NEVS 9-3 History

When NEVS acquired Saab Automobile's assets in 2012, it inherited the tooling, the Trollhättan factory, and the second-generation Saab 9-3 (Epsilon I platform) in mid-production-ready state. Rather than retool immediately for EVs, the company ran a limited assembly exercise starting September 2013 to calibrate equipment and verify supply-chain viability, producing petrol-powered 9-3 Aero sedans largely sourced from Saab's existing parts inventory.

Full petrol production commenced in December 2013, targeting export to China at a rate of roughly ten cars per week. However, a critical Chinese financing partnership with Qingdao Qingbo Investment collapsed after the devastating 2013 Qingdao oil-pipeline explosion weakened the city's finances. Starved of capital and owing over US$57 million to suppliers, NEVS suspended the line in May 2014 and applied for reorganization protection in Sweden.

Approximately 200 complete petrol 9-3s were built during this period. The cars that had rolled off the line were auctioned from the Trollhättan yard as NEVS restructured; the petrol 9-3 program was permanently abandoned in favor of an all-electric strategy once new Chinese investors were secured in 2017.