隆基或成为NEVS 新品牌名

2016-06-19 Alfred并购君 汽车海外并购

BY Alfred Tian,automergers

BEIJING - NationalElectric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, the Chinese-backed acquirer of bankrupt assets of former Swedish SaabAutomobile,  is to unveil its new brand name next week, according towechat: automergers < 汽车海外并购>.

According to AlfredTian, chief editor of automergers, the names ECOPOWER or LOONG  arepossibly chosen by NEVS to be the new brand name for  NEVS' future all-electric vehicles, which mayinclude a 9-3 EV, a midsize corporate BEV sedan, a midsize family SUV, a midsizefastback all-rounder, a compact urban SUV and an midsize Urban Adventurer before2020.

The reveal of completelynew brand name will mark a big breakthrough for NEVS to drive back to the wayof revival.

Since theacquisition of bankrupt assets of Swedish Saab Automobile (including SaabAutomobile AB, Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Tools AB, aswell as all IPs of current Saab 9-3 platform and unfinished next-generation Phoenixplatform) at around 1.8 billion crowns, NEVS experienced a series of ups anddowns since then.

With the support andinvestment from Chinese coastal Qingdao city in 2014, NEVS once resumed shortlythe production of 2014 Saab 9-3 as well as an all-electric Saab 9-3  under a redesigned Saab logo. When Qingdao didnot eventually inject investment and loan to NEVS as promised, NEVS has to stopproduction and enter into reorganization procures (bankruptcy protection) in Aug.2014. Saab AB, Swedish defense and aviation giants and Saab brand owner,stopped the licensing of Saab brand to NEVS since then.

NEVS successfully exitedcorporate reorganization procedures in Apr. 2015, with heavy investmentinjection from Chinese Tianjin Binhai High-Tech Development Zone government(THT) as well as Chinese State-owned Company SRIT and TEAMSUN. NEVS then becamea joint venture among its original parent National Modern Energy Holding (43%) ,TianjinBinhai (30%), Qingbo Investment (22%) and State Research Institute Technology(5%).

With the deep involvementfrom Chinese investors, NEVS repositioned itself to aim to become one of worldleading NEV manufacturers and mobility service providers.  Attracted by Chinese emerging NEV tide, NEVS decidedto build a R&D center and a plant in Tianjin with an annual capacity of 200,000units, which is expected to be completed by mid-2017.

In Dec. 2015, NEVS announceda 78-billion-yuan ($12 billion) deal to supply 150,000 electric cars to Chineseleasing firm Panda New Energy, as well as 100,000 electric logistics vans toother customers. The huge order urged NEVS to quicken its steps in all-electricvehicle production and deliveries.

Following the orders,NEVS acquired 50% stakes in China's logistic van producer Fujian Newlongma in May2016 to acquire electric logistics vans and production capacities.

With the new brandname, NEVS is well on the way to revive from a Saab asset inheritor to one ofleading electric vehicle players in China.