Is this the upcoming Saab 9-3 EV?

Jul 13, 2013, 11:10am ET

Six mysterious sketches might have prematurely revealed Saab\'s first post-bankruptcy model.

A promotional image published on the website of a Swedish design firm called Yovinn contains several sketches that might depict the next generation of the Saab 9-3. Saab filed for bankruptcy over a year and a half ago but a consortium of Japanese and Chinese investors operating under the name National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) purchased most of the brand's assets and is working on exhuming the storied automaker.

The image shows six sketches of two different sedans that are instantly recognizable as Saab products. Clearly at the prototype stage of development, both car wear a sleek, aggressive design and appear to be roughly the same size as the last variant of the 9-3.

Neither NEVS nor Yovinn has commented on the sketches. Former Saab designer Matias Cindric works for Yovinn so the images might be old projects from his Saab days hung up on a wall for the sake of decoration.

Last year, the consortium announced that it was mulling the launch of a gasoline-burning version of the 9-3 powered by a BMW-sourced engine in order to raise capital ahead of the launch of its first electric vehicle. NEVS has been silent for several months so the project is likely on the backburner, but the firm is still believed to be on track to bring the first all-electric Saab to the market next year.