NEVS and its new Chinese partner Dongfeng still have the rights to the Saab 9-3, but won’t be able to the Saab name or logo on any cars that it makes from hereon.
Saab Cars, under the control of NEVS (New Electric Vehicle Sweden), went into bankruptcy protection in 2014. Saab AB, the airplane and defence company, withdrew NEVS rights to the Saab name at the point.
NEVS was brought back from the brink of being wound up by a partnership with Chinese automaker Dongfeng in late 2015.
In a recent interview Swedish radio, head of NEVS, Kai Johan Jiang confirmed that Saab AB will not allow NEVS to use the Saab name when it restarts production, whether that’s of vehicles based on the 9-3 or any future platform.
So, NEVS and its Chinese backers will now need to come up with a new name. This is much like what SAIC had to when it bought the remains of MG Rover from the Phoenix group. That sale include the global rights to the MG name, but the Rover name was controlled by BMW who refused to licence it to SAIC, so they came up with the new Roewe marque instead.
Source: Saabs United
