Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a puny automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly possessed GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Trio]

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab AB, “Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget” (Swedish for “Swedish aeroplane corporation”), a Swedish aerospace and defence company, was created in one thousand nine hundred thirty seven in Linköping. The company had been established in one thousand nine hundred thirty seven for the express purpose of building aircraft for the Swedish Air Force to protect the country’s neutrality as Europe moved closer to World War II. As the war drew to a close and the market for fighter planes seemed to weaken, the company began looking for fresh markets in which to diversify.

An automobile design project was began in one thousand nine hundred forty five with the internal name “X9248”. [12] [13] The design project became formally known as “Project 92”; the 92 being next in production sequence after the Saab 91, a single engine trainer aircraft. [14] In 1948, a company site in Trollhättan was converted to permit automobile assembly and the project moved there, along with the car manufacturing headquarters, which has remained there since. The company made four prototypes named “Ursaab” or “original Saab”, numbered ninety two thousand one through to 92004, before designing the production model, the Saab 92, in 1949.

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was meticulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

1960 eyed the third major revision to the 92’s platform in the Saab 96. The ninety six was an significant model for Saab: it was the very first Saab to be widely exported out of Sweden. The unusual vehicle proved very popular, selling almost 550,000 examples. Unlike American cars of the day, the 93, ninety five and ninety six all featured the 3-cylinder 2-cycle engine, which required adding oil to the gasoline tank, front-wheel drive, and freewheeling, which permitted the driver to downshift the on-the-column manual shifter without using the clutch. Front seat shoulder belts were also an early feature. [ citation needed ]

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door slats. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

The ninety nine range was expanded in one thousand nine hundred seventy three with the addition of a combi coupe model, a bod style which became synonymous with Saab. The millionth Saab was produced in 1976.

Saab entered into an agreement with Fiat in one thousand nine hundred seventy eight to sell a rebadged Lancia Delta as the Saab six hundred and jointly develop a fresh platform. The agreement yielded 1985’s Saab 9000, sister to the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema; all railed atop a common Type Four chassis. The nine thousand was Saab’s very first decent luxury car but failed to achieve the planned sales volume.

1978 also was the very first year for the 99’s replacement: the Saab 900. Almost one million 900s would be produced, making it Saab’s best-selling and most iconic model. [16] A popular convertible version followed in 1986, all of which were made at the Saab-Valmet factory in Finland, making up almost 20% of nine hundred sales. Even today, the “classic 900” retains a cult following.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

In 1989, the Saab car division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB, headquartered in Sweden; General Motors and Investor AB managed 50% each. GM’s investment of US$600 million gave it the option to acquire the remaining shares within a decade. General Motors’ involvement spurred the launch of a fresh nine hundred in 1994. The fresh car collective a platform with the Opel Vectra. Due in large part to its success, Saab earned a profit in one thousand nine hundred ninety five for the very first time in seven years. However, the model never achieved the cult following of the “classic 900” and did not achieve the same reputation for quality.

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé bod style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

The fresh close relationship yielded its very first product in 2003’s all-new 9-3. The fresh model, marketed as a sport sedan, dropped Saab’s iconic hatchback in favour of a more conventional four-door treatment. The model collective a co-developed platform (GM’s “global Epsilon one platform”) and some other components with the Opel Vectra again, but the relationship was much more of a joint engineering effort than before.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enhancing sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

Owing to fading fortunes across its entire business, GM announced that the Saab brand was “under review” in December 2008, a process which included the possibility of selling or shuttering the car maker. Reportedly, twenty seven potential buyers emerged, including BMW, Fiat, Geely, Hyundai, Magna, Renault and Tata Motors; serious talks progressed with three bidders: the Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg, Merbanco and Renco Group. [ citation needed ]

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, puny company but it is the world’s fattest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

On sixteen June 2009, Koenigsegg announced its intention to purchase the brand from GM. [Nineteen] The bid was backed by a group of Norwegian investors and the Chinese car maker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co Ltd (BAIC). The following month, both parties announced that GM had consented to the deal. There were outstanding financial details, but a loan from the European Investment Bank was expected to cover them. The loan was approved in October, but on November 24, 2009, Koenigsegg announced that it had “come to the painful and difficult conclusion that it could no longer carry out the acquisition.” [20] much because of the constant delays and the difficulties coordinating the involved parties; GM, the European Investment Bank, the Swedish National Debt Office and BAIC.

It was announced on fourteen December 2009, that the Chinese automaker would acquire the intellectual property rights and production equipment for the previous generation Saab 9-3 and Saab 9-5 in a deal worth about US$197 million, which was enough for the company to run for three months. [21] [22] BAIC voiced its intention to create a fresh brand around the purchased technology and admitted to the purchase of “three overall vehicle platforms, two engine technologies and two transmission systems.” [23]

Following the collapse of talks with Koenigsegg, GM announced that the brand would be eliminated in two thousand ten if it failed to secure a buyer before the close of 2009. [24] As talks with several firms failed, including the Netherlands-based boutique supercar maker Spyker, GM formally announced its intention to wind down the Saab brand. [25]

Undeterred, a fresh suggest round materialized. Earlier bidders Spyker and Merbanco revised their offers and were joined by a obedience from Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, which boasted the support of F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. [26] GM continued accepting bids until a self-imposed deadline of January 7, 2010. Acknowledging that the chances for reaching a deal with any party were very slender, they pledged to evaluate each suggest with due diligence. [27] [28]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Primarily Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

Spyker CEO Victor Muller attempted to obtain funding from several different sources. On March thirty his former sponsor, Russian banker Vladimir Antonov applied to Swedish authorities, EIB and General Motors for permission to become a shareholder in Saab. His request was denied by the EIB, citing concerns about his business practices.

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

Plans for a fresh joint venture with Chinese carmaker Youngman and Chinese automotive retailer Pang Da followed shortly. After months of negotiations the companies agreed to a joint US$140 million takeover of Saab Automobile and its UK dealer network unit from Swedish Automobile, with Youngman and Pang Da taking sixty and forty percent stakes respectively. [34] [35] [36]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab embarked working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

On nineteen December 2011, with no alternatives left after GM continued to block any form of involvement with a Chinese playmate, Saab officially filed for bankruptcy after a three-year fight for survival. Under Sweden’s bankruptcy laws, a party that files for bankruptcy can be bought out of bankruptcy.

On sixteen April 2012, a meeting on Saab’s bankruptcy was held at the District Court of Vänersborg. [37] The official receivers in charge of the Saab liquidation valued the assets at us$500m and the debt at US$Two,000m. After subtracting the value of the assets, Saab leaves a debt of US$1,500m. [38]

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still deny licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

Consequently, the deal ultimately collapsed and Saab was coerced to file for bankruptcy. According to Spyker, the deeds taken by GM were not legal. Since Saab had been in receivership since the bankruptcy, and would be until the deal with Nevs was closed, Spyker and the receivers of Saab Automobile had entered into an agreement where Spyker would bear the costs of the litigation in exchange for 90% of the claim if the case is successful. [39] [40] [41] [42]

2013 – claim dismissed

In June 2013, the district court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that General Motors was within its rights to block the sale. [43] In October 2014, the district court of appeals upheld the dismissal. [44]

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Contraptions AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an holder of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the proprietor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In come back, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrical models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrified motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

On nineteen September 2013, the very first Saab-branded vehicle produced by Nevs flipped off of the assembly line. The very first pre-production model was mostly aesthetically identical to the previous Saab 9-3 and mainly used to test fresh components and assembly line equipment. Nevs announced a facelift of the exterior to be shown on a finalised production model. On twenty nine November two thousand thirteen Nevs announced that full-scale production would commence on two December 2013, having substituted the twenty percent of parts originally sourced from former Saab holder General Motors. [53]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On twenty seven May 2014, NEVS communication officer Mikael Östlund confirmed through a movie interview that NEVS was in talks with two large automobile companies regarding funding of operations and co-development of the Phoenix platform. [60]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

On twenty nine August 2014, Saab AB announced it was cancelling the licensing agreement that permits NEVS to use the Saab name. NEVS’ financial problems were cited as the reason. [63] A spokesman for NEVS said that the company expects to renegotiate the agreement after a solution to the company’s financial problems is reached.

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

On June 21, 2016, NEVS announced they will no longer use the Saab trademark, instead using their company name on its car, which will still be based on the Saab 9-3 platform. The very first NEVS car will go into production in 2017. [65]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also spotted Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

1960 spotted the third major revision to the 92’s platform in the Saab 96. The ninety six was an significant model for Saab: it was the very first Saab to be widely exported out of Sweden. The unusual vehicle proved very popular, selling almost 550,000 examples. Unlike American cars of the day, the 93, ninety five and ninety six all featured the 3-cylinder 2-cycle engine, which required adding oil to the gasoline tank, front-wheel drive, and freewheeling, which permitted the driver to downshift the on-the-column manual shifter without using the clutch. Front seat shoulder belts were also an early feature. [ citation needed ]

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, puny company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an holder of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still reject licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

Consequently, the deal ultimately collapsed and Saab was compelled to file for bankruptcy. According to Spyker, the deeds taken by GM were not legal. Since Saab had been in receivership since the bankruptcy, and would be until the deal with Nevs was closed, Spyker and the receivers of Saab Automobile had entered into an agreement where Spyker would bear the costs of the litigation in exchange for 90% of the claim if the case is successful. [39] [40] [41] [42]

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an holder of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrified vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrical models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS embarked selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main holder Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the aim of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Three]

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

An automobile design project was commenced in one thousand nine hundred forty five with the internal name “X9248”. [12] [13] The design project became formally known as “Project 92”; the 92 being next in production sequence after the Saab 91, a single engine trainer aircraft. [14] In 1948, a company site in Trollhättan was converted to permit automobile assembly and the project moved there, along with the car manufacturing headquarters, which has remained there since. The company made four prototypes named “Ursaab” or “original Saab”, numbered ninety two thousand one through to 92004, before designing the production model, the Saab 92, in 1949.

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was meticulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also spotted Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

1960 witnessed the third major revision to the 92’s platform in the Saab 96. The ninety six was an significant model for Saab: it was the very first Saab to be widely exported out of Sweden. The unusual vehicle proved very popular, selling almost 550,000 examples. Unlike American cars of the day, the 93, ninety five and ninety six all featured the 3-cylinder 2-cycle engine, which required adding oil to the gasoline tank, front-wheel drive, and freewheeling, which permitted the driver to downshift the on-the-column manual shifter without using the clutch. Front seat shoulder belts were also an early feature. [ citation needed ]

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

The ninety nine range was expanded in one thousand nine hundred seventy three with the addition of a combi coupe model, a figure style which became synonymous with Saab. The millionth Saab was produced in 1976.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Undeterred, a fresh suggest round materialized. Earlier bidders Spyker and Merbanco revised their offers and were joined by a conformity from Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, which boasted the support of F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. [26] GM continued accepting bids until a self-imposed deadline of January 7, 2010. Acknowledging that the chances for reaching a deal with any party were very slender, they pledged to evaluate each suggest with due diligence. [27] [28]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh possessor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab commenced working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an holder of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

On nineteen December 2011, with no alternatives left after GM continued to block any form of involvement with a Chinese fucking partner, Saab officially filed for bankruptcy after a three-year fight for survival. Under Sweden’s bankruptcy laws, a party that files for bankruptcy can be bought out of bankruptcy.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law stiff Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrified vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the holder of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong mitts through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would begin production in 2014. [50]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS embarked selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main possessor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Trio]

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

An automobile design project was embarked in one thousand nine hundred forty five with the internal name “X9248”. [12] [13] The design project became formally known as “Project 92”; the 92 being next in production sequence after the Saab 91, a single engine trainer aircraft. [14] In 1948, a company site in Trollhättan was converted to permit automobile assembly and the project moved there, along with the car manufacturing headquarters, which has remained there since. The company made four prototypes named “Ursaab” or “original Saab”, numbered ninety two thousand one through to 92004, before designing the production model, the Saab 92, in 1949.

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also spotted Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé assets style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab embarked working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% possessor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock-hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Devices AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong forearms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would commence production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS began selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main holder Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Three]

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

The ninety nine range was expanded in one thousand nine hundred seventy three with the addition of a combi coupe model, a assets style which became synonymous with Saab. The millionth Saab was produced in 1976.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé assets style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, puny company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh possessor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rigid Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

Consequently, the deal eventually collapsed and Saab was compelled to file for bankruptcy. According to Spyker, the deeds taken by GM were not legal. Since Saab had been in receivership since the bankruptcy, and would be until the deal with Nevs was closed, Spyker and the receivers of Saab Automobile had entered into an agreement where Spyker would bear the costs of the litigation in exchange for 90% of the claim if the case is successful. [39] [40] [41] [42]

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Devices AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong forearms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

On nineteen September 2013, the very first Saab-branded vehicle produced by Nevs spinned off of the assembly line. The very first pre-production model was mostly aesthetically identical to the previous Saab 9-3 and mainly used to test fresh components and assembly line equipment. Nevs announced a facelift of the exterior to be shown on a finalised production model. On twenty nine November two thousand thirteen Nevs announced that full-scale production would commence on two December 2013, having substituted the twenty percent of parts originally sourced from former Saab proprietor General Motors. [53]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS began selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Three]

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Undeterred, a fresh suggest round materialized. Earlier bidders Spyker and Merbanco revised their offers and were joined by a subjugation from Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, which boasted the support of F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. [26] GM continued accepting bids until a self-imposed deadline of January 7, 2010. Acknowledging that the chances for reaching a deal with any party were very slender, they pledged to evaluate each suggest with due diligence. [27] [28]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab commenced working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an holder of the company, but instead as a 50% possessor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

Consequently, the deal eventually collapsed and Saab was coerced to file for bankruptcy. According to Spyker, the deeds taken by GM were not legal. Since Saab had been in receivership since the bankruptcy, and would be until the deal with Nevs was closed, Spyker and the receivers of Saab Automobile had entered into an agreement where Spyker would bear the costs of the litigation in exchange for 90% of the claim if the case is successful. [39] [40] [41] [42]

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Instruments AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrified vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the holder of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong arms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would begin production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrical models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS embarked selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door bars. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, puny company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the proprietor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong arms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main possessor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Three]

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé assets style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, puny company but it is the world’s fattest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab embarked working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rigid Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Instruments AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong forearms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, petite company but it is the world’s fattest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Eighteen]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab commenced working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Instruments AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an holder of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the proprietor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong mitts through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would commence production in 2014. [50]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main holder Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was meticulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, petite company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh possessor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab embarked working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law stiff Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still reject licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Instruments AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to deny licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main possessor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Three]

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé assets style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, puny company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Undeterred, a fresh suggest round materialized. Earlier bidders Spyker and Merbanco revised their offers and were joined by a subordination from Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, which boasted the support of F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. [26] GM continued accepting bids until a self-imposed deadline of January 7, 2010. Acknowledging that the chances for reaching a deal with any party were very slender, they pledged to evaluate each suggest with due diligence. [27] [28]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rigid Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Contraptions AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong mitts through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would commence production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrical models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main possessor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the aim of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Trio]

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door bars. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé assets style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, puny company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an holder of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Contraptions AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrified vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the holder of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS began selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

In 1989, the automobile division of Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB. The American manufacturer General Motors (GM) took fifty percent ownership with an investment of US$600 million. Two well-known models to come out of this period were the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Then in 2000, GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining fifty percent for a further US$125 million; so turning Saab Automobile into a wholly wielded GM subsidiary. In two thousand ten GM sold Saab Automobile AB to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. [Trio]

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock-hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still turn down licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Contraptions AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an holder of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrified vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the proprietor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong arms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main holder Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the aim of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

After fighting to avoid insolvency via 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was meticulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Eighteen]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab commenced working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law stiff Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an proprietor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong mitts through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would commence production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS commenced selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrical cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was accurately redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door rafters. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, puny company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legal]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was finished on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also finished vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Trio, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab embarked working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Three billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to ensure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still reject licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the holder of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would begin production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

On twelve August 2013, the Saab plant at Trollhättan reopened its doors to welcome back employees for preparations and restructuring of the production line. Production of the existing 9-3 would commence shortly with a fresh electrical motor, while Saab finished the preparations for the fresh 9-3 Phoenix.

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS began selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had compelled NEVS main possessor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the objective of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former possessor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly possessed subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Eighteen]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab commenced working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an proprietor of the company, but instead as a 50% proprietor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the possessor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrical version – primarily aimed at the Chinese market – would embark production in 2014. [50]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to finish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former proprietor GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Utter production restarted on two December 2013, [7] primarily the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrical cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also witnessed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a puny, petite company but it is the world’s thickest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, assured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh holder’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese playmate as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% possessor of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

On six August 2012, Spyker, represented by the law rock hard Patton Boggs, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan claiming US$Trio billion in damages for the deeds GM took in the fall of two thousand eleven to stop the various proposed deals inbetween Spyker and Youngman concerning Saab Automobile where Youngman claimed to be ready to invest several billion dollars in Saab Automobile to assure its future. More precisely, under the Automotive Technology License Agreement (ATLA) inbetween GM Global Technology Operations Inc (GTO) and Saab, GM refused licensing of the platforms and technology in Saab cars if any Chinese party were to be involved in Saab’s ownership structure.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an possessor of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrical version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to turn down licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the proprietor of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong arms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would originally concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would begin production in 2014. [50]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese playmates, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile AB [1] [Two] / ˈ s ɑː b / was a manufacturer of automobiles that was founded in Sweden in one thousand nine hundred forty five when its parent company, SAAB AB (soon to be Saab AB) ( listen ( help · info ) ), began a project to design a petite automobile. The very first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis, and ten years later the Saab nine hundred was launched, in time becoming Saab’s best-selling model. In the mid-1980s the fresh Saab nine thousand model also appeared.

After fighting to avoid insolvency across 2011, the company petitioned for bankruptcy following the failure of a Chinese consortium to accomplish a purchase of the company; the purchase had been blocked by the former holder GM, which opposed the transfer of technology and production rights to a Chinese company. [Four] On thirteen June 2012, it was announced that a freshly formed company called National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate. [Five] According to “Saab United”, the very first NEVS Saab 9-3 drove off its pre-production line on nineteen September 2013. [6] Total production restarted on two December 2013, [7] originally the same gasoline-powered 9-3 Aero sedans that were built before Saab went bankrupt, and intended to get the automaker’s supply chain reestablished as it attempted development of a fresh line of NEVS-Saab products. [8] [9] NEVS lost its license to manufacture automobiles under the Saab name in the summer of two thousand fourteen and now plans to produce electrified cars based on the 9-3 under its own brand name. [Ten] [11]

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

The Saab ninety two went into production in December 1949, [15] selling 20,000 cars through the mid-1950s. The ninety two was scrupulously redesigned and re-engineered in 1955, and was renamed the “Saab 93”. The car’s engine gained a cylinder, going from two to three and its front fascia became the very first to sport the very first incarnation of Saab’s trademark trapezoidal radiator grill. A wagon variant, the Saab 95, was added in 1959. The decade also eyed Saab’s very first spectacle car, the Saab 94, the very first of the Saab Sonetts.

Even more significant to the company’s fortunes was 1968’s Saab 99. The ninety nine was the very first all-new Saab in nineteen years, and unlike its predecessors, severed all ties with the 92. The ninety nine had many innovations and features that would come to define Saabs for decades: wraparound windscreen, self-repairing bumpers, headlamp washers and side-impact door planks. The design by Sixten Sason was no less revolutionary than the underlying technology, and elements like the Saab hockey stick profile graphic proceed to influence Saab design. [ citation needed ]

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

In 1969, Saab AB merged with the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania-Vabis AB to form Saab-Scania AB, under the Wallenberg family umbrella.

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

1997 marked Saab’s 50th anniversary as an automaker. The company used its jubilee owners’ convention to launch a replacement for the aging 9000: the Saab 9-5. The nine hundred received a facelift and renaming complementary to its fresh larger sibling: it would now be called the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was the very first Saab without a combi coupé figure style option in twenty years. Packing that space was a wagon variant, introduced in 1999.

General Motors (2000–2010)

GM exercised its option to acquire the remaining Saab shares in 2000, spending US$125 million to turn the company into a wholly wielded subsidiary.

Under GM’s direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in two thousand five with the hope of enlargening sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were cancelled a few years after production began. GM also delayed the 9-3 wagon by three years, shelved a hatchback derivative of the 9-3 sedan, stalled plans for all-wheel-drive capabilities in Saab models until 2008, cancelled a 9–5 replacement in 2005, and announced a planned shift of production away from Saab’s historic home in Trollhättan to Opel’s factory in Rüsselsheim.

As the talks progressed, GM’s support receded, and Saab went into administration, the Swedish equivalent of America’s Chapter eleven bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”. [17] For its part, the Swedish government was reluctant to become involved, with Maud Olofsson, industry minister, stating: “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a petite, puny company but it is the world’s largest automaker so we have a right to make requests.” [Legitimate]

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

On twenty six January, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker N.V. and GM had come to an agreement permitting Spyker to purchase Saab, [29] subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was ended on February 23, 2010. [30] General Motors would proceed to supply Saab with engines and transmissions, and also ended vehicles in the form of the fresh Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal included a loan from the European Investment Bank, ensured by the Swedish government. It comprised US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.

2011 – bankruptcy

On February 25, Spyker Cars N.V. announced that it had agreed to sell the sports car arm to concentrate on Saab. Spyker intended to switch its name, in May, to include the Saab name. [31]

In early 2011, Saab began to run out of money, and Spyker were not able to cover the losses. Both companies stopped paying bills, and on March thirty several suppliers refused further deliveries to Saab’s factory in Trollhättan. Originally Spyker CEO Victor Muller blamed the media for the problems, and claimed that Saab had no problems with funding. [32] On April five all production was halted at Saab’s plant in Trollhättan.

On May Three, a joint venture inbetween Saab and Chinese carmaker Hawtai was announced. This deal quickly unraveled and on May twelve Hawtai walked away from Saab. [33]

On six December, GM announced that it would not proceed its licenses to GM patents and technology to Saab if the company was sold to Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman, stating that the fresh proprietor’s use of the technology is not in the best interest of GM investors. Because of this, Saab began working on a fresh proposal which would not switch the original ownership structure and would not include a Chinese fucking partner as an possessor of the company, but instead as a 50% holder of a fresh daughter company.

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

To solve this issue, Spyker and Youngman came up with a deal where Youngman would provide Saab with a loan of €200 million which would be converted into an equity interest in Saab only after Saab ceased using GM technology in its vehicles. Despite this, GM maintained that it would still reject licensing of platforms and technology needed for production of Saab cars in Trollhättan and also threatened to cease 9-4X production at GM’s plant in Mexico, should the deal go through.

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

On thirteen June 2012, a press conference was held announcing that the main assets of Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Implements AB as well as the Saab factory had been acquired by a Chinese consortium called National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). [45] Saab Automobile Parts AB was not included in the deal and the Swedish National Debt Office would proceed as an holder of that company. [46] NEVS’ plan was to build only purely electrical vehicles with an electrified version of the current 9-3 model available in 2013/2014, as well as to proceed development of the replacement to the 9-3, the Phoenix. GM continued to reject licensing of the technology in the Saab 9-5 and 9-4X, so these models would not be produced. The rights to use of the Saab trademark had not yet been granted by Saab AB and Scania AB and negotiations on that matter continued. [47] [48]

On twenty six August 2012, Scania AB let the Swedish press know that the griffin logo used in both Scania’s and Saab Automobile’s trademark would not be permitted for use on future Saab cars with Nevs as the holder of Saab Automobile. Scania believed the logo is of high value in China and feared that it would end up in the wrong palms through the Chinese interests behind Nevs. [49]

On three September 2012, Nevs announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Saab Automobiles assets. Nevs would be able to use the name Saab on future cars but not the griffin logo. Production of the 9-3 would primarily concentrate on a turbo-charged petrol variant, but an electrified version – originally aimed at the Chinese market – would begin production in 2014. [50]

On eight January 2013, Nevs announced a deal with Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co. Ltd, for a 22% stake in the company. In comeback, Nevs/Saab would receive SEK 2bn, along with a production facility for models sold in China. Cars sold in North America and most of Europe would proceed to be made in Trollhättan, Sweden. The possibility of using Fiat/Chrysler sourced drive train components for non- electrified models was also being examined. [51] [52]

Production of the gasoline version of the Saab 9-3 resumed in December 2013, [54] and on ten December two thousand thirteen NEVS began selling their Saab 9-3 Aero to Swedish customers directly from their homepage, [55] but on twenty May two thousand fourteen NEVS announced that production had been stopped, one hundred consultants had had to be laid off and fifty three blue-collar and nineteen white-collar workers had been given notice that their contracts would not be prolonged after the summer. According to NEVS, this was due to Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co Ltd not fulfilling their commitment to finance NEVS operations which had coerced NEVS main proprietor Kai Johan Jiang to fund operations for several months through private funds as well as through assets in NEVS parent company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. [56] [57] [58] [59]

On nine June 2014, Swedish media reported that a number of companies had filed debts from NEVS at the National Enforcement Agency in Sweden for a total sum of Ten.Four million SEK. [61]

On twenty eight August 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy protection. [62]

By June 2015, NEVS had acquired two fresh Chinese fucking partners, an IT company and a development authority for the city of Tianjin. Both are state-owned. In late June, NEVS began construction of a factory in Tianjin, with the purpose of manufacturing electrified cars for the Chinese market. As of this point, NEVS has not re-acquired the rights to the Saab name, and it is developing a fresh brand for the Chinese market. There was no indication that restarting production at the plant in Trollhättan, Sweden was planned. [64]

Saab Automobile

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Three billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrified Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)

2010 – purchase of Saab

2011 – bankruptcy

2012 – US$Trio billion damages claim

2013 – claim dismissed

National Electrical Vehicle Sweden (2012–2014)

Saab Automobile

Contents

Svenska Aeroplan AB (1948–1969)

Saab-Scania (1969–1989)

General Motors and Investor AB (1989–2000)

General Motors (2000–2010)

Spyker/Swedish Automobile (2010–2011)