Saab set to reemerge as electric car maker Nevs plans to develop an electric car based on the Saab 9-3 using Japanese technology. This will be launched in 2013 or 2014 with marketing and sales focused on China, which Nevs say is set to become the "largest and most important electric vehicle market." The founder of National Modern Energy Holdings, Kai Johan Jiang, is a Chinese businessman with Swedish citizenship. He said: "China is investing heavily in developing the EV market, which is a key driver for the ongoing technology shift to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The Chinese can increasingly afford cars. However, the global oil supply would not suffice if they all buy petroleum-fuelled vehicles. Chinese customers demand a premium electric vehicle, which we will be able to offer by acquiring Saab Automobile in Trollhättan. Mr Jiang will become chief executive of Nevs. The proposals are the latest in a long line of efforts to make Saab profitable. The car maker, which employs more than 3,000 people, has been loss-making for 20 years. GM invested in the company in 1989, but sold Saab in 2010 to Spyker as part of the US car maker's bankruptcy restructuring. Spyker wanted to ramp up production and relaunch models, but it struggled to secure funding from the European Investment Bank and investment deals with Chinese companies interested in backing Saab. Saab has not produced any new cars since March 2011, when manufacturing was halted at Trollhättan. However, Karl-Erling Trogen, a former executive of Volvo Trucks and chairman of Nevs, said: "I am delighted that we can build on Saab Automobile's skills in vehicle design and production to start a new future-oriented venture in Trollhättan, where world class manufacturing facilities are available."