RIP Saab (A Thread for Saab Lovers)

Final Saabs up for auction in curtain call for Swedish legend

Collapse of start-up NEVS means several of the last 9-3s ever built – plus prototypes – are now being sold off

The last Saabs left at the defunct company’s factory in Trollhättan, Sweden, are being sold at auction. The sale marks the end of the line for NEVS, the start-up born out of Saab’s 2012 collapse.

It was staffed primarily by former Saab engineers and was backed by Chinese property giant the Evergrande Group, working primarily on autonomous and electric cars.

Those included the striking Emily GT, a saloon that evoked Saab’s styling and was fitted with in-wheel motors.

But Evergrande collapsed in 2021, leading to NEVS laying off 320 of its 340 staff based at Trollhättan in February 2023.

In April 2023, Emily GT programme director Peter Dahl told Swedish publication Carup that “everything is in place” to take the striking EV into production. It was around a year and a half away from readiness.

The Emily GT appeared to have been saved by Canadian start-up EV Electra in December 2023, but the deal collapsed the following May.

Polestar moved into part of the Trollhättan plant in 2023, using it as a research and development centre but not for production.

The new auction therefore heralds the end of an era for the storied centre, opened in 1947.

Eight cars will be available: seven examples of the Saab 9-3, plus one Hengchi 5, a mid-size electric SUV produced by Evergrande.

Of the 9-3s, three are pre-production cars built in 2014, a further three are electric prototypes built by NEVS before the 9-3 EV's launch in China, and one is a test car fitted with a range-extender hybrid powertrain.

www.autocar.co.uk

End of the line: The very last Saabs left are going to auction | Autocar

Collapse of start-up NEVS means several of the last 9-3s ever built – plus prototypes – are now being sold off
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk

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The last Saabs left at its Trollhättan factory are going up for auction

And there are some brilliantly wacky prototypes in there. We still love you, Saab

Attention all Saab fans: a load of 9-3 prototypes that were left at the factory in Trollhättan are coming up for auction… and they'll all be sold with no reserve.

In total, seven 9-3s currently owned by NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) will be auctioned by Klaravik, with the online listings opening for bids on 21 May. The hammers will then fall on 30 May with an event at the factory, and we’re told the public can attend free of charge to get one last look. Sad times.

The prototypes include an electric 9-3 that was built in China but developed in Trollhättan, and which now has over 20,000 miles on its clock. There’s also a pre-prod all-wheel drive EV with four in-wheel motors – yep, like the Emily GT – while another (the one pictured with interesting black camouflage) is powered by an electric motor but features a petrol range-extender.

The final prototype is an EV with a heap of autonomous kit including GPS, lidar and cameras. Could be a self-driving bargain.

 

Saab-Phoenix rises from the ashes! - Alriks Cars​

The successor to the final generation Saab 9-3 was very close to completion when Saab went bankrupt. Project 540, also known as Phoenix, featured a new advanced front and rear suspension, a new powertrain, and even an electric rear axle in development.

Anders Johansson and Gabriel Palmenäs (who were naturally at Saab back in the day) now run Griffin Cars. They have acquired a remaining inventory of axles and engines to modernize existing Saab 9-3 cars.

But the grand plan is to build a limited production run of modern cars utilizing genuine Saab technology! (We will return to that later on).

This is part one in a series of interviews with the Saab people who were there developing the Phoenix platform—and we will, of course, test drive one of the updated cars.

In upcoming videos:
Front suspension: Gunnar Olsson
Rear suspension: Per Jansson
Electric rear axle: Stefan Barbunopulos
Engine: Peter Dahl
Plus the test drive!

The car will be on display at the Gothenburg Classic Car Weekend.
Click to expand...

 
seen on FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18YW8SVKHP/

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"Never knew the South African police used Saabs as well. And a 2.8L turbocharged V6 at that—which was probably the last V6-powered Car issued by SAPS. This was the facelift model and produced an impressive 188 kilowatts and 355 Nm of torque... This definitely gives off European police vibes."
 
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