A bankruptcy petition was filed Friday against a subsidiary of struggling Swedish carmaker Saab, adding to the company's woes, according to dpa. Saab subsidiary Saab Automobile Tools owed almost 6 million kronor (945,000 dollars) to die tool maker SweParts Verktyg, according to documents filed at the district court in Vanersborg. A court official told the German Press Agency dpa that a review of the petition was likely to begin Monday, pending payment of an administrative fee. If the documents in the petition were in order, a hearing with the creditor could likely be held within the next three weeks. The parties could in the meantime also settle, she said. SweParts owner Lars Thunberg appeared doubtful, telling Swedish radio news that his company had lost confidence in Saab after invoices remained unpaid despite several reminders. Saab Automobile spokesman Eric Geers said the group was looking into the matter and seeking a solution. According to Friday's edition of the newspaper Goteborgs-Posten, cash-strapped Saab has also borrowed almost 800 million kronor from subsidiaries, Saab Automobile Tools and Saab Automobile Parts. Saab said Thursday it was to postpone its planned production restart until end of August, pending ongoing talks with suppliers. Production at Saab's main plant in the western Swedish town of Trollhattan was initially due to resume August 9. It has virtually been stopped since April. Saab has some 800 suppliers. Dutch-based Swedish Automobile took over the carmaker in early 2010 from US auto group General Motors. Recently, Saab agreed to sell off part of its Trollhattan plant to a consortium to raise cash to help pay wages to its 3,700 employees and meet obligations to suppliers.
