Now that Spyker have bought SAAB cars...?

The plan right now is to run Saab like a GM partner as it was back in the 1990s. GM is still heavily involved in Saab's well being although it has no control over the company. GM owns over 50% of the outstanding shares of Saab, like the US government does of GM. The difference is that the shares GM has are non-voting shares - hence no control over Saab. Still, with all the sourcing being dependent on GM it will take some time to change that model.

What we will no longer see is bastardized GM attempts to expand Saab's line with miniimal investment (no more 9-7x bassed on the discontinued Oldsmobile Bravada, no more 9-2x based on the Subaru Impreza and Impreza WRX). What we will see is more "custom" Saab cars heavily based on the GM architecture for the short to near term future.

What Spyker has announced/reveled through a number of conference calls is:

The new 9-5 is launching 6 months late but will launch by this summer based on the platform shared with Opel Insigna and the Buick LaCrosse. Note that although this is a shared platform, the unique 4 wheel drive system (Halidex) and turbo charging of the 2.0 liter ectoec (GM Europe engine) was designed by the Swedish Saab engineers, not GM powertrain. The six speed automatic is sourced from GM and comes from the joint venture between GM/Ford/BMW in a cost sharing exercise (they all have the same transmission, but have different software programming although the core source code is the same for all the companies).

The new 9-4 crossover is coming in 2011 as scheduled. Again, the engine is a GM design, the original small 2.8 liter V6 used unsuccessfully in the first generation CTS which was a good car, but the base engine was underpowered. Fortunately, that engine was designed like the 2.0 liter Ecotec mentioned above as a candidate for turbocharging with minimial modification. Saab turbocharged it for the 9-3 a few years ago, and it is being used now in the 9-4 as well as the new Cadillac STS turbo in 2010 (which in turbo form, is the same car as Saab for the most part). It has 300 hp and is a very quick crossover. The all wheel drive transmission for both cars is from Saab, the same Halidex transmission used in the 9-3 for all wheel drive. While Cadillac will have a regular V6 with front wheel drive, Saab will only offer its all wheel drive and turbo version.

In 2014-2015 a new 9-3 is coming out, based on GM's Delta platform as it stands now. The car will be smaller than the new 9-5 as the 9-5 will continue on the stretched Epsilon II platform, the 9-3 will leave the Epilson platform and move to the smaller wheelbase Delta. I may be wrong, but I think this is the same platform the Chevy Cruze is using. Small cars are designed with the Daewoo platfom in Korea, so the underpinnings will come from there and the Saab engineers will rework it to make it into a near-luxury car. They may continue with the 9-3 2.0 liter engine but rumor has it they will go smaller to a 1.4 liter engine that can be turbocharged and generate about 180 horsepower. The interesting thng about this is that GM owns Saab's turbo technology now, and the question will be will GM offer a turbo 1.4 as well. There is a question if Saab engineers will work with them to do it or not. In any case, since it will be a smaller car, performance should still be decent.

The 9-1 for all purposes has been canceled by Spyker. Spyker plans to make Saab a three car company, replacing all three cars with new models in the next five years. Spyker has also said it does not have enough money to go beyond that, so it will depend on how well these three new models sell if any development will continue. They are trying to get financing for more development, but so far they have been unsucessful.

For the short term (the next five years) Saab will be stable with Spyker ownership. if no expensive "big hits" from the economy or operations occur. However, there is still a lot of question about the viablity of the company after 2015 or thereabouts. It is still a small company, and it needs money to continue to innovate and develop.

Spyker will be free to partner with anyone after the new 9-3 is developed with GMs platforms and engineering help. It is unknown at this time if it will continue or partner with someone else. Note that Saab has not done anything on its own since befrore 1980, so it has not built a car from scratch since before the 900 series way back in the 1970s. Considering the size of the new parent, it is unlikely they will not partned with someone.

Note: I own a 2006 9-3 - and I have to say, I like the car and the reliabiilty has been phenominal after 60,000 miles and no problems with oil changes about every 10,000 miles as recommended. It has been cheaper to operate than my 2003 Honda Accord which is on its second transmission (has been repaired a third time already), and some electrical problems, and has only 95,000 miles on it.

Edit - you asked an additional question:

"How are they going to cope with a range totally reliant on GM Opel platforms and engines? I'd presume the business model is to sell fewer cars than GM did at a higher margin, if everyone knows the cars are based on Vectra/Insignia underpinnings made by a small firm with only previous experience of boutique supercars how will they pull this trick off?"

First off, the engines may have an Opel/GM base, but so what? You point out yourself that they have not really had their own engine in quite some time - Ford and Fiat/Lancia. The ecotec 2.0 and 2.8 V6 powered the Saab lineup today are very solid, good engines that Saab engineers tweaked (these two engines were built in particular reinforced for turbocharging beforehand) starting in 2003 with the 9-3 turbo, and later with the V6 turbo for the 9-3. GM does use it now as well in the Cadillac SRX, Buick LeCroix, and soon to be launched Buick Regal - but the turbo technology is still all developed in Sweden. Unlike all other GM divisions which relied completely on GM Powertrain for support 100%, Saab still has an engineering department (albiet a smaller one than it was before).

I look at this way - the 5 speed automatic powertrain on the Saab 9-3 is not a GM/Opel powertrain. The transmission does not come for GM, it comes from Asien (a Japanese company). The base engine is GM, everything else is added on by Saab including the turbo and the ecm. Yes, there is some GM in it but to call it the same as the Opel, that is misleading. With all the changes it shares only the 2.0 liter engine block assembly (pistons, o-rings, valves, etc) but nothing else in the rest of the powertrain.

Now, how will they pull this off? That your guess is good as mine. There are no magic rabbits coming out of this company. It is going to take a lot of luck for this to work. They don't even have enough money to develop beyond a current new lineup of a 9-3, 9-4, and 9-5.

From what I have read the short-term plan is to continue to rely on GM for the cars that Saab sells. I'm not sure how long those contracts and plans run. In the longer-term Saab/Spyker can go back to the old (pre-GM) Saab model of building their own cars or source them from another manufacturer.

Even in the pre-GM days Saab partnered with other manufactuerers for design partnerships. The 9000 was developed in conjunction with Fiat-Alpha/Honda.

in case you have have been given the money, and you're unlikely to bypass into debt finding out to purchase it, and in case you actual do go with a sparkling motor vehicle, then definite decide for it! that is a advantageous motor vehicle and that i used to have a saab so i understand how astounding they're! :)