A report from Reuters tells us that Saab is finally officially restarting production of the 9-3 sedan, at the Trollhättan factory, in Sweden. The plant had already undergone earlier trial production runs, and the first of these new series of the 9-3s rolled off the assembly line around the middle of September, and got a fair bit of media attention.
The agency quotes Mikael Ostlund, an official spokesperson for National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, the company that now owns Saab, as having announced the news this past Friday.
Apparently, the cars will be built in “small and humble” numbers, and be powered by a single-choice turbocharged petrol engine of undisclosed capacity or power; all these vehicles are heading to China.
This model is a stepping-stone for NEVS, from making no cars whatsoever when they gained control of Saab, to making the electric sedans they promised upon acquiring the ailing automaker. The promise still stands, though, and the battery-powered vehicles could arrive in Chinese showrooms next year, if the original plan holds. No word on Euro sales yet.
Below you’ll see the (older) video of the first new 9-3 built under NEVS leadership.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO