Saab Owner NEVS To Launch Five Electric Cars By 2018, For Chinese MarketSaab Owner NEVS To Launch Five Electric Cars By 2018, For Chinese Market

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has spent more time dealing with financial problems than advancing its plan to build electric cars, primarily for the Chinese market.
Since purchasing the remains of Saab in 2012, NEVS has only built a handful of cars, mostly gasoline versions of the Saab 9-3.
But in its latest announcement, the company now says it will launch of a full line of electric cars over the next few years.
DON’T MISS: Prototype Electric Saab 9-3 EV Revealed By Struggling Owner NEVS (Aug 2014)
Speaking at the Stora Bildagen automotive conference in Sweden last week, NEVS president Mattias Bergman said the company plans to launch five electric models by 2018. Slides from his presentation were posted on SaabBlog.
The first model will be a much-delayed electric version of the old 9-3, which NEVS says will arrive in 2017.
At least one prototype of this car was built in 2014, but there’s been little apparent activity related to the project since then.
Preview of next-generation vehicle from Saab parent NEVS – Image via Saab Blog
That prototype was an electrified version of the same 9-3 that dates back to the 2003 model year, when Saab was still owned by General Motors.
NEVS will likely continue to use that car’s Epsilon platform, which also underpinned a previous generation of the Chevrolet Malibu and other GM models.
The four additional models–all due in 2018–are slated to use the Phoenix platform developed for a new generation of post-GM Saabs, but never put into production.
ALSO SEE: Saab 9-3 Production Restarts, Electric Version Still Planned (Dec 2013)
These other models will include a small sedan, and three small crossovers.
NEVS may not be able to use the Saab name for any of these vehicles, as it lost control of the rights last year.
The company is still negotiating for use of the name with its current owners–a consortium that includes the Swedish aerospace company also known as Saab.
2014 Saab 9-3 Aero
Production of the electric 9-3 will take place at the former Saab factory in Trollhättan, but NEVS eventually plans to build cars in Tianjin, China.
NEVS acquired Saab’s assets after the carmaker was briefly owned by Dutch boutique carmaker Spyker, after it was cut loose from GM during that company’s bankruptcy and restructuring.
MORE: Old Saab 9-3 To Become Turkish National Car; Electric Version May Be Included
The consortium managed to restart 9-3 production briefly in December 2013, but that quickly stopped due to financial issues.
Earlier this year, NEVS was flown a lifeline by Chinese state-owned carmaker Dongfeng, which agreed to collaborate with it on future vehicle development.
It also entered into a deal with the Turkish government to license the 9-3 for production there.
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