2005 Saab 9-3 Arc Sedan on 2040-cars

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Saab's latest Chinese owners facing their own credit woes

Poor Saab, it can't seem to get a break. General Motors couldn't seem to make a go of it, neither could Spyker, and now it seems that its latest owner is encountering some problems of its own.
That owner, of course, is National Electric Vehicle Sweden, a Swedish holding company owned by Chinese investors. NEVS recently restarted production at the Saab plant in Trollhättan, Sweden, and had some ambitious plans for the brand's revival, but it appears to have run out of cash.
This according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, which discovered that NEVS is having trouble paying its suppliers. One such supplier, called Labo Test, has reportedly been owed some $22,000 by NEVS since February, and without payment, petitioned the Swedish government to place NEVS into bankruptcy proceedings. If that seems a little extreme to you over twenty-two grand, it would seem the parties agree, as the petition has reportedly since been withdrawn.

There will be five new SAAB EVs, starting in 2017

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), which bought Swedish automaker Saab out of bankruptcy in 2012, has finally solidified some of its vehicle-making plans. And given the prominence of the word "electric" in the company's name, NEVs is staying true to its vision, announcing that it will have five electric vehicle models for sale by 2018. The company recently made the announcement in Stockholm, according to Saab Blog. The first EV will be based on the Saab 9-3 platform and may be available in China and Sweden by 2017. The following year, NEVS is planning to debut four more all-electric models, including a sports car, SUV, crossover, and a fastback. The cars will be assembled in Tianjin, China. Whether the Saab badge will actually be used remains in question, as NEVS is no longer affiliated with the Saab AB aerospace company. Making things even potentially murkier is the fact that NEVS said this fall that it would sell the intellectual property rights for the 9-3 to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), which would make the model the official Turkish National Car. Then again, nothing's been simple for Saab, which has passed through General Motors and Spyker and has had multiple reorganizations. Either way, the plan follows up a summer announcement that NEVS would work with China-based automaker Dongfeng Motor Corp. to develop electrified vehicles. Dongfeng has worked with electric-vehicle leaders Nissan and Renault as well as Honda, Kia and Peugeot. The company made more than 3.8 million vehicles in 2014.

Rare 9-5 SportCombi, 9-4X models being sold off in Saab asset auction

Saab lovers take notice. Swedish auction house KVD has some ultra rare Saab products on the block, and we're not talking about a 1950s Saab 92. Up for auction are a bunch of low-mileage Saab models being sold off as part of the bankrupted automaker's assets. Included in the lot of cars are models like the 2012 9-5 SportCombi (above), the 2012 9-4X (shown below) and even a 9-5 sedan driven by Victor Muller himself.
Discovered by PistonHeads, this Saab auction has numerous 9-5 SportCombi and 9-4X models, which should prove to be very rare cars. Only a small number of 9-4Xs were ever sold, and Saab closed up shop before the 9-5 SportCombi could even go on sale here. In addition to the rarity, many of the cars have fewer than 10 miles on their odometers and seemingly low reserve prices; a 9-4X 3.0 XWD Premium with just six miles has a current bid of 180,000 Swedish Krona (just over $27,000 USD) that has already met the reserve price. Some of the cars still have the protective factory shipping tape covering up the interior and exterior.
Other than the rare SportCombis and 9-4Xs being auctioned off, there's also a sharp 2012 9-3 Cabriolet with 11 miles on the clock and a V8-powered 2006 Saab 9-7X with just 3,003 miles.