Saab's final closing down sale: sad sell-off will shift the last few cars

Some of the last Saab models ever produced are going to be sold, because NEVS – the company formed from the ashes of Saab – will be putting three late-model 9-3s up for auction, alongside an eclectic mix of electrified prototypes. 

Each of the petrol-powered 9-3 models is in high-spec Aero trim, was built in 2014 and has between 12,000 and 35,000 miles on the clock; two are painted silver, with the other in black. These cars ran the smaller turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 216bhp and 350Nm of torque – models with the 2.8-litre V6 were discontinued before the 2014 model year. 

As well as these three petrol-powered models, NEVS will also auction off four other 9-3s. These are all pre-production prototype vehicles, and feature different electrification technologies that the company was in the process of developing before the creditors closed in. One is an early pre-production pure-electric model that has done more than 30,000 miles, and was used as internal transport at the factory. 

The other three prototypes are more technically interesting. One features in-wheel motor technology – a development path that’s still being pursued today by everyone from Volkswagen to Mercedes Benz – and another features a petrol-powered range-extender that NEVS was also in the process of developing. The last car is fitted with early sensor gear for autonomous drive functions. 

As a reminder, NEVS purchased the Trollhattan factory and the rights to build 9-3s with the ‘SAAB’ name under licence, with a view to building a family of new electric vehicles in the plant. After various rounds of funding and changes in ownership, NEVS was finally taken over by Evergrand – a huge Chinese-owned property developer that went under a few years ago due to a £220 billion debt crisis. 

Understandably, any continued investment into NEVS was promptly halted, and the company was then put into ‘hibernation’ to avoid being dismantled for parts. For Saab fans, it almost feels like the nightmare that’ll never end, while a small group of passionate engineers continue in their quest to reignite the Swedish brand for the modern age. 

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