Will Saab rise from the ashes? A team of engineers has created a car that can get the car company back on its feet

Swedish automaker Saab has gone through many ups and downs in the past two decades. When American concern GM began to slowly withdraw from its holdings after the turn of the millennium, many suitors abounded. The engagement was won by the small Dutch car company Spyker, which, however, quickly cut its teeth in the management of a large car company. And the same fate followed the Chinese consortium NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), which took the baton after Spyker. So Saab finally went bankrupt ten years ago – but that doesn’t mean it’s completely over.

The team of engineers and technicians of the brand worked secretly on a completely new car, which should combine Saab’s technical solutions with modern technologies. The car is called the Emily GT, and it’s a (fully working!) prototype that we can trace its roots to 2019. That’s the year Saab was attempted to be revived by the Chinese company Evergrande Group – before it itself went bankrupt. This secret project was stopped, but it is not completely finished.

“We have finally been able to complete a secret project that the NEVS group has been working on for years,” said project manager Peter Dahl. “In today’s world, it is very common to take the development of a car from a blank sheet of paper to running prototypes in less than 10 months, but thanks to the skills and passion of our team, we have been able to do it.”

The Swedish company NEVS, to which the project belongs, was able to develop the car from scratch in 10 months of clean time, although in fact the development took longer due to the crisis measures. About 350 experts worked on the project behind closed doors, work began sometime in December 2019 and more than three and a half years later it was completed.

One of the few truly promising electric cars is said to have a range of 1,000 km thanks to a large battery with a capacity of 175 kWh. The wheels are powered by four electric motors, one at each wheel, each producing 123 horsepower, for a combined output of 492 horsepower. However, there are rumors about a more powerful version of up to 653 horsepower.

Initially, the plan was to build 20 working prototypes, but due to delays due to the covid pandemic, only six were built. However, the team of enthusiastic Swedes persevered and continued to work tirelessly. The result is a top European electric car, which, in addition to its attractive appearance, promises a true Scandinavian quality, which is completely absent from most available electric cars.

In conclusion, it’s fair to say that engineers and technicians in Sweden are like one family – so it’s no surprise that a certain Christian von Koenigsegg also showed up to test the Emily GT. And he was clearly pleased with the experience: “The drive is very pleasant, the driver can feel the effects of torque vectoring … I must say that I was very impressed with the car.”