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3 former Saab execs charged with tax evasion

The Associated Press reports three former Saab executives have been arrested on charges of accounting fraud. Swedish prosecutor Olof Sahlgren has refused to identify the individuals, but says they're suspected of attempting to evade taxes by falsifying Saab accounts between 2010 and 2011 during the Spyker years. Other reports indicate the parties involved include former General Counsel to Saab Kristina Geers (seen to the left of former CEO Victor Muller, above), a 15-year-veteran of the company - her husband, Eric, was the company's communications director for 9 years as well.
Saab filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and was purchased shortly thereafter by National Electric Vehicle Sweden. If convicted, the trio could face up to four years in prison for their crimes under Swedish law.

Hot rod tractor stars in Swedish version of Farmkhana

The Nordic countries are known for their beautiful fjords, blonde-haired populace and bitter cold for a good portion of the year. The hours spent indoors during the dark, cold season apparently gives a lot of time for some crazy brainstorming. Tire store chain Vianor is highlighting the Traktor Terror in a new video. If Ken Block is the master of Gymkhana, then these guys know all about Farmkhana in their custom, turbocharged tractor.
According to the YouTube description from Vianor, the tractor is a 1956 Volvo BM Terrier with an added roll cage, adjustable front suspension and extended frame. The engine is thoroughly Swedish, and it's based on a Volvo 940 Turbo with a Volvo 240 head and Volvo 740 intercooler. However, it uses a Saab turbo Prospark ignition and fuel system. All told, the setup is claimed to make 225 horsepower and is capable of a top speed of 60 miles per hour.
That's not crazy power, but this tractor can certainly put it down. The farm machine has no problem smoking those big rear wheels and drifts easily.... although, it may be a tiny little bit unstable (hence the roll cage). If nothing else, this looks like the world's most fun way to be a farmer, that's for sure.

National Electric Vehicle stops Saab 9-3 production amidst financing woes

It seems that quirky, Swedish automaker Saab might be on life support yet again. Its owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden, has announced that it's reducing its workforce and temporarily halting production of the 9-3 due to financial problems. NEVS was only building six cars a day, anyway.
The company put out a press release admitting its economic woes, but it still appeared hopeful. NEVS claims it's developing "a new platform on the Phoenix architecture," and it has a frame agreement with an international automotive OEM. It didn't give any specific details about either one of these assertions though. According to The Wall Street Journal, NEVS needs the partnership to lower development costs in order to stay afloat. Saab spokesperson Mikael Ostlund told Autoblog in an email that the stop in production of the 9-3 in Trollhättan would last four weeks.
NEVS says it's in negotiation to sell a portion of the company to an automotive company. Its current monetary woes are caused by shareholder Qingbo Investment Company not financing the company as agreed. "We plan to have the results of the discussions at latest during June," said Ostlund.