NEVS Aims to Launch EV Production in Sweden Next Year

National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, the Chinese-Japanese company that acquired the assets of bankrupt Saab Auto in 2012, says it will launch Swedish production of an electrified version of the Saab 9-3 sedan in the second half of next year.

NEVS’s initial strategy was to build a gasoline-powered 9-3-based vehicle to generate revenue as it developed the EV. But that plan failed in 2014 when the company ran short of cash. The group has since partnered with Dongfeng Motor Corp. to make plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars in China.

NEVS unveiled a prototype of an all-electric Saab 9-3 Aero sedan three years ago. The company presented a production version of the car, along with an electric 9-3X crossover variant, in Shanghai last June. The two EVs will have an estimated driving range of 300 km (186 miles) per charge, according to developers.

Last month the Turkish government formed a consortium to begin making an electric sedan based on the NEVS sedan in 2021. The Turkish version is expected to carry a piston-powered generator to extend the car’s driving range.