If you thought that Saab would make a miraculous comeback anytime soon, then you’d better sit down for this one, as National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) recently announced that the brand is officially confined in the history books.
National Electric Vehicle Sweden, a Swedish-Chinese consortium, has acquired most of Saab’s assets and subsidiaries, including Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Tools AB, along with the Saab factory, after the car maker’s bankruptcy. However, the rights to the Saab brand and its logo were never given up by their rightful trademark owners, and the Chinese-backed Swedish manufacturer had no alternative but to support its vision with a new brand identity.
The company notified that “NEVS” will be the trademark of its products, including the first electric vehicle based on the 9-3 platform, which is slated to hit the market in 2017. In other words, the Saab trademark and name will no longer be in use, albeit NEVS was initially allowed to use the marque but lost it when it enter bankruptcy and failed to start production of the Saab 9-3 in 2014.
With a new goal to manufacture electric vehicles, NEVS intends to build a strong footprint in China as a base for a global expansion. The company goes on to say that strategic agreements have already been signed, including one with Panda New Energy to deliver 150,000 electric cars and another 100,000 electric commercial vehicles.
“With sincere respect to our history and heritage, we want to be recognized as ourselves – A sustainable mobility solutions provider who are committed to the environment with a focused growth plan with its own brand as a corner stone”, said Mattias Bergman, President NEVS.
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