It seems that General Motors is feeling a little guilty for how things went down with Saab, but just a little guilty. GM will be contacting 70,000 plus Saab owners and offering them the “GM Saab private offer” to help quell any negative feelings left over after the closing of Saab’s doors.

Just about 100 more Saabs will roll off the line after the Swedish automaker decided to send some employees back to finish incomplete units still standing in the factory.

With court appointed administrators having taken over the remnants of Saab following the automaker’s bankruptcy, exactly what to do with the company’s assets is still very much an ongoing process.

As another calendar year draws to a close it’s time to take a look back at the top 10 biggest stories of the year in the auto industry. It’s been a busy 12 months, starting all the way back in March when the Fiat 500 officially went on sale, marking the return of the brand to America. The last time an Italian car was sold here that didn’t cost six figures (or close to it) was 27 years ago. Since then, Fiat has introduced the 500C convertible model and most recently the Fiat 500 Abarth, aimed at enthusiasts.

Lost in the news regarding Saab‘s bankruptcy is the impact on US dealerships as they were forced to sell all vehicles as is and with no warranty since December 19th, 2011.

Though Youngman’s attempts to save Saab proved futile, it appears that the Chinese automaker isn’t giving up on Saab-related assets. Youngman announced that they’ve acquired the rights to Saab’s Phoenix vehicle architecture and also announced that they have intentions of setting up a firm in Sweden to develop a new car based on the Phoenix platform.

Just yesterday we reported that Saab has announced that it will not honor any warranties effective immediately and they also advised their dealers to sell off the remaining cars ‘as is.’

After filing for bankruptcy on Monday morning, Saab is now suspending all warranty coverage on its North American cars.

Despite being officially declared bankrupt,  Saab still has organizations willing to snap up the remnants, as the former Swedish carmaker goes into liquidation.

Saab’s financial rollercoaster seems to have come to what many have speculated would be its inevitable conclusion, with the Swedish automaker today announcing it has filed for bankruptcy with the District Court in Vänersborg, Sweden.

In yet another twist to the ongoing Saab soap opera, the Swedish automaker has received a payment from Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile as it struggles to stay solvent. The payment, which is some $5 million will be reportedly be used to cover outstanding tax expenses.

Saab‘s clock is ticking quickly to find a way out of bankruptcy with just a “very few days” left to find a loan. Unfortunately, General Motors has been playing a vital role in blocking Saab from selling any of the company to a Chinese automaker, forcing Saab to try to find a loan.

With time, it has seen some positive developments, but things don’t look any better for the foreseeable future.

It seems like there’s more people involved that are interested in saving Saab than there are interested in purchasing their vehicles. Nonetheless, the drama continues to unfold as we reported yesterday that the Bank of China would come to save Saab, but the Chinese firm Pang Da is still expressing interest.

Saab’s sob story saga might be coming to an end, though the information surrounding their pending acquisition is murky at best.

Although Saab has been struggling for the past year, don’t bet against it. All but doomed when GM sought to stop Saab’s deal with the Chinese Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co., Youngman is now proposing a new deal with Bank of China, the country’s fourth largest bank by market value.

Vladimir Antonov, the Russian “businessman” who attempted to buy Saab earlier in the year, has been arrested in England over charges of involvement in a massive money laundering scheme in Lithuania.

Even as the Occupy movement is being disbanded around the world, one branch of the movement just had a resurgance, as Saab fans “occupied” the Facebook page of General Motors.

An article in Automotive News proposed that the Saab 9-4X crossover may be the world’s rarest new vehicle on sale. Although Saab had planned to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 examples globally this year (with half of sales conducted in the United States), a mere 194 have been sold through October in the United States.

General Motors has announced that it will cut ties with Saab over its pending sale to two Chinese automakers. The threat has some very real consequences with GM stating it would cease manufacturing of the 9-4X crossover for Saab, as well as stop delivery of the parts it currently supplies the Swedish automaker with.

Saab‘s matchmaking saga is the stuff of cinema. Facing compounding financial dilemmas and a series of unsuccessful talks with a number of investors, the troubled Swedish automaker had little going for it. Just as Saab was close to finally making a deal with its Chinese investors, Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., the company faces yet another challenge that may prevent the deal from happening.

After much back and forth over the past months between Swedish Automaker Saab and Chinese suitors Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., it seems like funding for Saab is very much back. The Chinese companies have both agreed to buy the Swedish automaker, providing the company with some much needed short and long term liquidity.

It’s been a leaky autumn so far in the motoring universe. Supposed actual pictures and specs have been “leaked” on Toyota’s upcoming FT-86 coupe (FR-S to us in North America); as well as details on Honda’s new generation CR-V crossover.

According to Inside Line, Saab may be ready to re-start production at its factories in as little as 8 weeks, after being sold to two Chinese automakers for $142 million.

Just days after announcing that he had rebuffed a full takeover of Saab by Chinese investors Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co., company CEO Victor Muller has proven that he can change his tune, in a hurry. Swedish Automobile N.V. has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with both Pand Da and Youngman to sell the Swedish automaker to the two Chinese companies, in its entirety.

According to Saab CEO, Victor Muller, a takeover offer of the Swedish brand by China’s Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. has been turned down.

U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital will give Saab a $70 million investment, including an equity stake worth $10 million and a $60 million loan to the ailing car maker.

The administrator in charge of the Saab bankruptcy proceedings has told a Swedish court that the process must stop.

Narrowly escaping bankruptcy and liquidation for the 17th time (ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration), Saab has confirmed receipt of a 70 million Euro payment from Chinese investor and automaker Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co.

The tiny island nation of Singapore is best known for its laws banning chewing gum and instituting corporal punishment against criminals, and apparently, a big lover of the Saab 9-5.

The annual North American Car and Truck of the Year awards has just released its short list for 2012, selecting 17 cars and seven trucks that will compete for the prestigious prize.

In the running for the 2012 North American Car of the Year are three from Hyundai (the Accent, Elantra and Veloster), two from Audi (A6 and A7), two from Volkswagen (Passat and Beetle) and two from Toyota ( Camry and Prius v). Others on the list include two GM models, the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic, while two Chrysler group nominees include the Chrysler 300 and Fiat 500. Rounding out the list is the Ford Focus, Kia Rio, Scion iQ and Subaru Impreza. Notably absent from the list is the all-new Honda Civic.

The 2012 North American Truck of the Year short list includes just one vehicle from seven different automakers: the BMW X3, Honda CR-V, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes M-Class, MINI Countryman, Nissan Quest and Saab 9-4X.

The three finalists in each category will be announced later this year with the winners being announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Last year the Chevrolet Volt took home 2011 Car of the Year, with the Ford Explorer as 2011 Truck of the Year.

See the full list of nominees after the jump:

At this week’s SEA All-Wheel Drive Symposium in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, OEM supplier BorgWarner will show off its next generation of AWD systems including a new hybrid-electric setup. The system, known as eAWD, will be fitted to a Saab 9-3 and BorgWarner claims it will offer, “superior stability and traction with lower emissions and up to 20 percent better fuel economy.”

U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital, has purchased Spyker, after a deal to sell the Dutch outfit to Russian investors fell through. The Financial Times reported the news after viewing a preliminary draft of the announcement.

After more than a year of struggle under Spyker’s management, many thought Saab would have succumbed to its financial woes already, yet somehow the Swedish automaker has been able to pull a few tricks out its bag just as it would seem that its luck had run out.

Saab‘s museum collection of historically significant vehicles was seized by Swedish authorities from the company’s museum. The Swedish Enforcement Office took possession of  the museum and other contents, including 13 exhibits, 22 engines and six workshop tools.

The Saab soap-opera continues, but this week the news is good. Saab just won a court appeal to protect it from creditors while it awaits funding from its Chinese investors.

Saab‘s days as an automaker might not yet be numbered. According to a recent report a Chinese automaker may be interested in purchasing the bankrupt automaker. “I’ve heard this one before,” you’re probably thinking to yourself. But this time it’s different…. we promise.

Subaru is issuing a huge recall affecting close to 500,000 vehicles. The first recall affects 300,000 cars and crossovers registered in 20 different states, including the 2002-2007 Impreza, 2003-2008 Forester  (including the 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x) to replace potentially rusted brackets on the underside of the vehicles. The complaints were received when front lower control arms broke at hanger brackets due to corrosion caused by road salt. The 300,000 owners that are affected will either have their front lower control arms rust-proofed or replaced with new ones. Those customers will be notified by early November.

A Swedish court has rejected a protection and voluntary reorganization plan, citing that it does not believe any steps the automaker makes will help it to recover.

Another week and another sob story regarding Saab. The troubled automaker has just applied for protection from creditors, and is trying to avoid the bankruptcy petition made by the unions.

Debt ridden Saab is to apply for court protection from its creditors in a bid to stave off bankruptcy get again. For months, the automaker has struggled to raise finances to pay off suppliers, and as a result, has halted production. Saab was rescued from bankruptcy last year by Dutch owner, Swedish Automobile (formerly Spyker), as former owner General Motors prepared to shut the company down

Sweden’s debt agency is claiming they have successfully investigated a handful of Saab bank accounts with some success. On Friday, the agency uncovered $796,291 which is enough to cover debts owed to the first four companies waiting for payment.

”We’ve just begun by looking at what kind of bank accounts they have and what kind of collateral there might be” in the process that started Wednesday, Tommy Barkman, a case worker at the state agency, explained in a telephone interview with Automotive News.

Poor Saab can’t catch a break. Last week Saab’s European supplier were putting pressure on the Swedish automaker to declare bankruptcy, and this week the car company has pulled out of next months Frankfurt auto show, due to a lack of finances.

Somehow, Saab is still alive, clinging to financial solvency with a tenacious refusal to go gentle into that good night. Some good news in its struggle has emerged, however: the troubled company has raised $5.8 million in a deal with GEM Global Yield Fund Limited, securing its funding for the time being.

Saab’s Trollhättan plant has been idle since April, while Saab raises money by selling Girl Scout cookies and mowing its neighbor’s lawn. This deal allows Saab to issue and sell 4 million new shares, but it still needs more money in the future: the company still needs to pay its suppliers as well as its employers in order to resume production by the end of August.

It’s an understatement to say that Sebastian Gupta’s parents are proud of him. What started as a summer project in 2010 has become $40,000 that’s been donated to a women’s center.

Swedish Automobile, owner of financially-stricken Saab, is being pressured by European suppliers to declare bankruptcy, hoping the threat will pressure the automaker to pay back debts.

With plans to move forward, Saab is now talking about the future, with an eye on its past.

The Saab 9-6X concept was unveiled six years after being axed. The first pictures of the concept have hit the web and was unveiled at the company’s museum in Trollhättan.

Another one joins the list! And this time around, it’s the Saab 9-4X, a new midsize luxury SUV, that’s taken its place on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award list.

The delay is caused by suppliers, who want Saab to clear its debt with them before they provide any further parts. Saab has just secured an $81.2-million funding so it can produce cars once again.

Having just signed a deal with two Chinese partners, Saab chief Victor Muller has immediately shown he knows how to work the media. Rather than sit quietly, Muller has already announced plans to build three new models, while a new joint-venture arrangement secures medium-term funding for the production of Saabs current lineup.

But while its CEO Victor Muller is looking for the money train to keep the company on track, Saab itself is preparing to launch the 9-5 Sport Combi in the US-market.

A used car dealer in New Jersey is trying to make a profit off of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s Saab 900 by selling it for $100,000 on eBay.

Saab‘s parent, Swedish Automobile (formerly Spyker Cars), announced that an unnamed Chinese company will purchase 582 Saab cars at a total value of 13 million Euros ($18.4 million) in order to help the automaker pay wages to its employees and part of the money it owes to suppliers.

Union employees working for Saab are growing impatient after the automaker said it could not pay wages to its workers because it had not yet obtained necessary short-term funding. The unions have threatened legal action that could end in bankruptcy for the automaker. The IF Metall and Unionen groups will send a formal demand for payment this Monday if their members have not received their unpaid wages. “Then the company has seven days to react,” IF Metall representative Veli-Pekka Saikkala told Reuters. “After that there are two alternatives. Either we see that the situation can be solved, or we demand that Saab is put into bankruptcy.”

Saab’s ongoing drama will remain at a standstill for another two weeks. Saab’s Trollhattan factory in Sweden, has not produced vehicles for most of April and May because of issues regarding paying suppliers. The factory bounced back in late May, but was quickly forced to stop production when part supplies ran out yet again.

It seems every time the company starts production, something will cause the production line to stop, whether its money related or parts supply related, and often both.

Saab halted production yesterday at its Trollhattan plant in Sweden after operations were disrupted by problems with supplier deliveries. Saab resumed production on May 27 after shutting down from April to May due to non existent operating capital. Suppliers became worried about receiving payment and stopped supplying the Swedish plant.

Saab will finally gain some stability, as the company will resume production tomorrow at its Trollhattan, Sweden, assembly plant.