http://www.themustangnews.com/fomoco_07/st-0607saleen.htm If this story is true, then it is pretty sad. This happens time and time again in the US. You start your own company, then build it up, keeping control over everything, ensuring quality standards etc. You are the president and CEO, everything goes through you. Then bring in some investors, at first, for $$ capital reasons. Next comes selling out to a big corporation, for big $$$$, you become a token figurehead VP or similar, with no say whatsoever. Finally, you are forced out, and the company owns your product, your ideas, your facilities, and most importantly, your name. I am a guitarist, and I have seen this over and over in the guitar industry, with companies like Fender, Gibson, Jackson, Charvel and BC Rich all suffering similar fates, just to name a few. I know that this is old news, but going from owning and running your own successful company to importing affordable (read: cheap) cars from China, is like hitting rock bottom. How the mighty have fallen.... .02 cents.
I missed this part, which is a small silver lining, I guess. But I don't hold out a lot of hope for this being a quality product, or even happening, for that matter. "The press release from ZXAUTO went on to say that Steve Saleen’s agreement with CHAMCO AUTO will create a new company which will produce a new line of American performance vehicles manufactured in the U.S. for 2008. What those cars will be and from which manufacturer they might be sourced from is anyone’s guess."
Gazing into my admittedly hazy crystal ball... I can foresee a time when Saleen Incorporated severs their current relationship with FoMoCo & aligns themselves with another major manufacturer for their more plebian offerings. There have been rumors & public statements made in the recent past about a possible relationship with General Motors & in particular Chevrolet with a Saleen Camaro. The fact that Saleen Special Vehicles was involved in the mock-up Camaros for the soon to be released Transformers movie may have fueled this speculation or it may actually be a harbinger of things to come. With Steve & Liz out of the picture, there is no longer any reason for their former company to retain even a semblance of their legacy. Certainly FoMoCo's recently rekindled relationship with Carroll Shelby indicates to me that they are themselves actively moving away from Saleen in establishing their aftermarket presence. Quite frankly, I personally don't care what happens with Saleen Incorporated or Steve Saleen anymore. The former has incrementally been alienating their core enthusiast following by producing far too many vehicles, promoting a supercar project that even the enthusiast press has never taken seriously & essentially relegating the legacy established by Steve to the proverbial dust bin of history. Likewise the latter's involvement with his former company continually became marginalized by the owners to the point that he was forced out, only to quickly align himself with another company that may end up making his name synonomous with Malcolm Bricklin. While I don't begrudge Steve for finding another employer as he has to make a living doing something, he has apparently abandoned any further aspirations for being a high performance vehicle icon. As I said in the other thread related to his new venture; It was a great ride while it lasted.
Cars from china concern me. Case in point: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/22/brilliance-bs6s-adac-crash-test-is-anything-but/ I'll take expensive and poor gas mileage over that anyday.
China has plenty of people. Do they not discourage couples from having more than one child? Also if the couple has a female they are looked down upon. I guess since the population is so large the cars don't need to be safe. That car didn't fare well at all.
I appreciate your interest and admire your enthusiasm, but we have all seen this before ( except Steve being fired ). Just be sure to continue to post here after you drive to work one morning in Irvine and discover that the lights are off and nobodys home because 15 extra large moving vans spent the entire night before loading up anything and everything and heading to Troy. I give Irvine 4 months max. I hope I'm wrong but that's my guess for the pool. I talked to someone who should know last week and there is NO Saleen show scheduled as yet. Bummer really.
...should we be watching for Allied or Benkin Rigs?? 15 might not be enough trucks as that warehouse is pretty darn large.
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/25/as-if-poisoned-pet-food-wasnt-enough-chinese-tires-now-failing/ more good news from china
4 months? So October, A? I would think it would be closer to December for tax purposes But I certainly agree, we all kinda followed Steve, so with him out of the picutres, a HUGE amount of car/saleen buyers will also quite purchasing them. Just like when old man Shelby kicks the buckett, the Shelby days for current and future stuff will take a dive and his older stuff will skyrocket
If i was 6 inches shorter it would be a possiblity. Some people read the news paper in the morning, i read the autoblog.
there's no way they can close before october... im coming over there in october and irvine is a pin in my map.... they better damn well still be open !!
Before Steve completely hitches his proverbial wagon to the Chi-Com auto industry, perhaps he should read this column from one of my favorite commentators: http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2007/06/29/chinese_tinker-cars
