2002 Saab 9-5 Arc Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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NEVS mulling electric Saab 9-3 convertible, looking for engine partners, too

Do you believe in reincarnation? Like how we hope that, maybe, all of our hard work as auto writers will result in an eventual return as a swarm of beautiful butterflies. If you are a Saab fan, the equivalent could be this bit of news: The 9-3 Convertible may rise again, as an electric vehicle.
Word comes from the Dutch version of Autoweek that Chinese entity National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has indicated that it will bring an electric version of the 9-3 Convertible to market in the next 18 months. The EV droptop would first debut in the Chinese market, but could expand, as could the lineup to other 9-3 variants, such as the sedan and SportCombi. A NEVS spokesperson has stated, "NEVS basically no doors holds." We're not sure if that's the spokesperson or the translation from the Dutch report, but you get the gist.
NEVS also indicated that conventionally powered versions of the 9-3 could be produced as well. The internal combustion engines could be the originally intended General Motors engines. Regardless of powerplant, we would be very eager to see Saab return, potentially as an EV to boot!

eBay Find of the Day: 1985 Saab Turbo Limo is the ultimate high school reunion ride

Yes, we've seen this 1985 Saab 900 Turbo limo for sale before. But somehow, this time is just seems more right. And we've got more pictures this go-around.
With the Saab brand now dormant and little hope for a true renaissance, save for one that comes in name only, Saab's future must lie in the celebration of great cars of its past. And what better way to celebrate the wonderful Saab 900 than to chop it in half and turn it into a freaking limousine?
Claimed to have been built by a Denver area Saab specialist, this five-speed manual 900 Turbo is listed with a Buy It Now of $8,500. It's actually surprisingly well turned-out, too, with a pretty decent interior that sticks to real Saab seats, avoiding the crushed-velvet or button-festooned lounge chair look. While this seems rather spendy for a well-used limousine, good luck finding another one like it. And besides, that's a lot less than the $12,500 asking price from back in 2010.

Saab plant reopens, production to resume by year's end?

Saab is gearing up to start production of the 9-3 again in September, two years after the last exampled rolled off the assembly line at the company's Trollhättan factory, Aftonbladet reports. Saab's new owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS), a Chinese-Japanese consortium created solely to buy Saab, says that the model's parts supply is the bottleneck in the production process, understandable since many of Saab's suppliers closed after it stopped production two years ago. The automaker also needs to establish a new dealership network. It is not entirely clear where Saab will market their new models, but North America is not expected to figure into their plans, at least initially.
Almost 400 factory employees are reportedly back working at Trollhättan, and Saab is looking to recruit 180 workers to help with production, presuming the factory can overcome its supply issues and go back online in the fall.
The new 9-3 is understood to be something short of an all-new car, a revision of the old 9-3 that started production in 2002. It will reportedly be offered initially as a four-door sedan and two-door convertible, and it will have a turbocharged engine, according to NEVS, which we expect will be a four cylinder. An electric 9-3 could come as early as next year. Turbocharged engines are part of Saab's DNA, NEVS Vice President Mattias Bergman has stated, and future Saab models will have them - despite the automaker's planned progression toward electric vehicles. The 9-3 will get small facelifts over time, says Mikael Östlund, a press officer at NEVS.