Jonathan, Author at SAABSUNITED

Theory: Saab and Volvo may become siblings

June 23, 2016 by Jonathan

saab-volvo There have been a lot of news articles and stories following the announcement that NEVS will use its own brand instead of Saab for their future electric cars (starting with NEVS 9-3 in 2017).

The motor journalist Jan-Erik Berggren, from Expressen (one of the two larger evening papers in Sweden), has an interesting theory on the future of the Saab brand. He actually claims that Saab and Volvo may become siblings.

The reason for this is that CEVT (China-Euro Vehicle Technology), a company owned by Geely and Volvo, are working on a new C-segment car platform that is supposed to launch with a new brand name. CEVT consists of more than 1 900 people, with locations in China, Gothenburg and Trollhättan.

The CEO of CEVT is Mats Fägerhag, former VP Product Development at Saab in Trollhättan (where he worked for 20 years). And remember, Geely were one of the companies bidding for Saab back in the GM days.

So the theory from Jan-Erik Berggren is that CEVT may reach an trademark agreement with Saab AB. This would mean that Saab is re-introduced as a new compact car, within the same family as Volvo.

What’s your thoughts on this? Would you rather buy a NEVS car from Stallbacka (the former Saab main plant in Trollhättan) or a Saab car from Torslanda (the Volvo main plant in Gothenburg)?

NEVS will use its own brand instead of Saab

June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 by Jonathan

This is just in from NEVS in Trollhättan:

Tuesday, June 21, 2016
NEVS launches its new trademark and sets off to shape the future of mobility
NEVS’ vision is to shape mobility for a more sustainable future by focusing solely on electric vehicles with mobility solutions built around them. To support this vision a new brand identity has been developed – NEVS.
NEVS will be the trademark of the company’s products including the first electric vehicle based on the 9-3 platform with start in 2017. That means that NEVS will no longer use the Saab trademark.
The automotive industry is changing rapidly to better fit societies struggling with pollution and congestion problems. NEVS intends to be in the forefront of this change.
“With sincere respect to our history and heritage, we want to be recognized as ourselves – A sustainable mobility solutions provider who are committed to the environment with a focused growth plan with its own brand as a corner stone,” said Mattias Bergman, President NEVS.
NEVS long-term business goal is set globally, with China as its first priority and most demanding market for the coming years. NEVS intends to build a strong footprint in China as a base for a global expansion, and continue to establish partnerships with forefront runners to shape the future of mobility solutions.
A number of framework agreements have already been signed, including a strategic partnership agreement with Panda New Energy to deliver 150,000 electric cars and another 100,000 electric commercial vehicles, as well as the collaboration with Chinese State Grid, the world’s largest electric utility company.
NEVS has a unique position by combining proven ability to develop and build high quality premium cars and at the same time the opportunity to build an automotive company for the future with new owners and partners specialized in for instance car sharing solutions and charging infrastructure.
”I believe the tipping point for electric vehicles is very near in many key markets. We aim to contribute to a more sustainable city planning, and together with our partners such as State Grid and Panda New Energy jointly introduce a new business model for mobility,” said Jonas Hernqvist, VP Sales & Marketing NEVS.
A transparent approach – with traits such as being inclusive, honest and genuine – is essential for NEVS, both in terms of behavior and visualization. From colors to imagery, our new brand design should always reflect our aim of shaping mobility for a more sustainable future.

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Svenska Saabklubben is taking over SaabsUnited

May 24, 2016 by Jonathan

Saabklubben loves SaabsUnited Today an agreement has been made between Svenska Saabklubben (the Swedish Saab Club) and the owner of SaabsUnited, Till Drescher, where Saabklubben will be taking over the management of SaabsUnited. The primary objective is to make sure the website is properly maintained, so that the content and history of SaabsUnited isn’t lost. Saabklubben intends to keep SaabsUnited as it is, with the crowdsourced community earlier described by Alphonse (where visitors contribute with posts).

SaabsUnited will still be SaabsUnited.

Saabklubben is a non-profit organization founded in 1976, with more than 3 000 active members (approx. 10 % are members outside of Sweden). We care for all models of Saab – from Saab 92 to Saab NG9-5. Saabklubben has a member exclusive spare parts production, with close to 10 000 parts for Saab 92 up until Saab 9000. We also have a close relation to Orio (former Saab Parts) and provide our members with spare parts for their newer Saab car models.

Saabklubben cooperates with several companies that provide parts and accessories for Saab, from Maptun and Nordic Tuning to CardYourCar and Speedparts. These companies provide our members with certain discounts. Saabklubben also provides its members with better insurances for their classic cars, a membership magazine, events and track-days and much more. Saabklubben has local sections in many parts of Sweden, from Skåne and Trollhättan to Norrland and Stockholm.

Feel free to read more about Saabklubben, in English, here: http://saabklubben.se/?lang=en

Existing authors of SaabsUnited are welcome to continue with their contributions and posts here. The site and content will be transfered to the server environment of Saabklubben, which is the exact same as SaabsUnited (WordPress). This means that there will be no changes to the look, feel and functions of SaabsUnited. As when SaabsUnited has changed management before, all authors will be able to have some or all their post removed if they so wish.

Saabklubben will add a number of new editors to SaabsUnited, to ease the management and moderation of the crowdsourced posts.

Finally, we don’t want SaabsUnited to be something of the past. To preserve is important, but we also want to develop and improve SaabsUnited (with your help and feedback). We would love to be able to increase the activity and community of SaabsUnited. The enthusiasts, the clubs and the companies supporting Saab all deserve it. There are also a lot of rumours about Saab, Nevs and so on. SaabsUnited has been, and can still be, the most reliable source of all things Saab.

Again, this agreement was made here today. We have just informed all the authors and major contributors of SaabsUnited. If you have any questions regarding this, let us know in the comments below. You can also contact me, the webmaster of Saabklubben, directly at [email protected].

International Saab Meeting 2016: final call!

March 9, 2016 by Jonathan

The International Saab Meeting is an annual meeting arranged by Saab enthusiast clubs all over the world. The meetings are a great way to connect with fellow Saab friends that you may only have contact with through the Internet, and of course to see and experience the Saab culture in other countries.

This year the International Saab Meeting (IntSaab2016) will be held in Sweden, for the first time since 2006. The meeting will be held in the medieval town of Vadstena, by the lake Vättern, on the 12-14 of August.

Vadstena is close to the birth town of Saab: Linköping. Linköping will play an important role in IntSaab2016, as the theme for this meeting is the aeronautical heritage of Saab, complete with a historic show of the premiere demonstration of the new Saab 92.

IntSaab2016 will also feature track day activities, tours around Linköping and a visit to the Swedish Air Force Museum. In the evenings there will be dinner and a party in the court yard of Vadstena Castle. The meeting will also have a number of pre-tours (where you drive your Saabs in a caravan to the meeting) from all parts of Sweden.

There’s a registration fee of €150/75 EUR (adults/children) and approx 400 seats for IntSaab2016, where more than 350 seats already have been registered. More seats are however going to be released Saturday 12th of March at 12:00 CET+1. This is a final call if you want to visit IntSaab2016!

IntSaab2016 is arranged by Svenska Saabklubben (The Swedish Saab Club), the largest Saab enthusiast club in Sweden. Svenska Saabklubben has a 40 year anniversary in 2016, which will be noticed during IntSaab2016. Svenska Saabklubben manufactures and provides spare parts for all models of Saab and welcome international members as well.

Read more about the International Saab Meeting 2016 here: http://intsaab2016.com