The electric 9-3 sedans circulating in the news recently will not be Saabs. They’ll look like Saabs, be largely constructed out of Saab parts, and built in the Saab factory in Trollhattan, but they will not be badged Saabs.
Saab parent company NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) recently signed two deals worth nearly $13 billion, in which would sell 170,000 all-electric cars based on the 9-3 sedan to Chinese companies as part of the nation’s efforts to promote EVs. However, none of them will be allowed to use the Saab name or griffin logo officially. “We have revoked their right to use the brand name,” Saab spokesman Sebastian Carlsson affirmed to Automotive News.
The rights to the name and logo were taken back two years ago when NEVS, which bought the bankrupt automaker in 2012, during a period of stalled fundraising. Even though NEVS is back on track, the rights were never re-activated. Enforcement of the usage has been murky until this week, as prototypes of the electric 9-3 were shown wearing a prominent “Saab” logo in the grille.
Instead, NEVS will now use a different name for the electric 9-3s it assembles, owner Kai Johan Jiang told Swedish radio. What that name will be has not been determined yet.
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