Dutch car manufacturer Spyker and Chinese partner Zhejiang Youngman Automobile Group plan to launch a new upmarket model that would be a cross between a Spyker sports car and the now-defunct Saab.
The deal announced by the companies yesterday highlights China's interest in acquiring Western brands and technology, taking advantage of the Saab and Spyker names and know-how.
The new car, to be pitched at China's affluent drivers, will use the platform and technology developed for Saab, the Swedish company that Spyker and Youngman tried to rescue before it went bankrupt in December.
Spyker, whose sports cars have appeared in Hollywood films including Basic Instinct 2, produces only a few dozen cars a year, with a list price of about €200,000 (HK$1.94 million) for the C8 Aileron.
The new model would go into production in China and Europe, but not for another two or more years, Spyker chief executive Victor Muller said.
It would be based on technology developed for a new Saab model and have both Spyker and Saab characteristics.