Saab to hire 200 engineers, might build gas cars with Mahindra

The brand formerly known as Saab is still intent on teaching The Little Engine That Could a few ticks about persistence. We say "formerly known" because it turns out that National Electric Vehicle Swedent (NEVS), the Sino-Japanese investment consortium that just bought the majority of Saab's assets, minus Saab Automobile Parts AB, may not actually own the rights to the Saab brand name. According to a report in Di.se via Saabs United, NEVS will need to negotiate with Scania and the Swedish aerospace and defense group, Saab AB, for the right to name its forthcoming electric car the Saab 9-3.

NEVS is hiring 200 engineers now to work on its electric car program, and reports are that it will hire more as it gets closer to the 2014 launch. It will be based on the current (read: ancient) 9-3, and we hope NEVS is succeeds in getting the naming rights, because the NEVS 9-3 just doesn't have the same ring. NEVS will likely target China as the model's main market.

However, it's rumors of their second negotiating ploy that we're really rooting for: to work with Mahinda & Mahindra, the Indian company once in the running for Saab's assets, develop a petrol-powered 9-3 on the next-generation Phoenix platform, based on Jason Castriota's design.

NEVS is also said to be planning new models "based on Japanese technology," yet with just under $1 billion U.S. committed to the electric program, the Di.se report says NEVS wants to have other products to generate revenue. A conventionally powered gasoline-engined car could be the answer. There only connection between Saab AB and Mahindra appears to be that India is one of Saab's largest markets and Mahindra is Indian. Separately, Mahindra could develop the car and provide small, "low carbon output" engines. It's tenuous, which characterizes just about everything that happens with Saab these days, but perhaps NEVS sees it as enough of a lure for everyone involved to make it worth the attempt.

The amount of speculation here makes the chances of a Phoenix-based 9-3 too thin to even call slim, but we won't bet against it, if only because one was quite far along in development under the company's previous owners. And besides, we'd really like to see it happen. 

via: In Auto News, Saabs United

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Saab Reborn as EV Maker?

Having followed the Saab story closely from the very beginning, we are finally relieved that the ailing Swedish carmaker has been purchased and is set to restart actual car production at some point in the (hopefully near) future.

Their buyers, NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) will undoubtedly try to start production of ‘something’ as soon as possible. However, what will roll off the production line in Trollhättan may not be what you were expecting. Reports indicate that Saab will now make EVs which, at first, will be made for the Chinese market, with the first car reportedly being a 9-3-based EV.

Sadly, though, the excellent 9-5 will apparently not be making it back into production as GM is unwilling to give permission to the new owners to start making it - what a shame! However, we hope that the 9-5 too will be reborn as a “premium electric vehicle” made in Europe, for the European market.

Following the 9-3-based model, the next EV to be launched will be a Phoenix platform-based vehicle. You may remember the PhoeniX concept revealed by Saab at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show - it also previewed a new platform bearing the same name. It was originally intended to underpin a ‘new breed’ of Saabs, following the acquisition by Spyker, but will now be used in an upcoming EV.

Regardless of the new owners’ nationality, they must not forget (or ignore and neglect) the fact that Saab is a deeply European and Scandinavian company, deeply proud of its roots and heritage, which needs to be treaded as such in order to obtain true success and cult status in years to come, bringing Saab to the forefront of the automotive industry, albeit as an EV maker.

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Saab sold! Again. Probably.

You'll note that we have yet to remove Saab from the dropdown menu at the top of the Autoblog home page. Indeed, for a bankrupt company that hasn't built a new car from scratch yet this year, Saab generates a surprising amount of news, however, little of it has been the good kind. Perhaps that will all change today, as this latest report indicates that the company has actually been sold for real this time.

According to The Local, an English-language Swedish news site, the new owner of Saab is understood to be National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, "a Swedish-registered company founded by a Hong Kong-based firm specialised in alternative energy and a Japanese investment fund."

NEVS would only confirm that it had made a bid for Saab before the April 7 deadline, according to the report, which said that court administrators also refused to comment, though an official announcement is expected later this month. The offer is said to be in the $208-$250 million range and excludes the parts operation.

The report says news of the sale was shared by the Trollhättan city manager, and though she did not know who the buyer was, she said she had been told the deal would be inked this week. Shortly after media began reporting the story, however, a public relations official for the city denied that anyone at the city knew about any deal, characterizing the leak as a "misinterpretation," according to the report.

While we have imagined many times in recent months that we had written the final word on this Swedish soap opera, clearly this isn't it. 

Via: The Local

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Saab Parts To Be Offered To North America

Saab Automobile AB may be bankrupt, but there are still a large variety of their vehicles roaming around the globe that will eventually, need attention.  In North America, getting parts for a low volume car make, especially one that is currently silent, can be tricky but 9-5 owners should slap on a for sale sign just yet.  With the name sake scrambling to find new parents, the company responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of individual parts is still going and will soon reach out to North America.

Saab Automobile Parts AB, different from Saab, will open a new North American subsidiary in June.  The new division will be supply Saab Genuine Parts as well as technical support to the U.S. and Canada.  Named North America Distribution Services Inc., the outfit will be stationed in Michigan.  ”Today there are around half a million Saab cars on the roads in North America – the largest fleet of Saabs in one single market in the world. Our establishment in North America will secure support to Saab owners in the USA and Canada and ensure they have access to Saab Genuine Parts, service programs and technical support”, said Lennart Ståhl, CEO of Saab Automobile Parts AB.

To ensure the parts stay strong, Saab Automobile Parts AB will continue to work with the main automaker’s administrators.  According to an Autoblog article, this is so large pieces such as body parts can be built at the Trollhättan, Sweden assembly plant.  As of now, the supply company has about 70,000 parts on hand and about 1,200 warehouses worldwide.

via: autotalk

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Youngman bids anew for Saab

After withdrawing its original $492 million bid for Saab, Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile has returned to the bidding with a fresh offer of $552 million, according to a report from Bloomberg. Right now, Youngman is bidding for Saab against a group comprised of a Japanese investment firm, Sun Investment and Hong Kong-based National Modern Energy Holdings.

As we told you earlier, the duo of Sun Investment and National Modern Energy Holdings has formed a new company called National Electric Vehicle Sweden, created with the sole purpose of buying up all of Saab's assets.

When approached by Automotive News Europe and Bloomberg, a spokesperson for the bankruptcy administration declined to comment on when a decision would be reached. 

Via: Automotive News Europe - sub. req. via Bloomberg

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