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Saab Recovers with Electrifying Experiment

At the presentation of the 2011 Saab 9-5 in New York, top executives of the brand announced plans for launching a test fleet of "100 percent electric vehicles" based on the next 9-3 in the first quarter of 2011. The EV fleet will be operated at locations accross the globe, including the company's headquarters in Trollhattan, Sweden.

The test fleet is set-up in cooperation with Massachusetts-based Boston-Power, a producer of lithium-ion batteries, and Electroengine, a Swedish company that says it has developed a new electric propulsion system that can turn standard vehicles with internal-combustion engines into high-performance electric vehicles.

Jan Ake Jonsson, CEO of Saab Automobile AB says:"The main purpose is to draw technology from this test fleet, technology that we can then incorporate quickly". Since an exact date for the market launch of the Saab EV is not yet set, Saab also focuses on other eco-friendly techologies: "All the vehicles that we develop in the future will have capability to utilize E85," Biodiesel and Diesel are also on the company’s agenda.

With a view to the product range, Victor Muller, chairman of Saab Automobile AB and CEO of Spyker Cars, said that a smaller Saab 92 is "the missing link in our product portfolio." Finding funding and partners for this project is the current top priority at Saab’s headquaters.

After the aquisition of Saab by Spyker, the company is regaining its spirits and aims at producing 120,000-125,000 vehicles per year globally, with the U.S. as biggest market accounting for 20-25 percent of total volume. Muller said he is "proud to see Saab coming out of the ashes."

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