SAAB RETURNS - New NEVS 9-3 electric car with 186 miles of range goes on sale

[StanleyB]

SAAB RETURNS - New NEVS 9-3 electric car with 186 miles of range goes on sale
SAAB has returned under a new guise and the 9-3 car is being sold by NEVS as an all-electric car.
By Luke John Smith
PUBLISHED: 10:01, Sat, Dec 9, 2017



SAAB 9-3 NEVS electric carNEVS
SAAB 9-3 has returned as the all-new NEVS electric car

SAAB has returned after it was killed off in 2012.

The Swedish car manufacturer was bought by Chinese consortium National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) back in 2012.

While the new cars don’t bear the name SAAB, the design of the 9-3 has carried over.

The SAAB 9-3 has now been rebranded as the NEVS 9-3 and features a new electric powertrain.

Not too many details have been revealed about the car yet but the first model rolled off the production line yesterday.

NEVS claims that the production capacity is 50,000 electric vehicles per year, rising to 220,000 units per year.

A few bullet points about the car have been revealed, giving an indication of some of the vehicles features.

These are:

-ACAC (Always Clean Air Cabin) – Filter efficiency up to 99%, reducing 500ppm to 25ppm in less than 30 seconds.

-Always a new feeling

-Over-the-air software updates

-Fantastic driving and riding experience – Low centre of gravity with smart suspension geometry and tuning. Based on 70 years of engineering excellence.

-300 km range

-Highest speed: 140 km/h

SAAB 9-3 NEVS ELECTRIC CARNEVS
The NEVS 9-3 launch event

NEVS electric carNEVS
The car has 186 miles of range

The 186 mile range put it in the midrange for electric cars currently on sale so hopefully it won’t be too expensive.

It looks to be designed for city driving with the low top speed, clean air filtration system and moderate range.

The NEVS 9-3 also comes with in-car WiFi, digital smartphone key and over-the-air updates.

These features are seemingly inspired by Tesla electric cars, which now set the benchmark for EVs.

Most of the new NEVS 9-3 cars have been reserved for fleets, according to Electrek.

A number of deals have been announced by the company’s Chinese owners to lease a number of vehicles to fleets in China.

[Steve McF]

I wonder if Saab the Aero company would ever allow the Saab brand to adorn new cars again, if another company could come up with new product that was faithful to the old product?

[Audax]

I wonder if Saab the Aero company would ever allow the Saab brand to adorn new cars again, if another company could come up with new product that was faithful to the old product?

It's not the same, I can't see why it would benefit them and if I was them I wouldn't let them do it.

[Steve McF]

Who owns Scania now? I take it they have no hold over the Saab name?

Weren't they merged with MAN/VW a few years back?

MAN was the company that forced ERF out of existance, blaming the previous owners of the company Western Star, for faking the accounts etc.

Happened not that long after MG Rover collapsed, another company that had been left unsustainable by a previous owner of the company, errrr BMW...

Oh don't start me off on that one again ha ha!!!!!!       

[Audax]

Who owns Scania now? I take it they have no hold over the Saab name?

I think when Saab were split from Scania in 1995 Scania lost all rights to the name then. Saab are very protective over their name now, even then, would you really want to see the Saab name come back for a different company?

[Geoff1951]

Volkswagen own Scania now. (Good article on Wikipedia)

[Steve McF]

Not the first time Saab/Scania dabbled with electric cars. Not quite an Aero though  :

https://www.saabplanet.com/electric-saab-van-from-1974/

[welshwizard]

nearly 4 years on and serious production of the car hasn't materialised.

Even the Turkish attempt has come to nothing so far...