The Swedish government has agreed to give financial support to Saab to enable parent General Motors achieve its plan to combine Saab 9-3 and Opel Vectra assembly at a single site instead of at Rüsselsheim, in Germany, and Trollhättan, Sweden. Details of the support package are to be kept confidential until next week.

The Swedish prime minister is expected to meet senior GM representatives at the end of this week, just before GM Europe’s management is reportedly due to present details of its cost reduction plans for Opel/Saab to the General Motors' board.

Whatever the decision concerning the location of Saab/Vectra production, it is expected that 10% of the Trollhättan workforce may lose their jobs and about 4,500 of the 20,000 jobs at the much larger Opel-Werk Rüsselsheim will be cut.