VEHICLE

An expected message. That’s automotive researcher Mikael Wickelgren’s comment on Nev’s business being put on hold.
– It is almost more surprising that they hung on for this long, he tells TT.

There have been many trips around Nevs since the company took over Saab Automobile’s bankrupt estate in 2012.

There have often been positive statements from company management regarding the plans to build electric cars in Trollhättan. The only problem is that the plans have not been finalized, states Mikael Wickelgren, researcher at the University of Skövde.

– It has mostly been about things they have flagged for are underway. But it has not materialized as much as they have talked about it coming, he says.

– It would be a misconduct if they didn’t have ambitious plans and implement them. It’s about driving hard and seeing if it works. And it went on for a while, but not anymore.

“Without major income”

The announcement that almost all employees have been notified and that both development and production are now stopped is therefore not that surprising, he believes.

– All companies that have huge concerns with revenue sooner or later come to a point where they have to take this type of measures into consideration, says Mikael Wickelgren.

– It is almost more surprising that they have hung on for this long. It is a company without any major income, but they have costs because they have employed staff. And not so few either.

Saab era over?

According to Nevs, there is no question of bankruptcy. However, Mikael Wickelgren believes that the company will have difficulty recovering in Trollhättan.

This now speaks volumes for the fact that the Saab era in the city is definitely over.

– On some level, yes. It is incredibly difficult to see that life would be breathed into this again, says Mikael Wickelgren.

– I would be surprised if someone wanted to cough up the billions it would cost to do something with it for real.