Open day at Nevs in Trollhättan, Friday 5th June

46 thoughts on “Open day at Nevs in Trollhättan, Friday 5th June”

1. Regardless of one’s opinions about NEVS, and man are mine negative, I definitely appreciate this gesture being paid to Saab’s fans. It shows that they aren’t 100% aloof. 90% aloof? Probably. But not completely lost.

   These events actually sound extremely interesting to a Saab fan. Hopefully we will see write-ups about them.

   • +1, LOL

2. In the spirit of “If you don’t have anything nice to say, stay silent.” I won’t comment beyond saying that it’s nice, this public outreach by NEVS. They’re a regular PR machine.

3. Angelo, You’re such a cynic. All of us know for sure that NEVS will take this opportunity to show the face-lifted 9-3 that will go on sale October 1, show their sketches for their 9-2 concept to be produced next year, announce that they’ve come to agreement with GM to produce the 9-4 and the 9-5 including the SC, that SAAB AB has reversed their decision to revoke the SAAB name and NEVS has a license to use it freely and transfer to subsequent owners, and last but not least, they will announce the name of a new OEM majority owner. And if that’s not enough, the new website will go online the same day, and they will present the names of the 475 dealers worldwide ( including 105 in the US) that they have signed up,

   • why us this awaiting moderation?

     • Unfortunately we’ve had a lot of bad language and aggressive comments over the past year which have created a very poor mood on this site, so we decided to moderate all comments since two weeks ago. We have not had to remove more than a few comments fortunately, but it was often those bad comments that took over a whole thread and created an overall bad mood on this site. I hope you can appreciate that this is only to make it more pleasant to visit this site. Those who wrote in an aggressive manner have realized what we’re doing and for the past week they haven’t come back…

   • Hugh: If I had magic pixie dust to sprinkle on KJJ, I’d book a flight to wherever he is (Where is he, anyway?) and I’d coat him in pixie dust like a chicken drumstick in “Shake And Bake” and everything you predicted would come true.

4. I wonder if SAAB has issued a writ to NEVS to remove the SAAB signage from the factory yet. I think at this point it looks pretty certain the paths of NEVs and SAAB have diverged. They don’t even have the money to build the old 9-3. It will take several hundred million to bring a car like Tesla to market

5. Agenda item:” Nevs future, presentation by Nevs CEO Mattias Bergman”
   runs from 11:00 to 11:01 am.

   • What is he going to do to fill the last 45 seconds?

     • I heard he will show a video of Swedes Gangnam Style dancing.

       • Why show a video when he could have done it himself.

6. I appreciate NEVS’ attempt to engage the Saab community, however, as Trued suggests, maybe this wasn’t a good time/way to do it. Once, or if, NEVS achieves financial stability, I think a good PR department should be a top priority. I wonder if Swade would consider a 2nd shot at Trollhattan? He would know how to do it. Maybe as a paid consultant working from home in Aussie-land?

   Sadly, I don’t think we’ll be hearing good news about majority owners anytime soon. Just Auto reported today:

   “Both parties are interested in having continuous dialogue, but we are not at the moment discussing anything concrete,” a NEVS spokesman told just-auto from Sweden.

   At the very least, I would have hoped they were discussing concrete possibilities.

7. Unfortunately, I can’t come to Trollhättan to visit the Saab Festival. But if I had, I would be very interested in what NEVS could show me. A future, I hope.
   Why the do this, but don’t participate in the Saab Festival is something that I don’t know. Perhaps they have a better view of their future now, than they did then.

   • +1
     It seems to me that some people around here take NEVS actions a bit personal…And I really do not understand why.

     • Agree to that! The posts from Joe, Angelo and Hugh is as usual both negative and childish. I can’t say I’m not bored reading their stupid comments.

       • Thank-you Roger, for your kind comments regarding my posts.
         I look forward to perhaps having coffee with you someday and collectively “crossing our fingers” for the success of NEVs and our beloved SAAB!

         • You’re Welcome!

           Do you three guys think you’re doing good with your harassing of Nevs? Is it good or bad for the Saab community when you write stupid posts every time it is news about Nevs here at SU…?

           • I think the guys are trying to open eyes of people who are still so naive and childish and think that KJJ or any of the current opportunistic investors will do any good for saab remains or produce something really materials.

             I can only repeat that these guys are non-professionals, they are unable, mercenary, corrupt and everything like that. All these cities co-owners, state-owned economic zones are just ways to earn kickbacks on leaking the investment budget. That’s why the Quingdao did not fulfill its financial obligation – because they were not and interested investor. IMHO, just one of the officials received a bribe and city gave money to KJJ.

             • Hi, Eugene.
               My eyes do not need to be opened I’ll just wait and see what will happen. I guess that’s what most of us do, at least the ones who have a life.

               • “Wait and see.” “Keep calm and carry on.” “Keeping fingers crossed.” Yeah, three years of…nothing.

                 • Three years of crying on SU has also not shown its effeciency.

             • Eugene, that is your view. Not in any way the truth. KJJ mat be just as disappointed as you, but we don’t know that.
               Is your life such a “half-empty-glass” that you fel the need to take down others?

               • C’mon, are you kiddding? Did you hear of KJJ’s track record of doing ‘business’ in Sweden? If not, I suggest you read a bit about it (i think Tim posted something about that).

                 That’s nothing to do with my life, I am a happy man. However, I am a bit familiar with Chinese business culture and it differs quite a lot from the European, American or even Japanese. Not in a good sense of course.

                 • I am merely suggesting that you do not know any more about NEVS than I do, and still you claim to know everything based on the fact that you are a bit familiar with the chinese way of doing things. Which does not mean a thing.
                   What is the american way of doing things? Tesla or GM? What is the German way? BMW or Wartburg?

                   • Hans, go on and analyse things.

                     You have a poor previous track record of the shareholder (search for NBE Sweden).
                     You have a couple of rotated unrecognised “investors” with unclear business interest and some Chinese municipal origin, one of which already failed to fulfil its obligations.
                     You have an unsuccessful attempt to do something with Saab estate, which ended up in bailing in the senior creditors (even before the shareholder) and completely broker trust.
                     Totally unable management team which has shown no progress even in building a car on a 2002 platrform.

                     These are facts, pal, nothing personal.

                   • The American way is GM, not Tesla. GM is huge, established for many decades and more representative of the U.S. market that tiny, upstart Tesla. BMW is closer to “The German Way” than Wartburg. This isn’t that hard to understand. There is a prevalent business culture in various countries around the globe. Eugene’s point stands strong. Doesn’t mean there aren’t good Chinese companies out there. I don’t believe NEVS is one of them though. There’s now a track record for us to examine. And it’s horrible.

           • Roger, I’m a bit upset with you that you thought my last post was “stupid.” Frankly, I thought it was quite a brilliant bit of writing poking some fun at these jokers who haven’t delivered just about anything as they’ve stumbled along for over three years driving a once proud company into the dirt. Am I doing any good? Of course not. But am I doing any harm either? If anyone thinks a little bit of cynical writing can have any effect on NEVS, or their prospects, they are seriously deluded.

             Am I happy about the situation? Of course not? Do I want to be right about what I think of them? Absolutely not. I want them to surprise us and shock us by coming up with a viable business plan and newly engineered cars that will take the world by storm. Is that likely to happen? Sadly, and I mean very sadly, no.

           • Roger; Thank you once again, for proving my point…now let’s discuss: what would be more effective and mature; exercising one’s business acumen and opinion via posting, or “crossing one’s fingers”?

             • Expressing business acumen and opinion? For the last months the only thing you’ve been talking about is fingers. I didn’t know that obsession with fingers had anything to do with business acumen.

               • Maybe KJJ has an obsession with fingers too—-always having them in the cookie jar, or as the case might be, the cash jar.

                 • That quite relevant point. NEVS may have good engineering team from old Saab, good investor relations and media contact and maybe even management and planning are not that bad. But they have very, very bad shareholder, whose key goal is to keep what’s left from estate at minimum possible cost. We don’t know anything about his financial ability (his holding is nothing but transparent), but the propensity is minimal.

         • The real question becomes, is there a DNR in place here? A “Do Not Resuscitate” directive? It this patient goes brain dead, is this finally the end? Saab has been reborn a couple times, but I have a feeling, this time Saab AB has a DNR in place.

8. I think it is positive that NEVS informs the public about the current situation.
   Hopefully i get a seat on the bus to the lab etc. on friday.

   • It seems a good gesture by NEVS. You are fortunate to be able to take part in the tour etc,

   • It was shuttling with 9-3’s -14, and Peter Bäckström at the Museum promoted happily about the opportunity to visit NEVS, so no bitterness there.There were lots of visitors.

9. Does anybody know what Mattias Bergman said at the open day about NEVS future? I would like factual answers only, please no puerile attempts to be funny.

   • The silence is deafening.

10. FWLIW: I did not attend NEVS’ session. Not because I did not want to or anything like that, but a 7-month old baby might not be ready for such places (the museum seem safer as we know there are places to change diapers and also facilities that would let us feed the little one). Our main goal of attending the festival at all was to meet up with old friends and show off our little guy (curiously enough: The only clickable picture in the recently posted gallery that seems to work is the one of him holding on to Swade).

    But, I did speak with a few regulars who did attend. Although they appreciated the peek behind the scenes, they were a bit unsettled when e.g. the NVH lab were seemingly still doing work on a 2008 9-3 (presumably the same car as when I visited 18 months ago?). NEVS were hopefully just using it as an example while keeping the real candy out of sight, but we would all feel more confident about the future if NEVS announced something more tangible about their future plans.

    I tried asking Mattias some leading questions. Peter Dörrich is back in the factory (on a contract – no duration was mentioned). All I could get from Mattias was that Peter will have other assignments and not play the same role as under the previous regime. When I first heard Peter’s name mentioned my curiosity peeked since Peter, among other things, headed up the development of the 9-4X. He would be a good choice to bring a product forward. But, Mattias’ answer left that hope somewhat up in the air.

    NEVS have two Chinese investors and new partners are on the way.

    Even so… Bottom line is that even in a best-case scenario, a new productline from THN is going to take a lot of time. We are talking decades, not months.

    I can understand that showing a design concept at this point is counter-productive. NEVS need a new design language, and they cannot let it start ageing already (by publicizing too early).

    But: A few words about when we will see a new car? That won’t hurt sales now (there aren’t any sales to speak of). Or a few words about future lineups (E.g. “An ICE 9-5 sized station wagon sometime by 2025” would be nice to know). The old slides about the Chinese burning up all our oil is not going to cut it anymore. Specially not now when the price of oil is so low that many producers have had to shut down some of their wells (and delay exploring new ones).

    I do wish NEVS the best of luck moving forward. I want them to succeed. It is just very frustrating to stand on the outside with a strong sense that they are going about things the wrong way. Their previous strategy btw actually made some sense to me. At least as long as we believed they had the necessary financial backing.

    • Swade mentions that we can expect a press conference this week where new partner/s will be announced. Did you hear something about this?

      • Yes, I think Mattias mentioned that the announcement would happen soonish. (or perhaps it was Swade or someone else who mentioned this in passing)

        To me, this hardly counts as news.

        If the new partner is big and invests accordingly, then it becomes news/relevant. It takes a big chunk of money to develop (and produce) the successors to the 9-5 and 9-3 (which seems to be what SAAB AB require from a licenseholder – and incidentally what I personally am interested in).

        More likely, the partner(s) will be small and NEVS will be run on a shoestring budget for years to come. Just YAP (Yet Another Partner).

        I have been overly optimistic in the past. I no longer feel any urge whatsoever to go on a limb and announce anything here on SU before there is more meat on the bone. I happily leave that unthankful task to my fellow crew members. (sorry)

        But hey… Next week… Let us hope/pray NEVS proves me completely wrong on all accounts.

    • Since the begiining NEVS has made it clear that EVs for China is the plan and that remains their message. I am interested in how they accomplish this and wish them well, but I don’t expect anything that will encourage us to think that a new ICE car to replace our aging SAABs is on the even distant horizon.

      • Well, you are technically correct.

        But reading between the lines, as well as speaking to some of NEVS’ suppliers at the time (suppliers specializing in components that find little or no use in an EV…)… Plans existed for an ICE. I almost got a NEVS guy to promise me a 9-5 replacement in a relatively near future. All this was pre-bankruptcy of course.

        I say this knowing full well that I’m only bringing more questions than answers. Frustrated, me? Most definitively.

        The EV-only track, involving a generic EV design destined for foreign shores seems inevitable now. Still… The ex-saabers being hired makes me think that there must be more to it than that.

        Nah…. Bring back the SVC, make it six cylinders (or combine with an electrical motor – whatever it takes to get north of 350 bhp), run on E85 and finish the AeroX. My wife will be happy, I will be happy, and I suspect most of us would be happy to see the AeroX roll off the assembly line.

        • I say bring back the 2 Stroke!
          I still use one as my daily driver…it farts a little too much, but hey, so do I!

11. Do you think they will post a synopsis of the days events on the website?
    Sure would be nice!

12. Fascinating and sad…..they hold an open day at the factory, and as far he I’ve heard, there’s not a glimmer of news about a new OEM or a new “real” Saab for the world market.

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