Confirmed: Saab USA to move HQ to Royal Oak, Michigan

This morning, Saab and the state of Michigan confirmed that the Swedish/Dutch automaker's North American headquarters will relocate from General Motors' Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit to the suburb of Royal Oak thanks to a $1.2 million five-year tax break. Saab was officially purchased by Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker last month for $74 million.

Saab will move by the end of March to a leased industrial building at 4327 Delemere Court - the same location the automaker planned to move to when it was being courted during the now-failed effort by Koenigsegg.

Over the next few years, the automaker looks to increase its North American ranks to 60 employees paid an average of $88,000 annually, making its total investment about $2.4 million. To keep the Michigan incentive, it must hire 25 new workers paid at least $21.75 hourly.

Saab says it decided to remain in the Detroit area because of the wealth of automotive talent the region continues to retain, despite the industry's general woes. The Royal Oak office will eventually handle distribution into Mexico and Canada when Saab returns to those markets, but for now the automaker's human resources, accounting, IT, marketing and customer service departments will use the new facility.

Inventory on the way
Former Saab owner GM ceased production of North American-specification Saabs last year in a bid to save money as it attempted to wind down the brand. Now, new Saab owner Spyker says that it has ramped up production and, according to Saab USA president and COO, "we have vehicles on the water" en route to the United States.

Saab hopes to eventually boost North American sales to around 30-35,000 cars; 2008 sales were down to just 8,680 thanks to a combination of diminished demand, a significantly pared lineup, reduced production and limited marketing support.

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