[volkman10]

SAAB to be saved by mystery Swedish electric car company!

An electric car consortium involving the former Volvo Trucks head Karl-Erling Trogen is reportedly the lead bidder to buy the assets of the bankrupt Swedish car giant Saab out of administration

Youngman, the Chinese car company which tried to buy Saab through talks with Viktor Muller, the Dutch entrepreneur behind Spyker Cars, has reportedly dropped out of the process.

Swedish electric car firm 'close to buying Saab' | Autocar

[volkman10]

SAAB Sold! Again. Probably.

The sale of assets of bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab is complete, according to Swedish media reports, with a Swedish electric car consortium rumoured to be the main buyer.

We submitted a definitive offer on April 7 before the deadline for bids expired," said Mikaael Östlund of the National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB.

According to Swedish media they could make an announcement as soon as the end of the month.

Saab Automobile deal 'complete': report - The Local

[volkman10]

SAAB sold!

A Chinese-Sweden investment group with Japanese backing has agreed to buy bankrupt automaker Saab Automobile and plans to make electric vehicles, the administrator of the bankruptcy process said today. In a statement, the administrator gave no details on how much the buyer, National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, was paying for Saab or how much it would invest.

[http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...306139902/1131

[madan80]

Le SAAB est mort, vive le SAAB!
Volvo first, now SAAB. Sweden is not left with any more vehicle manufacturers. Some brilliant cars, some not so spectacular- but as they say -the end of an era!
Thanks for the constant updates! @Volkman!

[volkman10]

The newly-formed National Electric Vehicle Sweden says the first new Saab model will be a battery-powered version of the current 9-3, which is due to roll off the revived Trollhattan production lines at the end of 2013.

At a press conference today, NEVS said it had bought the rights to the current 9-3 and the new Phoenix platform that was under development when Saab folded last year. It does not have the rights to build the 9-5 or 9-4x SUV.

Saab sale to spawn EV roll out | Autocar

[volkman10]

SAAB ( now owned by NEVS) might consider tying up with Mahindra's for developing petrol cars! Opportunity for M&M in the C segment market! ( SAAB's Phoenix platform)

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.

According to DI: M&M could build petrol Saab cars | SaabsUnited.com

[ajmat]

This looks like and eggs and ham situation. NEVS is the pig who is heavily committed and providing the ham so cannot run away. Mahindra is merely the chicken proving eggs and can run away from it.

Anyway, it looks good, two indian manufacturers saving some good brands

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Mahindra is merely the chicken proving eggs and can run away from it.

SAAB tying up with Mahindra for developing petrol engines? When did Mahindra become famous for its petrol engines?

I wonder why Mahindra is interested in small petrols at all! Developing small diesels make a LOT more sense to them.

[carboy]

Jay Leno's article about Saab - Long Live Saab! Jay Leno Remembers the Quirky Carmaker - Popular Mechanics

Then GM bought Saab, intending to turn it into a BMW competitor. Suddenly there were Saabs that were Subarus with new badges or Chevy TrailBlazers with their ignition key on the floor. Without quirkiness, Saab became just another car.

[volkman10]

Buyer National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS) completes the deal, can use the SAAB name but not the distinctive griffin logo.

"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.

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

Cheers!

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/0...88207J20120903

[volkman10]

Saab to return 'next year'(2013)

Saab could relaunch the 9-3 as early as next year, and not as an electric car, as previously reported.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a Chinese/Japanese consortium that took over Saab earlier this year, told Automotive News that it was looking to start production of the 9-3 with a petrol engine “next summer.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/in...turn-next-year

[volkman10]

National Electric Vehicle Sweden has reportedly reopened the Saab factory in Trollhättan.
First model will likely be the 9-3 sedan and convertible.
The model is slated to go into production in September and could be offered as a sedan and convertible. The car is expected to be virtually identical to the old model and it will eventually get a facelift.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11308156...or-september--

[altius]

I had driven a rented, but almost new Saab 9-5 sedan way back in 2001 for more than 1000 mile drive with friends to and back from Niagara. It was a great highway car and was a great change from driving Accords , Camry's and the Nissan.

[FlatOut]

Saabs cars made from the 1950s to the 1980s are total and utter bargains, for those who know. They have a quality which only Mercedes-Benz and Citroën matched, in very different ways, in my opinion. Truly brilliant cars with real intelligence. They simply didn't understand the cynicism required to succeed in the motor industry.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

SAAB tying up with Mahindra for developing petrol engines? When did Mahindra become famous for its petrol engines?

I wonder why Mahindra is interested in small petrols at all! Developing small diesels make a LOT more sense to them.

These are the future - diesels will never be economical to produce (or run) when emissions laws tighten further.

Originally Posted by volkman10

National Electric Vehicle Sweden has reportedly reopened the Saab factory in Trollhättan.
First model will likely be the 9-3 sedan and convertible.
The model is slated to go into production in September and could be offered as a sedan and convertible. The car is expected to be virtually identical to the old model and it will eventually get a facelift.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11308156...or-september--

The Swedes could set up a new motor company when the time is right, and it could produce intelligent vehicles as did SAAB. The company's military arm currently makes a missile which is undetectable by US military - it is the only one in the world which is. And steam powered, no less. I'll try and find a link.

From the 1940s to the 80s, SAAB and Citroën were the two car makers who used engineering intelligently. Rather sadly, the average car owner doesn't really appreciate good engineering.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

They would have allocated crores of rupees for SAAB but not a penny would have reached SAAB.

Interesting to hear this - in the UK millions were poured into our indigenous car industry, they did receive it, but it was easy money and wasted it. The Germans however gave VW a three year period to sort themselves out in around 1970. It was made clear if they didn't, that would be it.

Originally Posted by Samir Taheer

Why should Jaguar-Land Rover be out sourced soon?? And there is alot more than assembly that goes on here!!!

There is alot of manufacutring that still happens in the UK, i work for one of these companies so i would know. With the Pound falling alot of the work that was lost to Poland, Romania, China & India is starting to come back. Its not just because of the fall in the Pound, but also because none on these places can handle quality or craftsmanship like the English. Dont get me wrong here i totally LOVE India and my hope is that one day we'll be upto the Europen standards, but its still not here. Our Indian suppliers still dont have the work ethics that exists here. Honda, Nissan and Ford all have their R&D and Design Centres here in the UK. So even though there are only a handfull of British Owned Manufactures, theres still ALOT of engineering!!!

Well said. The truth is often harder for people to believe than fiction.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I feel this is only the beginning of the end for small niche manufacturers, no matter how well engineered their products are or were. Saab stopped being the legendary manufacturer of superb engineer's cars the moment they became part of GM.

There is a lesson here. Being financially rich doesn't mean you're good at anything necessarily, other than gathering up people's money and giving them as little as possible in return. The USA was handed a trading empire on a plate in 1946 and will most likely be the shortest-lived world power, ever.

[volkman10]

Right on schedule, Saab resumes production, first prototype rolls off the line in Trollhattan -without the company's familiar griffin logo.



Looking virtually identical to the model that went out of production several years ago, the NEVS -built prototype will undergo a round of testing to ensure the new components are up to the company's standards.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11309186...-rolls-off-the