July 8 , 2004
Saab and FHI Continue Partnership with New Cross-Over Vehicle
Alliance
Norcross, GA Saab Automobile AB and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.
(FHI), the Japanese auto manufacturer of Subaru vehicles, have
agreed on collaboration for a new cross-over vehicle.
The project represents an expansion of the cooperation between Saab
and FHI that was initiated last year with Saab vehicle sales
through select Subaru dealer outlets in Japan, and was followed
this year with the introduction of the Saab 9-2X premium sports
compact in the U.S. and Canadian markets.
We continue to see a working relationship between FHI and Saab as
a very natural fit, says Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman for product
development. It makes sense for FHI and Saab to work together
early in the development process to deliver their own distinct
interpretations of a sporty and versatile cross-over
product.
The new collaboration between Saab and FHI will integrate the
development of a new Saab cross-over vehicle with FHIs cross-over
project for Subaru. Both vehicles will be produced at FHIs U.S.
manufacturing facility.
We are pleased that our alliance with GM enables us to continue to
work together with Saab, said Kyoji Takenaka, president and CEO of
FHI. This collaboration provides many benefits such as economies
of scale, higher joint volume for FHIs U.S. manufacturing
facility, etc. and most importantly, creates a win-win situation
for both FHI and Saab.
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