Saab 9-3 Comes Alive In EV Form As NEVS Begins Production In China

NEVS, or National Electric Vehicle Sweden, has officially started production of a fully electric four-door sedan based on the old Saab 9-3.

This launch will also accelerate NEVS’ timetable with regards to manufacturing in other cities in the People’s Republic, as per China’s Evergrande Group. Meanwhile, the cars are being put together at a factory in the port city of Tianjin, a location that can reportedly build 50,000 units per year, according to Autonews Europe.

As of right now, the Evergrande Group, NEVS’ parent company, has yet to divulge any details regarding the Saab-based electric sedan. All we know is that the platform was part the assets purchased by NEVS (a company started by businessman Kai Johan Jiang in Trollhattan, Sweden) from Saab Automobile back in 2012.

It’s also true that the Evergrande Group, China’s largest real estate developer, bought a controlling 51% stake in NEVS for 6.4 billion yuan ($930 million) back in January.

Also read: Very Last New Saab 9-3 Is Being Auctioned Off With 3 Miles On The Clock

In addition to NEVS, the Chinese real estate giant also purchased Shanghai-based EV battery supplier CENAT New Energy, plus two foreign electric motor makers in UK-based Protean Electric and Dutch company e-Traction – the former transaction took place just a month ago with Protean Electric being tasked with developing in-wheel motors offering “improved powertrain efficiency and greater flexibility in vehicle design.”

Also last month, Evergrande Group signed agreements totaling 440 billion yuan with local Chinese governments to produce electric vehicles, batteries as well as electric motors in Guangzhou and Shenyang.