Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
December 08, 2017 12:00 AM

Saab asset owner NEVS plans Swedish production next year

Tian Ying
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    NEVS Saab 9-3 China
    NEVs

    NEVS began production of an EV based on the Saab 9-3 in China this week.

    BEIJING -- National Electric Vehicle Sweden, which acquired the assets of Saab Auto, plans to make electric cars at the iconic brand's Swedish factory as it seeks to take advantage of global interest in greener vehicles.

    NEVS, which bought the remnants of the Swedish automaker after it went out of business, will make EVs at Saab's plant in Trollhattan under its own NEVS brand in the second half of next year, Chairman Kai Johan Jiang said.

    With growing demand for battery-powered vehicles, NEVS is also talking to municipal governments including those in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu about setting up its second factory in China, and is looking into the possibility of a plant in Turkey.

    While the Swedish location is being revived, the Saab brand isn't coming back. Five years ago, NEVS bought the assets of Saab, which was split from aerospace manufacturer Saab AB in 1990. Following a pledge last year to no longer use the Saab name, the Chinese-owned company will use the NEVS trademark for cars it produces, ending a Swedish nameplate that introduced its first vehicle in 1949.

    In China, NEVS is up against more than 80 rivals that are all trying to gain the upper hand in the industry's rapid shift toward advanced technologies and electrification. The nation has identified new-energy vehicles as a strategic emerging industry and aims to boost annual sales of plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars 10-fold in the next decade.

    Embracing opportunity

    "We are embracing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the automobile industry with the adoption of new technologies moving forward way faster than we expected," Jiang said in an interview Wednesday. "Car-sharing, electrification of automobiles and autonomous driving are the inevitable trend of future transport."

    NEVS has won orders for about 300,000 electric cars from ride-sharing firms such as Panda New Energy, he said.

    The company, which received one of 15 new-energy vehicle production licenses issued by China, is also working on its first fundraising round, said Jiang.

    "We would like to line up investors who have the same vision as us," said Jiang. "We didn't want to raise funds previously because we were not ready, but we are now."

    Reduced costs

    NEVS has spent the past five years developing electric cars and rolled out its first model -- the 9-3EV, based on a Saab platform -- in Tianjin earlier this week. The factory in northern China has initial capacity of 50,000 units a year and will be expanded to 220,000 vehicles by 2019, said Jiang.

    The cost of electric cars produced by NEVS has fallen to the level of comparable gasoline-powered ones, as battery costs have dropped to about a third of the figure three years ago, said Jiang.

    Industrywide sales of autos in China may accelerate next year as economic expansion helps lift demand from cities and provinces located in the interior parts of the country. Deliveries may gain by about 4 percent, twice the pace estimated for the current year, the China Passenger Car Association said Friday. Retail auto sales grew 1.6 percent to 21.4 million units in the 11 months through November.

    Generous subsidies from the Chinese government and policy incentives have helped speed up the development of electric vehicles as costs of components decline. Competition is intensifying in China, the world's biggest market for both combustion-engine and electric vehicles, with major automakers such as Volkswagen Group and Ford Motor accelerating the introduction of EVs in the country.

    "Being an early entrant to the electric-car industry doesn't guarantee the company will be a strong player," Jiang said. "It is like great waves sweeping away sand -- 95 percent of companies won't be able to survive, given that the threshold of electric car making is quite high, so passion alone won't nail it."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    2022 Eurostar winner Enrico Salvatori of Qualcomm
    Recommended for You
    Enrico Salvatori
    2022 Eurostar winner Enrico Salvatori of Qualcomm
    Christian Dahlheim
    2022 Eurostar winner Christian Dahlheim of VW Financial Services
    Milan Nedeljkovic
    2022 Eurostar winner Milan Nedeljkovic of BMW
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us