motors has announced it will close down Saab after discussions to sell the brand fell through.

“Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time,” said Nick Reilly, president of GM Europe. “In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution.”

GM had been in discussions to sell Saab to Spyker Cars but was unable to resolve some issues with the Dutch manufacturer. Last month, Koenigsegg also had interest in acquiring Saab before backing out.

Reilly says Saab will continue to honor warranties and provide service and parts to current owners.

Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings’ purchase of some Saab property, notably 9-3 and 9-5 powertrain technology, is not expected to be impacted by today’s annoucement.

Official release after the jump:

Dutch exotic car maker Spyker is likely to become the new owner of Swedish automaker Saab after GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre confirmed there are no other bidders. Earlier this week GM reached a deal with Beijing Auto to sell off old Saab assets so the Chinese company could produce previous generation Saab models in its home market.

Dutch exotic car maker Spyker is likely the favored candidate in the resumed bidding for GM’s Saab division. Saab went back on the open market just a few weeks ago when a group led by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg retracted its offer.

The Swedish government is putting the pressure on General Motors, saying that it must make a decision this week on the sale of Saab if the deal is to go through by the end of the year. “They must at least have chosen one of the interested parties this week, otherwise it will be tough to complete a deal,” said Swedish Enterprise Ministry secretary Joran Hagglund in an interview published in the country’s daily newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.

Russian Billionaire Alexander Antonov, the owner of Dutch supercar maker Spyker, has survived an assassination attempt.

Think of it as Spyker’s version of a Porsche GT3. Unveiled at the LA Auto Show, this stripped down special edition of the Spyker C8 Laviolette weights just 2,805 lbs and makes a significant 400hp thanks to its Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V-8. Spyker claims this is good for a 0-60 mph sprint of 4.5 seconds (which sounds underrated) and a top speed of 187 mph.