Oracle,
Now that is indeed an interesting perspective - I had always supposed that having to act as lessor for the aircraft that one had produced oneself was a problem and not an opportunity - it certainly was for the Shed at Shorts but that could be because the credits in general were so rubbish that the aircraft were constantly being repossessed. But if, as you suggest, you build a portfolio of good credits paying commercial rentals then the leasing vehicle becomes a profitable venture in its own right and maybe SAL has been/is that. After all, it is generally supposed that aircraft lessors are among the most profitable elements of the aviation industry. Thus for SAL to replenish their fleet by producing updated aircraft in a low-cost country and retain the customer support business etc could be an interesting opportunity.
You are so right that Saab do not want to follow the current rather sorry example of Bombardier. They seem to have taken their foot off the gas on all current programmes leading to rapidly diminishing backlogs and devoted all efforts to the C Series which is itself stuck between Embraer and the NEO/MAX - not a happy position to be in.
Jackxx
P&Ls are way above my pay grade. All I can say is having been intimately involved in a variety of regional and mainstream aircraft programmes the basic thrust of my argument is correct and borne out by experience. The regional / utility end of the market clearly needs new aircraft but supplying them on a genuinely commercial basis is likely to be a nightmare.