NEVS news

[nordwulf]

Article from Reuters.

Saab bets on electric cars and China for revival

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A year out of bankruptcy and with just two cars a day rolling off its production line, Saab is betting on an as yet unbuilt electric version of a decade old car to bring the iconic Swedish marque back from the dead.

Saab's new owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), is targeting its home market of China, where the government is promoting clean automotive technology with up to 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) in vehicle subsidies, R&D and infrastructure spending, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan.

However, the battery version of Saab's 9-3 model will be up against the likes of BMW , VW and Ford in one of the most competitive industries in the world.

Even die-hard fans are skeptical.

The 9-3 is "already out of date" from a new buyer's point of view, Chih Hao Yeh, who runs Saab Club Taiwan, said by email.

Read more: Saab bets on electric cars and China for revival - chicagotribune.com

[#1SAAB12-17-11]

Finally a dose of reality for this NEVS thread. I'm guessing China is a ripe market for an 10+ year old Saab design with a giant battery inside? We'll see. Meanwhile for Saab owners located anyplace else, this is hardly any good news at all. The brand's equity is being driven straight into the ground.

[nordwulf]

Saab has been passed around too often in the last 25 years. GM didn't know what to do with her, Spyker couldn't afford her and NEVS doesn't really seem to care for her but got a good deal.

The Reuters article is an honest review of the current state of NEVS, Saab and electric vehicles. We'll know in a few more years if their plans will work out.

[Tweek's Turbos]

I can't say much about the NEVS thing, but I see a Tesla Model S almost ounce a day now down here. I am also seriosly considering a purchase in 2 years as well.

[rpiereck]

OK,one question I have about these new NEVS 9-3s, and which I can't find anywhere is, whose engines are under the hood? Are they being sold with GM engines? Or are they BMW, Fiat, or someone else's engines? Any pictures of the engine bay?

[tunnanxwd]

220 horse 2.0 that saw duty in the 9-5.

[#1SAAB12-17-11]

As the Wall Street Journal reported early this month...

[FONT=Arial]GM isn't actively supplying the new 9-3, even though it once made many of the parts needed to complete the sedan's production. However, in buying Saab, NEVS acquired a stockpile of a few thousand two-liter, four-cylinder engines made by GM. Those engines are slated to be installed in many of the nonelectric 9-3s expected to come down the assembly line in the near future. A new engine and a wagon version of the vehicle are planned for a later date.[/FONT]

At the current rate of NEVS production, a few thousand engines ought to last several years... and why not? By the time they run out the car they're bolting them into could just as easily accommodate a buggy whip.

[tunnanxwd]

Do you think the NEVS doo-dah and purchase has anything to do with the $16 billion dollars in incentives the Chinese government has offered for electric development?

[rpiereck]

Thanks for the bits on the engine. There has been no word anywhere about the engines.

[tunnanxwd]

A bit more picking reveals that it is the same 2.0 that was in the 2012 9-3 Griffin sold in the UK/Euro market. Wiki used to be fairly good but over the last few months someone rearranged "the furniture" over there. That makes no sense because it, despite being Wiki, was not a bad reference regarding Saab engines and dates of use.