- EV Electra, the company that acquired NEVS in late 2023, purchased an automotive factory in Italy.
- CEO Jihad M. Mohammad hasn’t said which models will be built at the site.
- Last year, NEVS introduced the Emily GT, an electric sedan developed by former Saab engineers.
The chief executive of EV Electra, the Canadian startup company that acquired NEVS late last year obtaining the rights to the Emily GT designed by a group of former Saab engineers, recently finalized a deal to purchase an automotive production facility in Italy with the intent to build electric vehicles.
Jihad M. Mohammad saved NEVS from the brink of collapse last year and confirmation of his startup EV Electra purchasing a factory in Italy immediately prompted speculation that this site could be the home of future NEVS models. However, Mohammad recently took to LinkedIn to pour cold water on this idea, saying he has not spoken to anyone in the media about where NEVS vehicles will be built.
Read: NEVS Emily GT Saved By Canadian Startup, Could Be Produced In Sweden
“Yes, we did make an offer to buy an automotive factory in Italy and finally it was approved yesterday (not the Maserati factory), and in this new venue we will build electric cars that will make everyone shocked,” he wrote.
“We have more than [a] few models now, after multiple acquisitions that happened in [the] last two months, and one more is happening this week that will allow us to be on top of our game. I promised my team not to give more details, since our investors need to know before everyone else. Then an official press release will clear all the questions,” Mohammad added.
If EV Electra doesn’t intend on producing NEVS models in Italy, it could use the site to build new electric cars under its own brand. One of its planned models, called the Nostrum, takes the form of a sleek two-door sports car that Mohammad says will start to reach the hands of customers in August.
In a separate Linkedin post, Mohammad added that EV Electra is looking for partners and that former Saab dealerships will have priority in selling the brand’s models.
Since purchasing NEVS last year, EV Electra investigated the possibility of producing vehicles in Turkey or Sweden, but those plans appear to have fallen through. It has also previewed four variants of the NEVS Emily GT, namely a coupe, a cabriolet, a sedan, and an estate, but it isn’t known which of these could be built first.
The NEVS Emily GT was developed by a group of former Saab engineers as an electric sedan, bearing a strong resemblance to the last Saab 9-5. It’s powered by four in-wheel electric motors, collectively producing 484 hp, enabling it to achieve a claimed 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 4.6 seconds. With a massive 175-kWh battery pack, it boasts a maximum range of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). Additionally, reports suggest that a more powerful version with over 650 hp was also planned.
The company describes EV Electra as a division of “Jihad Mohammad Investment,” which will evolve into an “independent entity based in Lebanon, with offices in Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, and Norway, envisioning a global presence.” However, on the same About page on LinkedIn, it also states that its headquarters are in Canada.
