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New owners still struggling to secure rights to use Saab name

Not to state the obvious, but if you're going to buy an automaker, it's probably advisable to secure rights to use the name.
That's what the new owners of Saab are trying to work out after buying the iconic Swedish automaker earlier this month, Automotive News reports.
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the Chinese-Japanese conglomerate, acquired the company's physical assets, including its factory in Trollhättan, but didn't get rights to use the Saab name and logo. Truckmaker Scania and defense company Saab AB maintain the name and logo rights, and will need to sign off on NEVS using it, according to the publication. The parties are in discussions.

NEVS, Dongfeng ready to make more green cars

National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS), the owner of the sorta-still-there Saab automobile brand, has reached a deal with Dongfeng Motor Corp. in which the China-based automaker will help NEVS develop greener vehicles. NEVS and Dongfeng have been working together since July, though the agreement was officially announced Monday. The companies say the agreement relates to so-called "new-energy" vehicles, though neither details of what those new energy vehicles will be nor financial terms were disclosed. But there's long been talk about Saab working on electrified vehicles, so this appears to be a move in the right direction. NEVS has picked a large company as its development partner. As part of the agreement, Dongfeng will speed up the development of advanced powertrains at its plant in Tiajin, China. In return, NEVS will help Dongfeng get distribution in both North America and Europe while helping the Chinese automaker sort through the matrix of developing vehicles that meet regulatory standards in those two regions, which is no easy task. Dongfeng made more than 3.8 million vehicles last year, and has done business with Peugeot, Citroen, Renault, Nissan, Honda, and Kia. Last we reported, NEVS was in the process of reorganization this past winter, and it's unclear how that will impact the relationship with Dongfeng. Also unclear is the status of the Saab brand name. The Saab AB aerospace company is no longer affiliated with the automaker and disputes NEVS using its name, but the NEVS website still highlights the Saab automotive brand. NEVS bought Saab out of bankruptcy in 2012. The latest NEVS press release is available below. Related Video: Nevs and Dongfeng tie-up for long-term strategic cooperation National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (Nevs) and Dongfeng Motor Corporation (Dongfeng) signed a strategic cooperation agreement on August 17, 2015 to achieve global industrial synergies. Since July 2015, Nevs has started working with Dongfeng on complete vehicle development projects to enhance Dongfeng's technical strength and improve Nevs' own development capability. Now both parties have agreed to expand their cooperation from technical development to further business areas such as global purchasing and distribution network. Dongfeng has formed several strategic long term partnerships with other international major car manufacturers including AB Volvo and as a 14 percent shareholder of PSA.

Boeing, Saab introduce entry for T-X trainer program

This post is appearing on Autoblog Military, Autoblog's sub-site dedicated to the vehicles, aircraft, and ships of the world's armed forces. Boeing and Saab revealed their entry for the US military's T-X trainer replacement program. The new jet, simply called T-X, is like the lovechild of a F/A-18 Hornet and an F-16 Falcon, and as Boeing tells it, will provide "performance, affordability, and maintainability advantages" over the competition. "Our T-X is real, ready and the right choice for training pilots for generations to come," Leanne Caret, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security's President and CEO said in an official statement. And Caret isn't not kidding about the Boeing T-X being both real and ready – Boeing is so confident that it built two examples before the official unveiling on Tuesday. The first jet, which Defense News reports will fly by the end of the year, debuted to media with the kind of pomp usually reserved for automotive debuts. Boeing/Saab will use the second jet – also featured on Tuesday – for structural proof testing. The needs of a training aircraft are quite different than those of a traditional fighter. The T-X features stadium-style seating, so the instructor riding in back has nearly as good a view as the student in front. Student evaluations should be easy, too, as the open software transmits data effortlessly between ground training systems and the jet itself. Functionally, Boeing claims the twin-tail layout provides more agility than a single-tail design – remember, the military's newest jets, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II both use twin-tail layouts – while the Air Force can mount two weapon hard points on the jet's wings. According to Defense News, four manufacturers – Boeing/Saab, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin/KAI, and Raytheon/Leonardo/CAE – are vying for the contract to build 350 new trainers to replace the Air Force's fleet of aging T-38 Talons. Featured Gallery Boeing/Saab T-X Entry News Source: Boeing, Defense NewsImage Credit: Boeing Saab Military