42 thoughts on “NEVS Is Asking For Your Saab Story”

  1. I’m sorry; Is this June of 2015 or June of 2012? Am I in a time warp here? Because it makes sense that this should have been done on social media (preferably Facebook) in the Spring/Summer of 2012. Do the words “too little, too late” mean anything to this bunch? Wow.

    • It sounds like an effort to burnish a future request to use the Saab name. Perhaps a long shot, but maybe they have new blood in PR.

      Angelo, you should submit your Saab story too. Some of those new NEVS investors may have pined for Rachel too.

      • I’m still hoping to work for NEVS as a satellite executive, public relations, advertising and marketing. I don’t want to do anything to rock the boat. At this point, I think they like me, but I don’t want to do anything to offend them. Don’t want to lose this employment opportunity with them.

  5. I find it odd that they are looking for Saab stories at this point, didn’t they lose the use of the name?

  6. I happened to spot Jan-Åke Jonsson this morning, in Djurgården Stockholm. Still Saab’in a 9-3 Aero. Short but good story. Made my day. 🙂

  7. I will send my stories to their e-mail, but I wanted to share them here as well.

    1) It was a beautiful fall day in 1983, and I was very excited to pick up my first Saab, an 1981 900 turbo in rose quartz metallic (I still remember the color!) that had only 35k miles. We signed the papers, handed over the bank draft, and headed out towards home, some 45 minutes away. About halfway home, I thought it was running a bit weirdly, and about a mile from home began to run roughly. I made it two blocks from my house before it died totally, the victim of a seized turbo bearing (this was before the bearings were water-cooled). I called the guy who came out in his other Saab, gave me back the bank draft, and had the Saab towed away. I was very disappointed but also relieved that they guy was honest and did the right thing. I then bought a non-turbo 900 that I had for many years.

    2) In the US, Fort Leavenworth (Kansas) is widely known as the penitentiary for the US military. But there is also an actual military installation there that is separate from the prison, and I bought my second Saab from a Captain there in 1983, a 1980 900 GLi. After I would tell folks what kind of car it was, since hardly anybody knew back then, I would then say I got it from a guy in Ft. Leavenworth, just to see the looks on their faces as they tried to figure out how I could have bought a car from an inmate.

    3) The first 9000 I bought was a beautiful champagne color and very nice. I bought it from a very nice family in a certain neighborhood in Kansas City. I owned that till the third kid came along and was forced to get a minivan. So, I put it in the paper and went to meet another very nice family who wanted the car. When I got to their house, I thought the surroundings looked very familiar. Turns out they lived on the same exact street as the folks who I had bought the car from, just a handful of blocks to the west. What are the odds in a metro area of about 2 million that I would buy and sell a car to folks who lived on the same street in the same neighborhood! Crazy.

    4) I had several convertibles over the years (MBG, a couple of Alfas, even a BMW (gasp)) but as the kids got older I really needed one with a back seat. Being a Saab fan, I thought of getting a classic 900 convertible. I had looked at several, but saw the Monte Carlo Yellow Special Edition (US model) and wanted that. The only problem is that model was only sold in the US one year-1991-in very limited numbers, and the only ones available were hundreds or thousands of miles away. I found one in NY City, made the deal over the phone, flew there with my son (10 at the time), picked up the car, and drove it back to Kansas City over two very long days. The car was in great shape and everything turned out OK. We drove from NYC to KC with the top down all but about two hours because of rain. I have had that car now for 15 years and it has 325k miles at this point. Original engine, transmission, and turbo.

  8. This is bizarre. Last effort for the Saab name? As much as I would like to see new Saabs on our streets some day, I don’t want them from this majority authoritarian Chinese government controlled company. New controlling interests are the complete opposite from what Saab meant to current and past owners. Disgusted.

    • If one considers Geely to be Chinese government controlled, Saab should have only been so lucky to land with a capable company like that. My issue isn’t with Saab being in Chinese hands—-it’s with Saab being in NEVS’ hands. NEVS was born to lose.

      • Angelo,

        Geely is as independent as a Chinese company can be. Not the case with NEVS – now over 50% Chinese local government controlled. Still don’t understand how the municipality, Qingdao, that forced NEVS into bankruptcy due to lack of funds, can still be a 22% owner. Can anyone rationally explain this to me?

        • I don’t know if there’s a rational explanation available for that, Baver. We’ve read here that Qingdao forced NEVS to build the gas engined 9-3 as a condition of honoring their committed investment—-and as I recall, it was reported by some that they pulled out anyway. So I have no idea how or why they’re a 22% owner at this point. Everything about this hikjacking of Saab three years ago has been cryptic. The shroud of secrecy is not just disheartening and annoying, but it’s downright spooky. It’s just an extremely weird way for any serious company in any part of the world to do business. Oh, sorry, maybe the key word there is “serious” and it doesn’t apply in this case?

    • No doubt it’s Apple or Samsung. NEVS is partnering with them to build the Saab Smart Car. Apple and Samsung have some money, but they need NEVS for the battery technology that is coming from that Japanese part of the consortium and they need KJJ’s steady hand on the wheel. This is going to be huge.

    • Heck, I’d be screaming “Hallelujah !!” if it *is* GM !

      I saw a Caddy ATS-V coupe with a dealer demo plate a few days ago. I WANT !

  11. I don’t think it is really fair for them to ask us anything when they have told us NOTHING about their plans or hopes for a very long time. Perhaps they are trying to build a case that SAAB is a valuable brand, but I think if a buyer does not see that going in, then they really have no place to hold any rights to the brand. There are a lot of people that have a positive view of SAAB and of Swedish design. But it would take a series of GREAT CARS to build SAAB into a BMW level luxury brand. Look at what is being done to Range Rover and Jaguar. If someone can slap the SAAB brand on a product with the design and quality level of an Evoque, then they may have something. I really wish VAG or BMW would buy it. BMW has had such great success with Mini, surely they are ready for another Brand, and surely their Aerospace clout will win them the SAAB brand rights. But I think BMW needs NOTHING from NEVs. The have EVERYTHING to pull it off alone, including superior EV technology and FWD platforms that would be better then anything NEVs could conceive. Same with VAG.

  12. I ask NEVS: When are you gonna get back in the business??? We SAAB die-hard fans demand some positive news about the future of out beloved car brand!

  14. They are in Instagram? That’s news to me. I don’t think their homepage has any mention of their social media accounts. Not that there’s any mention of this particular campaign either.

    • They just expect you to “know” these things. Sharing news and information has never been their strong suit. Ummmm….what is their strong suit again?

  15. I’ve got a nice story for NEVS. (maybe not)
    I first acounter with a saab was in 1989, i was 19 in that time. My brother bought a saab 900 t8 1986 silver arrow. a beauty. after my brothers operation is was not able to drive the saab, but i was. so i went with the 900 to my new job at Heerema en i parked the car next to a brand new excusive car and a business guy got out and looked at the 900 and said “what a beautiful car!!!”. i told him that when a grow up i would buy one of my one. He smiled and walked away to the door of the same company.
    ;ater i asked one of my boss who the name of the guy was. i told my, that’s Victor Muller he works in de board of directors. so two years later a bought a saab 900 silver arrow and 21 year he bought the factory.

  16. I live in the Tampa area, not a whole lot of Saabs here, ESPECIALLY not older ones. I daily drive a 2002 9-3, and as I was coming home today on I4 I saw a car parked under an underpass with the hood open. As I got closer I realized it was a 90s Saab 9000, it looked very well loved (extremely shiny paint, all the trim was black), and I felt bad for driving past. I would have had to cause an accident though to stop and help by the time I realized what it was, and there was already two people pulled over assisting. Not really a feel good story I guess, but just seeing a 9000 made my day anyways. It was laser red, too, just like my 9-3. 😀

    • I read those stories! I like to juxtapose #1 and #4. First one—-died on the way home, a few miles from where you bought it? But the convertible, ran like a bear from New York to Kansas City! That’s improvement right there! By the way—-early turbos in general (especially at Chrysler) turned a lot of people against turbos. Aside from the fact that they fail, why are they so expensive to fix? Is everyone in agreement that today’s turbos should last the life of the car or at least the life of the engine, or are they still a weak spot on cars?

      • Angelo; Yes, I believe modern turbos, especially when running Mobil 1 0-20 at 5K O.C.I., should last the life of the engine, BUT, they do require some additional thought when driving. For instance, my 2006 9-5 2.3 Turbo was still going strong with boost and no “puff of smoke” on start-up at 150K miles. No secret, I keep boost low until she warms up a bit, and more importantly let her cool down a few minutes after extended running before shutting down. Most drivers think about their cars as mere appliances, and are not sensitive to such things, hence; accelerated turbo failure. Now sludgy SAABS is another thing…

      • Saab moving to cooling the turbo bearing with a water jacket seemed to do the trick. Plus, I think the later turbos were a bit more stout–my 900 Convt is a 1991. But keeping the oil decent is essential as the turbo creates a LOT of heat. I have run Castrol synthetic blend 10-30 for the entire 15 years I have had it, and that seems to do the trick.

        Its getting to the point nowadays that consumers are expecting zero major trouble for the first 100k miles. And turbos are popping up everywhere, along with direct injection, as a way to boost fuel economy and maintain power. So, turbos are becoming almost prosaic, meaning that consumers do not see them as exotic or leading-edge and, thus, will not tolerate problems.

        • I will say though—-most consumers don’t want to baby their car engine by letting it run for five minutes after driving 4 hours to grandma’s house on Thanksgiving. If it’s true that turning the car off upon arrival—-like you would do with any non-turbo car—-is harmful to the turbo or can be harmful to the turbo, causing premature failure and a large repair bill—-it’s a “detail” that is still sort of lousy.

          • Manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai have powertrain warranties to 100K miles, so the turbos are going to have to last that long or they will have big warranty costs. But I think that with modern technology where the oil flow is substantial and the bearing is water-cooled, the turbo issue a non-event. And with the move to all synthetic oil everywhere, turbo bearing failure under 150K only will be due to poor maintenance.

          • True enough, Angelo. Not to say it will “harm” it in any sense of the word, but it will surely extend it’s serviceable life. I’ve always been in a habit of a cool-down even with a normally aspirated engine.

            But then again…what do I know? I’m low-tech! I still mix oil in my gas on my daily driver! P.S. Don’t tell the Pope how much I am contributing to “climate change”

          • Angelo, there is no need to sit in your Saab for 5 minutes after you’ve arrived -if- the last miles of the journey are taken easy so that the turbo gets time to cool down.
            The reason for the old rule of tumb comes from the fact that most people (and all teens) simply stop the engine too soon after giving it the beans.
            To not let the engine warm up properly is also a good way to destroy all kind of mechanics especially in the winter, that’s why Saab had many power restrictions built in their ECU.
            A water cooled turbo requires repair when a gasket goes. Therefor a basic oil cooled one can be more reliable if the owner doesn’t have the desire to race the neighbours.

  19. Why is NEVS now interested in SAAB stories when they most likely won’t ever build cars for current owners?! The PR operations of this company is simply horrendous.

    BTW. Was this originally an April fools’ day posting?

    • I recommend that everyone in the mid-east put their weapons down and have a group hug and world peace for 2015. That’s not likely to happen either.

  21. Once upon a time there was a Swedish company that built wonderful cars called SAABS. Soon however a big bad American wolf came to visit licking its lips hungrily. The meal was small and lacked nutrition, so the American wolf got thinner and thinner and eventually limped away. From the far East came oriental knights bearing gifts. The remaining Swedes were overjoyed, reached out to embrace the knights and were electrocuted! Such a sad tale.

    • David: yes, but the “big bad American wolf” gave sustenance to the wonderful little car company so she could make interesting cars for many years past her natural life… now we are worshiping her mummified remains in the hope we see a faint pulse.

      • The Phoenix platform Joe, the Phoenix platform. Remember, NEVS will rise like the sun when they finish that platform. They’ve got the Japanese partner with ground breaking, cutting edge battery technology. They’ve got Saab engineers for the cars, to be made in Sweden for China. They’ve got deep pockets and the brilliance of KJJ, this century’s Albert Einstein of business. You put it all together, battery technology from Japan, safety engineering and a state of the art factory in Sweden and the billions of dollars in China that KJJ is sitting on, and you have something special emerging here—-the new Saab. Now at first, it’ll be parts shipped to Sweden and cars made and shipped back to China—-true that’s a little inefficient, but that’s just the way it is. Remember, with KJJ’s influence, China is spending hundreds of billions on infrastructure and will tell everyone they have to go electric. That’s coming “in a few years.” And the timing will be perfect, because the Phoenix will be ready in a few years too. And once Saab rules China, they might export a few cars to North America too. We heard that NEVS sent a letter to former dealers to see if they’re interested. We heard that over 2 years ago, but the mail is slow—-I’m still optimistic.

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