Saab to be recharged as an electric car maker
Saab looks set to become an electric car manufacturer after the ailing car firm was yesterday bought by a Chinese-Japanese investment group.
Purchaser National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), headed by entrepreneur Kai Johan Jiang and backed by Asian investors, secured the iconic Swedish brand for an undisclosed price after it filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2011, just a couple years after being sold by General Motors to Dutch group Spyker.
NEVS issued a statement outlining its intention to launch its first vehicle, an all-electric car based on the current Saab 9-3, in 2014, while the company also plans to develop new models using Japanese technology.
Although its marketing and sales will be global, NEVS will initially focus on the developing electric vehicle market in China.
Jiang said the exponential growth of the Chinese economy meant more and more of its population could afford cars, but he added that global oil supply constraints meant all these new motorists would not be able to drive petrol-fuelled vehicles.
“China is investing heavily in developing the EV market, which is a key driver for the ongoing technology shift to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” he said in a statement. “Chinese customers demand a premium electric vehicle, which we will be able to offer by acquiring Saab Automobile.”
The new company will recruit skilled engineers as part of its goal to become a leading EV manufacturer, Karl-Erling Trogen, chairman of NEVS, added, although lay-offs are expected at the company’s Trollhättan plant, which has not produced a car since March last year.
“I am delighted that we can build on Saab Automobile’s skills in vehicle design and production to start a new future-oriented venture in Trollhättan, where world-class manufacturing facilities are available,” Trogen said. “Electric vehicles powered by clean electricity are the future, and the electric car of the future will be produced in Trollhättan.”
In related news, British Gas has extended its offer of discounted home chargers beyond London to take in regional charging networks in the Midlands and the East of England. Drivers in these regions will be able to secure a 75 per cent reduction off the upfront cost of a home charge point, following April’s successful launch of the scheme in London.
Customers will also be provided with a home energy monitor kit, developed by Navetas, to help show energy consumption by their electric vehicle and their home, as well as access to 300 Source London charge points, over 250 in the Midlands Cenex network, and 120 Source East points.
Purchaser National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), headed by entrepreneur Kai Johan Jiang and backed by Asian investors, secured the iconic Swedish brand for an undisclosed price after it filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2011, just a couple years after being sold by General Motors to Dutch group Spyker.
NEVS issued a statement outlining its intention to launch its first vehicle, an all-electric car based on the current Saab 9-3, in 2014, while the company also plans to develop new models using Japanese technology.
Although its marketing and sales will be global, NEVS will initially focus on the developing electric vehicle market in China.
Jiang said the exponential growth of the Chinese economy meant more and more of its population could afford cars, but he added that global oil supply constraints meant all these new motorists would not be able to drive petrol-fuelled vehicles.
“China is investing heavily in developing the EV market, which is a key driver for the ongoing technology shift to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” he said in a statement. “Chinese customers demand a premium electric vehicle, which we will be able to offer by acquiring Saab Automobile.”
The new company will recruit skilled engineers as part of its goal to become a leading EV manufacturer, Karl-Erling Trogen, chairman of NEVS, added, although lay-offs are expected at the company’s Trollhättan plant, which has not produced a car since March last year.
“I am delighted that we can build on Saab Automobile’s skills in vehicle design and production to start a new future-oriented venture in Trollhättan, where world-class manufacturing facilities are available,” Trogen said. “Electric vehicles powered by clean electricity are the future, and the electric car of the future will be produced in Trollhättan.”
In related news, British Gas has extended its offer of discounted home chargers beyond London to take in regional charging networks in the Midlands and the East of England. Drivers in these regions will be able to secure a 75 per cent reduction off the upfront cost of a home charge point, following April’s successful launch of the scheme in London.
Customers will also be provided with a home energy monitor kit, developed by Navetas, to help show energy consumption by their electric vehicle and their home, as well as access to 300 Source London charge points, over 250 in the Midlands Cenex network, and 120 Source East points.
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