Further muddying the waters. Hopes that Steve Saleen would be able to buy back his own brand have been put off for a bit as another company has purchased Saleen or at least bits of Saleen from Saleen Inc. The press release below outlines some of the details but confuses matters more.
Irvine, California, February 2, 2009 -- After announcing it was looking for a buyer in early November, Saleen Incorporated announced today that MJ Acquistions has acquired certain assets of America’s premier automotive lifestyle brand, relating to Saleen’s supercharger, aftermarket and high performance street vehicle businesses.
The transaction reportedly was finalized last Friday, which left all of the employees (including Saleen Inc. CEO Chris Theodore) with the legal formality of being without jobs -- at least temporarily. Some hirebacks have already taken place as the transition progresses.
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the purchase does not include the assets associated with the supercar (S7 or S5 Raptor vehicles) or the paint operations, which will remain with Saleen Incorporated.
The ownership of MJ Acquisitions controls a family of companies which provide full service engineering, design, manufacturing, assembly and control systems for the automotive industry. It's affilitated companies include Cyltec, LLC, Power-Tec Engineering, LLC, Arrow Racing Engines, LLC, and Control-Tec, LLC.
"MJ Acquisitions and its affiliates are a group of true car professionals with vast experience in the engineering, production, assembly and distribution of performance and racing vehicles" said Theodore in a press release. "This influx of new life into the Saleen, RaceCraft and SpeedLab brands is a win-win situation."
Theodore noted loyal Saleen customers, dealers and enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting transition period.
"We moved on this purchase quickly to ensure that the process of delivering high-quality automobiles and components to the consumers is not disrupted," said Mike Shields, President and CEO of MJ Acquisitions. "We are working with the talented team from Saleen and our own experts to continue the quality, delivery, and performance the customer base and delalership network have come to expect from the Saleen brand. I am particularly excited about Saleen's supercharger experience and its synergies with Power-Tec's development of the next generation of superchargers."
Immediate plans are to roll out the 2010 version of the newly designed Mustang for the Racecraft brand and commence other Racecraft designs for additional vehicles. The new Mustang is shipping from Ford later this month. Additionally, the Saleen brand will have a new design of the flagship S-Line that is already in the works and scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2009.
While this announcement may provide more questions than answers for some, Saleen owners should be assured that key warranty and sales staff are still at the company to serve dealers and owners, with more hirebacks likely coming in the days ahead.
MJ Acquistions does plan to work with the dealer network and others to establish the future product line. A company spokesperson said more announcements will be forthcoming, so stay tuned.
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