NEVS Cars

NEVS, Successor of Saab Automobile, Changes Hands in Secret Deal!

NEVS 9-3 EVNEVS 9-3 EV

NEVS, the former electric vehicle manufacturer based in Trollhättan, Sweden, has been sold to a new owner. The deal was signed a few days ago, but the identity of the new owner has not been revealed. NEVS, or National Electric Vehicle Sweden, is a company that has recently taken over as the successor to the iconic car brand, Saab. This move has been met with a great deal of excitement and anticipation, as many are eager to see what NEVS will do with the beloved brand. However, the real question is what will happen to the remains of this company in Trollhattan.

NEVS, which took over the Saab Automobiles factory in Trollhättan, was originally focused on building electric cars. However, the company has since shifted its focus to developing software for autonomous vehicles. The company has been owned by the Chinese property giant, Evergrande, but has been struggling financially in recent years.

The sale of NEVS has been in the works for about a year, with the company’s assets being sold in a “shell deal,” where the company’s contents are sold, but the company itself will no longer have any operations. All assets will be transferred to a new company.

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Sango is the centrepiece of the NEVS first generation of autonomous vehicles with connected user interface for smart, sustainable cities
Sango is the centrepiece of the NEVS first generation of autonomous vehicles with connected user interface for smart, sustainable cities

Despite the secrecy surrounding the new owner, NEVS CEO Stefan Tilk has said that the deal feels “really good.” It remains to be seen what the new owner’s plans are for the company and its technology, but the potential for growth in the autonomous vehicle industry is undeniable. As the world continues to move towards self-driving cars, NEVS’ software development expertise could prove to be a valuable asset for the new owner.

NEVS is a Swedish company that specializes in the development and production of electric vehicles, but in these ten years they have not released a single car, nor any other finished product. The only news from the NEVS company has always been about developments and achievements in this domain. Just two months ago, NEVS announced that it had significant financial losses. The company’s 2021 annual report showed a loss of SEK 17.3 billion (approximately $2 billion), with SEK 14.7 billion (about $1.7 billion) of that loss being attributed to write-downs of NEVS’ claims on its parent company, the Chinese property giant Evergrande Group.

In a statement to the media at the time, NEVS CEO Stefan Tilk attributed the financial difficulties to Evergrande’s own precarious financial situation. “It’s entirely due to Evergrande’s precarious financial situation. We felt compelled to write off their debt to us on paper, in consultation with our auditors, even though it still exists between the companies,” Tilk said to Dagens Industri.

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The company’s own capital is also decreasing. At the end of 2021, it stood at negative SEK 800 million (about $95 million), which led to NEVS being required to establish a so-called control balance sheet in August of last year. This is required by law when a company’s own capital is less than half of the registered share capital. NEVS had to return its own capital before April this year or face forced liquidation. With this act of sale, the potential liquidation of the NEVS company was prevented. Nevs has around 330 employees.

Goran Aničić
the authorGoran Aničić
For over 15 years, Goran Aničić has been passionately focused on Saab automobiles and everything related to them. His initial encounter with Saab cars took place back in 2003 when the first Saab 9-3 and sedan version were introduced. At that moment, he was captivated by the car's Scandinavian design logic and top-notch engineering, and everything that followed stemmed from that first encounter. Later on, through his work at the editorial team of the Serbian automotive magazines "Autostart" and later "AutoBild," he had the opportunity to engage more closely with Saab vehicles. In 2008, he tested the latest Saab cars of that time, such as the Saab 9-3 TTiD Aero and Saab 9-3 Turbo X. In 2010, as the sole blogger from the region, he participated in the Saab 9-5ng presentation in Trollhättan, Sweden. Alongside journalists from around the world, he got a firsthand experience of the pinnacle of technological offerings from Saab at that time. Currently, Goran owns two Saabs: a 2008 Saab 9-3 Vector Sportcombi with a manual transmission, and a Saab 9-3 Aero Griffin Sport Sedan from the last generation, which rolled off the production line in Trollhättan in December 2011.

3 Comments

  • I have a saab 93 convertible….9 out of 10…1 owner…garage kept low miles..perfect for your electric car conversion.

  • I visited Nevs whilst designing a part for the 9-3 electric upgrade. As a Saab fan it was great to be there and see what they where doing. I would love the cars to be available in Europe though. Good luck to them. They where a great team to work with.

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