GM wins appeal in Spyker lawsuit

General Motors has reportedly emerged victorious in its legal battle with Dutch supercar specialist Spyker.
An appeals court has upheld a lower court decision to dismiss Spyker’s case, which had accused GM of interfering with the sale of Saab to China’s Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co.

Both courts have agreed that GM executed its contractual right to approve or reject the proposed sale. The latest decision found that the US company had “legitimate business concerns” over the proposal, as Saab had retained rights to use GM’s intellectual property after Spyker took majority ownership, according to a Reuters report.

The Swedish brand’s 2011 bankruptcy is claimed to have resulted from the alleged malicious meddling, leading Spyker to seek $3 billion in damages. The Dutch company has argued that GM was merely attempting to eliminate a competitor in the Chinese market.

Now owned by China’s National Electric Vehicle Sweden, Saab has struggled to relaunch the 9-3 as an all-electric model for the Chinese market. The brand now faces bankruptcy yet again, as suppliers ask Swedish courts to force liquidation.