It's interesting to look at the size of Volvo.
Click on this link
Volvo Group : home and pull down the
Volvo Group Companies tab.
You'll see how much Volvo Group actually controls and that the cars are a minor part.
What AB Volvo might be doing is waiting for the price to drop significantly before making an offer. Volvo is as Swedish as Ikea and I don't think that they would let the car division fall exclusively into the hands of foreigners.
Here's where Saab is right now;
GM?s Saab Closer to Sale as Sweden Seeks EU Approval (Update2) - Bloomberg.com
Opel's deal is a little closer but still mired in side-deals;
UK and Spain object to German-run Opel buyout | Business | Deutsche Welle | 10.10.2009
They are all well known, successful marques that were caught up in a globalization take over that has failed. Large companies bought them out for their names and market share. They failed to realize people wanted the product because of what it was, not what is stands for.
This has happened in many other fields too. Electronics companies have been bought for their names. Harmon-Kardon, Boston Acoustics are good examples of former quality producers whose name is now attached to junk. Getrag used to be a name associated with Porsche and BMW racing transmissions. GM bought Getrag and then every Chevy Cavalier had a Getrag 5 speed tranny. Same quality as the BMW box? No, merely the same crap transmission GM used to make in the same factory but now with a newly acquired name.
These companies are money loosers because of creative accounting. Losses from one division are magically shared by prosperous ones, creating an appearance of loss and a subsequent 'need' to cut costs/wages. Sheer financial greed has taken over a business where products were bought for their actual quality and feel.
Fortunaltely, It seems like there are still groups that want to keep the different lines alive and unique. Hopefully they will prevail.