2008 Saab 9.3 Sedan, Carfax Certified, Dealer Serviced! on 2040-cars

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Koenigsegg super cars team with Saab successor NEVS to go electric

STOCKHOLM — The Chinese-backed company born from the remnants of bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab is investing 150 million euros ($171 million) in a venture with Swedish super car brand Koenigsegg, in a move that could see them develop new electric models. National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS), in which China's Evergrande Health recently became the majority investor, said it would take a 65 percent stake in a new joint venture to "develop a product for new and untapped segments." Koenigsegg will hold the rest, and contribute intellectual property, technology licenses and product design. The deal deepens China's exposure to Swedish automakers, with Geely owning Volvo Cars and the largest investor in truckmaker AB Volvo, and another Chinese investor having created NEVS in 2012 after buying the core assets and IP rights of Saab Automobile following its demise. NEVS, which owns production bases in Trollhattan in Sweden and Tianjin in China and plans another in Shanghai, has been trying to establish itself as a pure electric automaker, but has yet to produce a car. Evergrande Health's $930 million cash infusion into NEVS, announced this month, was seen as a second lifeline, giving it funds to develop costly electric vehicles and access to new auto technologies, where Evergrande is expanding. The Chinese firm is a unit of property developer China Evergrande Group and is a former investor in U.S. electric vehicle developer Faraday Future. Tuesday's deal will give NEVS a 20 percent stake in Koenigsegg and could potentially pave the way for it to begin delivering products to the market, with its loose partnership with Didi Chuxing, China's Uber, yet to yield anything concrete. "Koenigsegg is an enticing company developing advanced cars with unique technology and with a customer base that is one of a kind. ... We have both competencies and facilities to support Koenigsegg on their journey forward," NEVS Chairman Kai Johan Jiang said. Koenigsegg, backed by U.S. and Norwegian investors, sought to buy Saab after its 2011 collapse but the deal never materialized. While the luxury brand has built a plug-in hybrid, it has yet to develop a fully electric vehicle. Tesla's sales success in recent years has shown that a market for luxury electric cars exists, pushing traditional carmakers including Volkswagen's Audi and Porsche, and Tata Motors' Jaguar to develop their own versions.

1999 Saab 9-3 Viggen is a Swede worth remembering on MotorWeek

Today, Saab survives in name only after a protracted series of bankruptcies and attempted comebacks with new owners. At the turn of the millennium, however, the brand was still able to make some great cars, though. MotorWeek is showing off one of its very best in this vintage review for the 1999 9-3 Viggen. The jet-inspired Viggen was the pinnacle of everything Saab's engineers could do at the time. Starting with the standard 9-3, the suspension was hunkered down to improve handling and lower bodywork was added for better aerodynamics. Now that the exterior looked the part, the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder was tweaked to make 225 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque. While that output may not sound hugely impressive by modern standards, those were strong numbers in the day, and the following model year made even more power. After some time behind the wheel of the VIggen, MotorWeek came away quite impressed with this Swede. While the Viggen might not have offered the full capability of high-performance, European contemporaries like the BMW M3, Saab really showed its strengths with this model.

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.