Saab, which has been at a dead stop for nearly a month since it ran out of cash to buy parts and build cars, has gotten a short-term financing reprieve to let it restart production while it seeks a Russian or Chinese rescue.  With time running out, owner Spyker Cars said Monday that it has secured $88 million in the form of a six-month convertible loan from the Gemini fund, a Spyker shareholder, and a request for another draw-down on its credit package with the European Investment Bank.  Spyker said it hopes to have Saab making cars again by next week.  "I would like to apologize to our dedicated employees, suppliers, dealers and customers for the disruptions of the past weeks," said a statement from Spyker CEO Victor Muller. "We will do everything in our power to restore the confidence in our company as soon as practically possible."  Meanwhile, Spyker continues to chase longer-term funding from Russian and Chinese sources:  It has proposed a deal for Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov to get a stake in Saab. Last week, the Swedish Debt Office recommended that the government let him take up to a 29.9% stake. GM, which sold Saab to Spyker, but has an ongoing supply relationship, said it had a "tentative agreement" with Saab to allow that.  And spokesman Eric Geers told the Associated Press that Muller is now in China seeking partners. Saab has not identified Chinese carmakers with whom it is talking, but Bloomberg News recently reported that sources with direct knowledge said the companies include Great Wall Motor, China Youngman Automobile Group and Jiangsu Yueda Group.  Spyker last week reported a first-quarter loss of 76.3 million euros ($112.9 million).  See photos of: General Motors, Saab  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Short-term loan to let Saab make cars again -- for a while  - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com