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Old 09-04-2012, 08:13 PM   #1
banyan
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News Buyer to use bankrupt Saab to go electric

STOCKHOLM | Mon Sep 3, 2012 3:48pm IST
(Reuters) - The buyer of bankrupt Saab completed the deal to acquire most of its assets in a step that advanced its plans to make electric vehicles but said it would not be able to use the Swedish automaker's distinctive griffin head logo.

Saab, which has been making cars since 1947, crashed into bankruptcy at the end of 2011, less than two years after General Motors (GM.N) sold it to Dutch sportscar group Spyker.

Buyer National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS), whose electric vehicles will be based on Saab cars, said completion of the purchase would speed up the process toward the start of production.

"In approximately 18 months, we plan to introduce our first electric vehicle based on Saab 9-3 technologies and a new technology electric powertrain," Karl-Erling Trogen, NEVS chairman, said in a statement on Monday.

NEVS aims to make cars for the Chinese market as it sees the authorities there investing heavily in electric vehicles.

The finalization of the deal, including the main production plant, came after NEVS agreed with truck maker Scania (SCVb.ST) and defense and aerospace group Saab (SAABb.ST) not to use the griffin symbol, though it can use the name Saab.

The brand had been owned by the three companies, which in the past were one company.

NEVS is wholly owned by National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd., whose founder and principal owner is Chinese-Swedish businessman Kai Johan Jiang.

"Engineering and development of our first electric vehicle has been underway for an extended period in China and Japan, and now with the manufacturing facilities in our possession, we are able to continue development work on site at Trollhattan (the Saab plant)," Jiang said in a statement.

Despite its admired brand and a loyal fanbase, Saab had struggled for years to survive against bigger competitors.

Spyker bought the carmaker in early 2010 but soon hit financing problems and spent months stitching together deals with Chinese companies.

GM, which retained licensing rights and operates in China in a partnership with state-run automaker SAIC Motor Corp Ltd (600104.SS), late last year effectively blocked deals with other Chinese companies.

Spyker has filed to sue GM for $3 billion, saying it deliberately let Saab go under. GM has rejected the allegation.

Spyker has also struck a deal with a would-be Saab investor, Zhejiang Youngman Passenger Car Group, to make upmarket cars based on a platform and technology developed for Saab.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/0...88207J20120903
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Old 09-04-2012, 08:19 PM   #2
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Let it go...
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Old 09-05-2012, 09:36 AM   #3
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Though I am not a reading-optional, anti-environment, anti-science, ultra right wing oil consortium nut bag, I can see that this venture has FAIL written all over it.
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:17 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverSubaab View Post
Let it go...
Why?

All the tooling, production lines, etc. are in place to churn out production, market-ready 9-3-like unibodies.

Makes perfect sense for someone to use an existing design/production line to build their electric cars.

In fact, I bet it's saving them boat loads compared to developing and producing their own chassis/body/interior.
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:18 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stewb View Post
Though I am not a reading-optional, anti-environment, anti-science, ultra right wing oil consortium nut bag, I can see that this venture has FAIL written all over it.
In other markets? Sure.

But selling to China? They could easily sell 9-3 look-alike e-vehicles over there.
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:26 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REX8 View Post
Why?

All the tooling, production lines, etc. are in place to churn out production, market-ready 9-3-like unibodies.

Makes perfect sense for someone to use an existing design/production line to build their electric cars.

In fact, I bet it's saving them boat loads compared to developing and producing their own chassis/body/interior.
I just meant let SAAB, the name and company, just die...I would say let SAAB die in peace, but it is far too late for that...
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:33 PM   #7
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They are letting SAAB die. They can't use the name or logo, just the hardware.
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:57 PM   #8
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They are letting SAAB die. They can't use the name or logo, just the hardware.
Actually, they can use the name, not the logo.
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Old 01-18-2013, 11:22 PM   #9
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Update.....

Quote:
We knew that National Electric Vehicle Sweden planned to restart production of the last-gen Saab 9-3 at some point in the future, we just didn't know exactly when, or exactly where. As it turns out, the answers to those questions are soon, and China.

Though NEVS had initially said it will build vehicles in Sweden before shipping them to China, the latest report from Autocar suggests that the cars will instead be built right in Quingdao starting later in 2013. That's right, this calendar year. Also on the docket is a followup electric version of the 9-3, which is slated to come to market in 2014 in an effort to satiate China's wish that there be half a million EVs silently filling its streets within the next two years.

NEVS wants to be part of the EV solution, but it's not going to be easy. Naturally, if these cars are to be built in China, a factory has to be located or built, tooling needs to be in place, workers need to be hired and trained and a lengthy trail of paperwork has to be signed off by the government before even the well-known gasoline-powered 9-3 can be a reality, let along the unknown quantity that is the 9-3 ePower.

In other words... Må kraften vara med dig, NEVS.

*UPDATE: We were contacted by the brains behind saabsunited.com, who claims production will indeed be in Trollhättan, Sweden, as previously reported. Cars will be exported to China until maximum capacity is reached, at which point, possibly by 2015, production in China will begin in earnest. This version of the story makes much more sense...
http://www.autoblog.com
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Old 01-22-2013, 06:17 PM   #10
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Seems like a great way to revive the brand (going all electric). But I'm not entirely sold on the way they are going about it. I will be following this in hopes of something great to come of it, but in all reality. . .
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Old 01-22-2013, 07:40 PM   #11
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The death of Saab is sad. A new EV manufacturer is a potentially good thing.
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Old 08-22-2013, 12:57 PM   #12
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http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs...#axzz2ccTHTHat

Quote:
Saab's new owner is seeking to restart production at the automaker's mothballed factory in Sweden later this year.

The Saab plant in Trollhattan is "practically ready" to begin building the 9-3 mid-sized car, said Mikael Oestlund, a spokesman for National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS).

The company has recruited about 300 people including team leaders to oversee assembly, Oestlund told Automotive News Europe.

The production start is dependent on NEVS coming to an agreement with parts suppliers, something it has yet to do. "We are not there yet and therefore we are not able to make the decision of start of production," Oestlund said.

If agreement is reached, it will be possible to start production later this year, he said.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden, which is owned by a Chinese renewable energy investor, bought Saab out of bankruptcy last August.

Oestlund said the 9-3 that will go into production will be very similar to the 9-3 that Saab stopped building in 2011. He did not disclose engine details except to say that the gasoline version would be turbocharged. An electric version, planned to launch next year, would be given a much more comprehensive face-lift, he said.

Oestlund said the 9-3 will be sold in Europe and China initially with U.S. sales possible later. "Saab will again be a global brand, but we will gradually add markets. The U.S. market is important for us and we intend to enter when we see that we have a business case," he said.

New models

NEVS also plans to build cars based on the Phoenix architecture developed by Saab before the automaker went bankrupt in 2011. The platform will have to be modified to remove the 20 percent of parts sourced from former Saab owner General Motors, Oestlund said.

"The Phoenix architecture is very flexible and when fully developed it will give us the opportunity to design and manufacture several models from smaller to bigger cars. We have not yet decided which models and we have no time plan -- that is some years ahead," he said.

Oestlund said the 9-3 electric version will use batteries built by sister company Beijing National Battery Technology, which builds batteries for city buses.

NEVS and Beijing National Battery Technology are owned by Hong Kong National Modern Energy Holdings, which is run by Swedish-Chinese green energy entrepreneur Kai Johan Jiang. NEVS is 22 percent owned by the Chinese city of Qingdao following a deal earlier this year.

NEVS plans to build 120,000 units of the 9-3 a year by 2016, according to a report by Bloomberg in January. That target would come close to the brand's 2006 peak of 133,000 autos.
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Old 12-03-2013, 04:31 PM   #13
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I'm surprised no one has posted this yet - perhaps nobody cares about Saab anymore?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25180698
Quote:
Saab to resume making cars in Sweden
Cars at production line in Saab factory in Sweden Saab is set to restart production two years after it filed for bankruptcy


Saab will restart production on Monday as the firm's new owners look to get the carmaker back on track.

Saab went bankrupt in December 2011 and was bought by a Chinese-Swedish investment group, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs), last year.

The carmaker will restart production of its 9-3 sedan model at its Trollhattan factory in western Sweden.

The firm will initially make a petrol-powered version of the car with the aim of launching an electric version later.

"It's very similar, you can't change or develop very much in a year. We acquired the assets in August last year," Mikael Oestlund, a spokesman for Nevs was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

"Our focus has been to get the co-operation up and running with 400 suppliers and ensure the facilities were working."

We are humble and say we'll start the production volume with low figures and be able to increase over time according to the market's demand"


Saab has seen mixed fortunes over the past few years.

US carmaker General Motors (GM) bought a 50% stake and management control of the firm in 1989, and gained full ownership in 2000.

The Swedish company's car sales peaked at 133,000 cars in 2006. But then it saw its fortunes dwindle with sales falling to 93,000 cars in 2008 and just 27,000 in 2009.

To make matters worse, GM itself sought bankruptcy protection as the global financial crisis unfolded, forcing the US company to dispose of assets.

GM sold Saab to Dutch group Spyker, which in turn eventually sold the firm to Nevs in June last year. The new owners have said they want to focus on electric cars as they look to revive the brand.

However, Mr Oestlund said that initial production would be modest.

"We don't want to make promises or forecasts we don't know we can fulfil," he said.

"We are humble and say we'll start the production volume with low figures and be able to increase over time according to the market's demand."
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Old 12-03-2013, 06:05 PM   #14
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I was reading about it the other day. Also there is information on their site...I really would like Saab to succeed...but right now they won't even tell you where the engines are coming from in these new models. BMW was supposed to supply them for future models under Spyker and if that were still the case, I'd have high hopes...but I don't believe it is. I am scared for the brand...I don't know if it can escape death for a fourth time.

People always blame GM for the companies woes...but that was the reason they could acquire them in the first place...the company was already plagued with problems...Even with some of the best designed vehicles Saab had seen in years being produced as Spykers took ownership, their inability to revive the brand was a clear indication that only a large company like GM could could bear the burden of a failing brand like Saab...hopefully this company has a good plan.

http://www.saabcars.com/
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