Geely to announce a sub-Volvo Swedish brand

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According to an article found by our member saabyurk, the press has picked up on a pending announcement by Geely, owners of the Volvo brand, that they are planning to introduce a new Swedish brand that will slot under Volvo in terms of content and price.  May 26 appears to be the date when this will formally be announced.  Apparently, the new brand will utilize a platform developed for Geely/Volvo under the leadership of a former Saab engineer.  All very interesting, and something to watch.  Here is the link: http://nordicwheels.de/volvo-startet-neue-automarke/

95 thoughts on “Geely to announce a sub-Volvo Swedish brand”

  1. I wrote here—–probably two years ago—-that Geely should try to wrest control of the Saab name so that they would have both Swedish brands. My suggestion was for them to slot Saab below Volvo on price—-and to make Saab the sportier/youth brand, with hatchbacks, a Sonnet convertible and more affordable small sport-utes. I maintain that they would have had a monopoly on customers loyal to the two legendary Swedish brands. Of course, at that point in time, humpy dumpy NEVS already had the Saab brand and was running it further into the ground. Geely might have been well served back in 2012 to make a push for Saab to nail this down and prevent the Bush Leaguers from taking a wrecking ball to what was left of Saab. What could have been. It’s depressing to think about how great this could have been for Saab fans, for factory workers in Sweden, for engineers, etc.—-to actually be working on things that would come to fruition instead of working in a circle leading to nowhere, which is what all affiliated with NEVS are doing. I guess it’s nice to draw a temporary paycheck though—-there is that.

    • I wasn’t vocal about it, but I also thought Volvo should take advantage of the opportunity. It would have helped them attain the volume figures they are hoping for. It seemed like a win-win proposition.

  4. Credit where credit is due. It was red99 on the German saabblog_dot_net who found the article and suggested, just maybe, the Saab brand might stay in Sweden, but not under NEVS.

  5. It makes a lot of sense. Volvo has made numerous attempts to appeal to younger drivers, but have never been able to make a dent in the A4/3 series drivers. That was SAABs main demographic. Could you imagine geely financing a updated phoenix platform, like they did with the xc90. I have no doubt it would be a success. However, there is one pretty big problem from geely’s stand point. Why would you pour all this money into a company that does not even own its naming rights? Think about how crazy that is. Yes, it is instant brand recognition. But it has lost a lot of its luster and would require a lot on money to revive. It might be in geely’s best interest just to reinvent a new brand. But if it looks like a SAAB and drives like a SAAB and is made in Sweden by the people who use to design and make SAABs, does it really matter what its called.

  6. The only problem is that Volvo official have already denied this piece of news.

    True is that CEVT AB, owned by Geely, is working on a small car platform for Volvo and Geely and its CEO is Mats Fägerhag, a known name in the SAAB world.

    So besides of some Geely cars that could come to Europe or the US the first series of CEVT developed cars will be the 40-series from Volvo.

    90 and 60-series will be (and are) based on the Volvo modular platform and the smaller car, where the benefit per car is also smaller will be based on the CEVT platform.

    Some words from the CEVT webpage:

    VISION: Bring Geely to the world.
    MISSION: Lay the foundation for Geely Auto in Europe .

    It doesn’t sound like they are trying to bring a third brand to Europe.

  7. So, in other words, the upcoming 40-series Volvos might benefit from some Saab magic. That sounds like good news to me. Sign me up for a 300 HP turbo/supercharged hatch with a manual transmission and great space utilization!

  9. Look, the Saab brand may be moribund at present, but reviving it for Geely would be a hell of a lot better proposition to introduce a new model or brand than coming up with a completely new brand that no one has heard of from a manufacturer that most have never heard of, and also overcoming the “made in China” issue that is, fair or unfair, definitely going to be a hurdle. It is one thing for Geely to make a Volvo model in China, but another thing entirely to make and sell a Chinese model.

    For Saab, NEVS is becoming even more irrelevant than it had been, so in a sense Saab is now available for anyone who can present a good plan for its use, and if that is Geely using its Swedish expertise that it gained with Volvo, then that would be fine by me.

    • Well said Paul, very well said. This makes so much sense if the parties involved would cooperate to make it happen. It would be a win for Sweden, keeping both iconic brands alive under what appears to be a very competent group of people—the things they are doing with Volvo lately are home runs—-beautifully crafted automobiles, decent enough marketing, selling in traditional Volvo markets and to rave reviews. It would be a win for Geely, who would get a damaged but still viable brand—-“one stop Swedish shopping” to bring Saab and Volvo faithful together under one corporate umbrella. Would it be a win for Saab AB? I don’t know. I guess the financials would dictate that. But if they were willing to license the name to these bumbling fools at NEVS, I would hope they might give it one last chance with a team that seems to be on their game—-Geely. Would it be a win for NEVS? No, not really. But honestly, they’re used to losing. In this case, it wouldn’t really be a loss either, because they never had the first clue what to do with the Saab brand. They didn’t seem to understand ANYTHING about the strengths of the brand, how to nurture what was left of it—-how to get off the mark fast enough to save it—-in other words, it was like giving the latest smart phone to an artichoke and asking the artichoke to make a call. All you would have is a phone on the table and an artichoke on the table with absolutely no interaction whatsoever. No call would be made. In the case of NEVS, it was nearly that inept. They couldn’t get out of their own way and accomplished next to nothing, short of shoveling a few more bags of dirt and sand on what was left of Saab. They need to be the one to come up with a new brand for whatever garbage they’re working on. Let’s pray that Geely wrests control of the Saab brand somehow—-a long shot to be sure—-not only unlikely but probably EXTREMELY unlikely we’ll ever see it. But we can hope. We’ve become very good at hoping for things in the NEVS era.

  10. Can I just ask the Swedes on this board: would you be horrified if Volvo were to run Saab (y’know, tribal loyalties and all that), or would you be okay with it?

  11. There is no good reason why SAAB AB should license its name to Geely (or anyone else). Even if the SAAB AB management suite is populated with slow learners, the Company likely has some influential shareholders who will make this clear.

    • That might be true. Of course, in some ways, basically free money is a good thing and if there’s an up front payout and royalties on sales—-it’s a small infusion of cash without effort. I know there’s a risk of further tarnishing the name and they’d have to evaluate that potential issue. But 3cyl, was there a good reason in 2012 for them to license their name to unproven imbeciles? Well, they did it. Now they’d be approached by Volvo, who seems to have their act together. If they were willing to do this 4 years ago, why not today?

      • More likely, SAAB AB feels that the cord has finally been cut and are glad of it. Also, Volvo is hardly a powerhouse in the automobile marketplace. And, the concept of adding a brand seems somewhat bizzare when their core brand sales seem marginal at best.

        • How bizarre to call their sales marginal and their growth plans for the c- segment and hybrid ready. Wait for may 26 . The smile of cetv ceo was very big when the word saab dropped recently. We will see how marginal they are.

  12. Why exactly are the reasons why SAAB AB would never licence the car name if they get assurances that geely has the means and the will to see it through?

    • Putting their name and the related goodwill associated with it in the hands of a third party is not worth the relatively small potential licensing fee revenue which would be of no consequence to an entity the size of SAAB AB. I suspect they have learned that by now.

      • You realize that Geely and the Chinese market is an still a growth market. If geely is committed to funding the development of a new 9-3 platform the same way it did the xc 90. I don’t think they would have any hesitation. Geely is not Nevs or spyker. They just want to avoid a complete fiasco. But if geely is really committed, this would be an incredible opportunity.

        • It may be a great opportunity, but not for SAAB AB. Companies expend a lot of money and effort establishing and controlling their brand(s). Turning it over to an unrelated third party is not good business. SAAB AB is finally at a point where it has cut its ties to unrelated automobile operations. Most likely, the only way it will let its name be used on a car now is if it buys/establishes an automobile company that it controls.

      • Let us not continue to drag the dead corpse through the streets, and let us finally bury her, and what remains of her once noble name…

        • It’s already buried. But even dead brands can have new life in the auto industry. Even horrible brands like mini.

          • Yes, SVAB. But is it really a “Mini”? or a “Frankenstein’s monster” of components branded to attract a specific market segment?

    • What if Volvo approached Saab AB? Geely is where the money’s coming from, but Volvo is the important marque that different companies keep running. Saab AB may be cautious of Geely, but the management from Volvo might actually catch their attention.

      • The money for Volvo don’t come from Geely. Geely stopped two years ago sending money to Göteborg.
        Volvo was on the brink of failing, but things have turned out well.

  13. Establishing a third brand next to Volvo and Geely would not make too much sense. They are not big enough, they do not produce enough cars, both brands less than one million per year. Volvo is currently developing/rolling out two vehicle platforms: the upper is being reserved to the Volvo 60/90 series whereas the lower will be rolled for the compact Volvo 40 series cars and Geely models. Surely a great leap forward for Geely, and if they intend to export their cars to Europe, North America and Antarctica (!) they might think about introducing a different brand to the market, as Geely might sound too “Chinese” too “low-cost” for Western consumers. Elk Dragon Motors might be a better choice

    FW aka GMVMNEVSififif

    • The only play I can see for Geely is if they realize the Geely nameplate will not sell in North America or Western Europe unless it sells for peanuts (think Hyundai in the mid-1990’s). They want to move Volvo upmarket (from a Acura/Infiniti competitor to a BMW/Merc/Audi competitor. The Iconic SAAB nameplate would allow Volvo to move up.

      The re-launch of the iconic SAAB name could be reminiscent of MINI’s return in the early 2000’s. Start with only small models based on the next-gen V40 (I bet it would be the perfect platform for a Saab 900 SPG spin-off). 2 & 4-door hatch and of course a convertible variant. The recipe for a successful SAAB return is simple – keep it quirky, keep in fun, keep it save, and keep it relatively inexpensive.

  15. Nevs has capacity to offer another Auto Manufacturer production at their Trollhättan plant.
    Maybe Geely, through CEVT (China Europe Vehicle Technology) that is currently setting up a local branch office at Innovatum (Saab museum area) have wider plans.
    Geely might have realised that following Qoros business strategy will fail. Creating a european sub-brand as an offshoot of Volvo is not a bad idea. Audi-VW-Skoda trinity could be match by Volvo-(?)-Geely.
    After Saab went bankrupt there might be a vaccume to fill.

    • Geely / Volvo can probably take advantage of another brand, but there is no vacuum to fill, because Saab Automobile was a very small car manufacturer. Former Saab owners will buy all kinds of different brands and wouldn’t add much to Volvo’s sales figures.

      • May be so, but branding wise there are some space vacant beside Volvo. Scandinavian cool, safe, sustainable cars priced right, might appeal those Volvo customers that cant follow the upmarket journey.

  16. “Lay the foundation for Geely Auto in Europe” – I understand they want that – but of course it has nothing to do with Saab or the factory in Trollhattan. I’m not interested in Geely or Volvo at all. This is a Saab and Nevs forum, and I don’t want to read any Volvo news. The brand in Gothenburg is Saab’s opponents and vice versa. If I buy a new car in the future it is a car from Trollhattan with Saab dna (the name can be something else). But I will never buy a car with the Saab-name who is developed by Geely / Volvo. It would be like betraying Saab and my soul.

    • Of course, the Saab developed by Geely/Volvo would be infinitely better than anything the NEVS misfits would cobble together. One company is an automobile manufacturer and currently making world class products. The other is a “consortium” that has more identities than Cybil. “EVs, no 9-3s, no, Turkish National Car, no, Chinese Market partner…this province, that province, Japanese battery technology, factory for other manufacturers to lease, factory for Saabs to be made, Chinese factory for Saabs to be made, Chinese factory for new brand to me made, Swedish factory for new brand to be made, cars made in Sweden and shipped to China for batteries to be installed…yada, yada, yada.

  17. I understand the hesitation of some of the Saab faithful to a link-up with Volvo, but I fear that something along those lines, even if a very long shot at best, is the only opportunity for any of us to ever buy a new Saab. There are no real alternatives, and I have to agree with Angelo, that NEVS is never going to be the answer. Their focus is clearly China. If they ever get things going and want to export to Europe or North America, it won’t be a Saab. Will they maybe get some production going in Trollhattan–yes, just to serve their needs in China, and as soon as they tool up their interests in China (literally and figuratively) they won’t need a plant in a faraway land.

    NEVS is a consortium that is largely owned by Chinese governmental entities. It is like the State of Michigan or Detroit owning part of Ford or General Motors. It is not the free market like we are used to. Their interests are pretty clear–investment for the Chinese market. These are not governmental interests looking for passive investments to fund retirement plans–they want ownership of the means of production, and we have to look at it in that light. Think about that, look at that ownership chart that was posted, and it becomes pretty clear where their interests really are.

    • If you are right about these things, Saab AB better buries the name and a new car with the name Saab never comes out. To lease the name to Volvo would be like fail of the entire Saab history. Why would Geely / Volvo need the Saab-name, and why would Saab AB find a reason to want to help Geely / Volvo if they are in distress? The best for Geely / Volvo is to find a “brand new” brand if they have problems with the current. How sad if they so badly wants to take over the iconic Saab-name…

  18. If we want a Volvo we can buy one. We don’t need Volvos with SAAB badges to accomplish that. And we especially don’t need inferior Volvos with SAAB badges. That would be at least two steps down from a SAAB.

    • re: “we don’t need a Volvo with Saab badges”

      How about a Saab with Volvo badges?

      I understand that “Saab vs. Volvo” is the Swedish equivalent to the US-ian “Ford vs. Chevy” debate, argued by 8-year old boys in schoolyards everywhere, but that seems very short-sighted now.

      I am evidently alone in this, but what I loved about Saab was the cars, not the branding. If I can get the same quality under a different banner, then I am happy. I don’t see the attraction of living in the past, always fighting yesterday’s wars.

      • The badge does not really matter. At least not to me.

        But I mean… If it looks like a Volvo… That is a deal-breaker. My wife does not care one iota for Volvo’s past design, current design or future design (the new XC90 or whatever it is called). I have a weak spot for the P1800 however, but the rest: No way.

        I want a neat looking car, FWD, plenty of bhp while not atrociously expensive to drive. My wife’s 9-3 TTiD fits the bill nicely. There aren’t many good looking alternatives out there.

        Seeing as Hareide does odd jobs for Volvo, maybe there is hope. They’ve done the FWD for quite some time now and they seem to go forward with 4 cylinder turbocharged engines, so there’s that too. They just need to dump the coffin-look and make sure it drives well on snow.

      • “a SAAB with Volvo badges” isn’t likely. SAABs were more than the sum of their parts. Volvo has never accomplished that.

  19. Yes, we need a nice and good Swedish car, and what we don’t need is to messing around with the Saab-name. Saab AB have determined that it does not will come any car with the Saab-name. I hope they stay with that, and not do anything rash.

  20. I agree with Bernard on this one. It wasn’t the badge on the car that made a SAAB a SAAB. It was the ethos and the integrity behind the way they were designed and made.

  21. I find it funny after so many years at making cars, according to the SAAB faithful, SAAB got it all right and Volvo got it ALL wrong. So we have smart Swedes, and not so smart Swedes. Really, I owned a Volvo 124 wagon in 1972 in Australia, very good finish quality, under powered, but a really nice car. It looked like a real car when Saab`s were quirky. I also own an 1976 NSU RO 80 (now) in Florida USA which was so modern then compared to both Volvo and Saab. I have owned a total of 15 Saabs, still own 3 wagons & a 9000 Aero. I just stuck my neck out and over paid $12,900 for a 2007 Saab 95 wagon with 19,000 mls on it.
    So you can see I`m Saab blind. So many of you Saabers get your undergarments all twisted up when it comes to Saab. Answer me this, – Where were all the Saab buyers in America when scores of NG 95`s were sitting in dealers yards available in the high 20`s to low 30`s brand new. I missed a 4X that sold brand new for $25,000K in Florida. It`s easy to weep sad for Saab, yet there were so many good new cars available. I have been to the Saab conventions, Saab owners are cheap, I am guilty of the same, I go to junk yards for Saab parts, or strip them from my local Saab Indi. How many of you posters would step up and pay even
    $ 25K for a 5 door hatch, manual tranny, non electric/heated seats?
    I believe there are a lot of posters that are comfortable posting in the knowledge that they don`t have to commit to a new current available Saab model.
    As for NEVS I see the name as an abbreviation for Never Saab.
    One day the world will wake up to how all countries are funding the growing Chinese military machine through all the dollars spent at Walmart and Home Depot/ Lowes with all the third rate products they produce for the greedy global corporations that have send work overseas.We are already used to inferior products from China, why should their cars be any different.
    Saabs were well built, tank strong fun to drive, and super practical.
    I remember years ago when some colored nose auto jorno asked, –
    who would buy a premium 5 door hatchback with a turbo for $40,000 USD.
    Now we have Porsche, Audi, Acura, BMW Honda and Tesla all hatchbacks, go figure! $70K-$120 K for an A7 Audi and much more for a Porsche.
    I have a real dislike for SUVs, Scary, Uncontrolable Vehicles, poorly named as there is nothing sporty about heavy high sided station wagons with oversized tyres. BUT I saw the first Jaguar F Pace in Miami last week, and was very taken.
    If it can drive like a Jag this may be my next purchase. At least it doesn`t look like those gummy shark Lexus monstrosities, yuk.
    Hang in there Saabers, but be open minded about other brands.
    Give it another 15 years and Saabs will be as rare as my NSU, or as we say hen`s teeth or rocking horse poop.

    • Volvo clearly did some things very right.

      However, that does not necessarily mean they made better cars. At least not in my book.

      Marketing played a part. Other factors also played a part. You mention the NG 9-5: Usually stellar reviews, but… The leasing companies, specially in the US, did not believe in Spyker as an owner. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. So the leasing market was effectively cut off thus leading to your observation: Dealers were unable to move the product. Combine this with failed marketing efforts and…

      For most people, a good FWD design is enough. AWD is meaningless. But thanks to marketing, “everybody” must have AWD. AWD brings people to the shop, what they drive away with however (once they realize the downsides, namely cost) is often something different.

      As a replacement for my Saabs, Volvos aren’t there yet. Doesn’t mean they won’t sell cars to everyybody else. I think they will be quite successfull in the future, but so far their efforts have not placed them in the crosshairs of my household.

      And yeah, Chinese cars will eventually get here too. But the same thing applies: A brand’s success at marketing is not the yardstick I personally use when purchasing a car. (not that it matters one iota: there are clearly too few people not swayed by a good marketing strategy) As an aside: A Chinese brand could decide that they want to make a superior car. I believe Geely has such ambitions, and other Chinese companies might very well follow the same path.

        • Have you read “A man called Ove” yet? 🙂

          It also varies from country to country. English and American Saab fans are often fans of Volvo too. I believe there is a sharper rift in Sweden and Norway. For some it is just a simple brand rivalry, for others it runs a wee bit deeper.

          I will eventually be forced to jump brands (difficult to say how long a NG 9-5 will survive). So I hope that Volvo will come up with a great looking car by 2026. Fingers crossed.

      • agree a good fwd or rear drive is enough. Depending on your driving tracks. Haldex awd act as a fwd in normal situations. So if you drive only on flat dry roads it’s a waste of money. Land Rover offers models fwd or awd. Personally i go always for awd now.It gives you a safe feeling and track holding which can be live saving.

    • Very good post more of this.
      But as joe said , not pouring the the saab corps through mogadishu .

  22. I have serious problems with my comments on this site. And there is no solution because of competent lead. All my comments end up in the trash bin for 4 weeks .

  23. Look, friends, it is time to throw out the old concept of Volvo vs. Saab, as the underlying premise (Swedish automotive powers dueling it out) is no more. Volvo is owned by the Chinese, and really so is NEVS. The world is a completely different place than when Volvo and Saab were the old, dyed-in-the-wool Swedish concerns. So it is time for a new paradigm. And remember that the Scandinavian market is a rounding error compared to larger, emerging markets like China, or even North America. Yes, there is an opportunity for Saab products in the EU as a whole, but like North America, the market is very crowded and fiercely competitive.

    Jessie James, the infamous bank robber in the US, was asked why he robbed banks. His answer, “because that is where the money is.” Same is true for the auto business. Which markets have the most potential? Why are some major automotive brands doing reveals at the Beijing auto show versus Munich or even Tokyo?

    Hey, I have mixed feelings about the Chinese coming on the international stage, and I wish Saab was a truly Swedish concern like in the old days. But the former is a fact, and the latter is a fiction, and here we are. So, let’s get over the old Volvo vs. Saab nonsense and consider any move that might bring Saab back in a viable way. I still say that Geely could really make use of the Saab brand, and someone like that is the best way to revive the brand. Saab fans should welcome that chance. It may be a long shot or pipe dream, but is still something we should want to support.

    • Paul with all respect we now what happens in our markets. Just look at your own brands and president candidates and all the circus with it. Not to forget the national rifle ass. And we do not tell by a bank regulator which car we should buy.

      • Yes, the political climate in the US is sad. “I will never support a Republican.” I will never support a Democrat.” That is nuts. Kind of like the Hatfields and McCoys. Liverpool vs. Manchester United. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. Volvo vs. Saab? I think I see a pattern.

        • Nice comparison Paul. Especially Hatfields and McCoys.The other clubs are very financial in shape. The players drive exotic cars. I go out with my exotic camper to sweden in spring time for a full around. i keep in contact with you via apple in my camper.Hillary will be not a bad result, although i like fighter Sanders .

    • Of course the Volvo vs. Saab is not over. Something has happen at SaabsUnited the last few days. Bird Phoenix is now PG Gyllenhammar and he have been in contact with some people at our forum. These people lies flat for him and let Volvo eat Saab. I never thought it would happen to our dear Saab page. Moderators would immediately put a stop to it’s tendencies and restore the right Saab spirit. The feeling that the brand Saab give us, has absolutely nothing to do with Volvo. If there is a single company who should have the rights to the Saab brand, it is Nevs. But Saab AB has said that no new cars will be called Saab. We can only hope that they stay with it. There is absolutely nothing for us to discuss when it comes to Geely / Volvo and the Saab brand. It only makes this forum loses it’s sting and soon will be stone dead.

    • Bottom line is that we are at the point where it’s just names. In EVERYTHING, it’s just names. Polaroid cameras? The current Polaroid or Kodak have absolutely nothing to do with the originals, aside from the name being licensed. Ditto, things like Craig stereo/radio, Jensen speakers, etc. The names still exist. Sylvania? Ditto. Name is still out there, but none of these “companies” which are actually Chinese factories in most cases, have anything to do with the original companies we knew from the 1970s or earlier. Where am I going with this? Saab at this point is just a name. If Geely is persuaded that there is a really good business case for them to have a division slotted below Volvo or different customer base than Volvo—and if they want to corner the European/Swedish car enthusiast customer base around the world by marrying the two former competing brands under one umbrella—-as long as they sweeten the pot with Saab AB and if Saab AB is compelled to grand permission one more time—-it can happen. Is it a long shot? Sure, probably. No one has said anything official about this and it seems like it’s just us speculating. Personally, I think it would be a stroke of genius for Geely to get both brands in house and bring Saab back to life in their former markets. New cars, some Saab engineers to keep it somewhat kosher—-it could be a nice move for profits with relatively low risk. They wouldn’t even have to make a big splash either—-just slowly begin to integrate a small “SAAB” hatchback into these markets—-maybe through the Volvo dealerships? If the car was clearly different and less expensive, it would not cannibalize Volvo sales either.

      • If geely is the road ahead for saab go for it. These 1500 geely- volvo engineers and still expanding have cooked two platforms and are still cooking on their small cma platform. With the saab badge recognition it’s a dream can come true.According volvo cars are made by people from all corners of the world. Everybody together, diversity stimulates creativity. Sorry sonnet 71 this is open view site.

        • And i just saw two new compact lightweight diesels launched by mercedes with a nice power range. Such architecture will also fit nice in the volvo cma platform or saab.

      • It is almost like some would rather have Saab die than let it go to the “wrong” suitor, even if that suitor is competent. And many of those were supporting NEVS, which clearly has shown it was not the right suitor and, frankly, has no interest in Saab other than use of an aging platform as a stopgap measure.

        So, which way is it? Do the faithful want Saab to survive in some reasonable iteration, or just have it die because they can’t tolerate change. Many of the same people bemoaning the possibility of Saab with Geely are the same folks clinging to their Saabs that were designed under GM/Opel! Maybe we need more purity and say the only true Saabs are the pre-GM ones, like mine.
        That would be silly–and so would thumbing our noses at someone who could rescue the brand.

        • We have to see forward to the future and don’t just messing around with the brand. If we are people who cares about the Saab-spirit, we have to support the great work people are doing in the same room as the legendary Saab 900 was constructed. The people know what they are doing, and their works would be ruined if Saab AB lend the name to another company, such as Geely / Volvo, or GM, or someone else. It is inconceivable to me that people so badly want to kill the unique Saab tradition by just giving away the brand to a company who has nothing to do with Saab. The right people is still working in Trollhattan and we would support them.

          • Sonnet, unfortunately Nevs really has nothing to do with Saab. Yes, they are in control of the former Saab factory, but Nevs has proven that they don’t intend to honor Saabs heritage, and they have shown that they really don’t know how to manage automotive manufacturing. What is inconceivable to me is that anyone would have faith in Nevs to build a toaster, much less a real Saab.

            • I would really like to visit Nevs and hear more about their visions for the future. It would certainly give me and other visitors a completely new perspective. Afterwards, we could have a cup of coffee and discuss what we heard. It would certainly be a fruitful discussion. At least I’m not prepared to condemn Nevs already now, although I was very disappointed when Nevs took over the factory in Trollhattan. I then hooped on Mahindra. Unfortunately we can not rewind the tape, but we can hope that it will be built good cars in Trollhattan. It’s not wrong to give them a chance!

        • Paul, I totally agree with that assessment. It’s beyond foolish to believe that NEVS is in a better position to eventually produce a bonafide Saab than Geely is. Ridiculous. Geely is a working car manufacturer, now turning out beautifully crafted Volvos. They are certainly capable of doing something meaningful with the Saab name—-they have the money and know-how to create a very decent automobile to carry the Saab name and wear the badge. NEVS? A joke. No chance. Let’s put it this way: NEVS is YEARS and YEARS away from introducing anything of interest to so many markets where Saab was sold. Geely, on a fast track, could have Saabs for sale as soon as 2020 perhaps, even in North America—-if they started working on it tomorrow. In any case, NEVS already failed. Nothing to talk about there except to further ridicule them for their shenanigans. At least with Geely/Volvo, there would be things worth discussing.

          • Electric vehicles are part of the vanguard of China’s innovation-based “new normal” economy. By 2020 State Grid Corporation of China hopes to build 10.000 rapid charging stations, and 120.000 charging posts, across 202 cities and 36.000 kilometer of expressways. The number of new-energy vehicles to hit China’s roads by 2020 will reach 300.000, according to a government estimate. Sales of new-energy vehicles in China rose by 144 percent year-on-year to 16.100 units in January 2016. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs) and New Long Ma (NLM) will deliver more than 250.000 cars and minivans to Panda New Energi, and others, during the period 2017-2021. Nevs will acquire 50 percent of the shares of New Long Ma company. It’s an outstanding job and they will beat Geely / Volvo with horse lengths in a near future. Who wants to be a looser??

            • Who will design and create them. As tom waits sung “What are they building in there” Most competent swed engineers are at cvet with horse lengths. Including power train, and separate units for design and IT.

            • Saying you are going to do something and actually doing it are two totally different things. Also, who is to say that just because cars are powered by electricity actually means they are better than ice’s. For some applications, maybe this is true, but not for all. What China is doing is not free market, it is demand market/economy…and NEVER has this approach been successful over the long term. My money is on the Geely/Volvo FREE MARKET approach any day of the week.

              • How much free market was Geely when they purchased Volvo? How much free market was it in Sweden when both Police (State) and the Telecommunications Authority (Statliga Televerket) almost only bought Volvo? Many people still remember Televerket’s many orange Volvo Duett. It was very unfair to other automakers, as Volvo benefited so greatly by the Swedish State. Now maybe both Nevs and Geely gets some advantages in China, and it benefits both in the long and short term the plants in Trollhattan and Gothenburg, in Sweden. Would we say “no” to the opportunity? I do not know, but think it would be a little sin…

            • LOL. 3-4 years ago, we were told about China having all of those charging stations ready in 3-4 years. What a ridiculous crock. Fooled me once, shame on them. They won’t fool me twice. NEVS didn’t even fool me once—-I knew they were fools to begin with.

              • Sometimes things take longer than you think. I’m sure that China is serious about shifting its energy policy and vehicle strategy. If they did not, the state would not invest so much money, as will promote energy companies and vehicle manufacturers. The nice thing is that Nevs right now is preparing for delivering environmentally friendly vehicles, and are ready the day it’s time for delivery. It gives them an advantage over some other manufacturers. But no one is perfect and even Nevs could have done many things better, however, I think they finally done their homework.

  24. Nevs, the Donald Trump of car makers. Go research Youtube about Donald`s family name with John Oliver, Drumpf, it`s German. Nevs, it`s pathetic
    Can`t we just all go buy old 900s and 9000s restore them and live happily ever after.

    • Maybe saabs are made again in belgium.The volvo plant in belgium is on the list for their C- segment cars.

      • The plant in belgium will be the main plant for their cma platform and are revamping the plant right now. the xc40 will be first launched . A subname brand could be interesting to give this line more attention.

    • It is noticeable that you are living in the past, Len Burke. Saab made great cars during the GM period and the current Nevs 9-3 is still very good. We must look ahead and understand what the future of the automotive industry means. Nevs have understood it, but maybe not us who write on the SaabsUnited site. “United”, however, is questioned by those who do not believe it’s true that Nevs is the future of the automotive industry. Let’s give them a chance! 🙂

  25. The problem in focusing on what NEVS and its partners are going to potentially gear up for in China is exactly that–it is focused on China. Electric vehicles, or internal combustion–who cares if it is all about the Chinese market? Again, where is Saab in all of this–I just don’t see it anywhere. Even if NEVS becomes an actual manufacturer, it is clearly focused on serving the Chinese market, and even if it finally got around to shipping a product to the EU or North America, those will not be Saabs in any real way. Accessing the Saab carcass was just to utilize its capabilities in the short run. Beyond that, there is really nothing for us with NEVS.

    • First, SU is an international site and there are people from different places and with different interests so even if it was only about China there still would be people who care. Second, it has never been only about China, it has always been about initial focus on China and gradual expansion to other places. This strategy makes sense. It may make some people unhappy, but this doesn’t make it bad. Third, who said their products won’t be Saabs in any real way? Every information coming from NEVS points to the opposite, the last thing being Stig Nodin stating that they intend to keep the ‘Saab spirit’ alive. When different engineers and managers at Nevs express the same idea one should accept that all of them are either liars or they actually mean it. I think the second is more likely.

      • Avelik the international site also means that: We in belgium produce also swed cars by 6000 people named volvo for 50 years and trucks. Geely car was there to talk about the future and lucky ended up to produce their new compact line. They look for a swed linked sub brand name for these cars …. The phoenix designer at cvet who included also the e – axles may have some ideas about the name. The plant is now revamping whit great impact for about two years for the workers and sub suppliers who missed contracts. To see the impact for the welding shop to move to a new platform is fascinating to follow. For sure this post will not be edited and is not tht friendly and will be blocked as all my former posts.

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