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The GM Inside News forum members who conjured up a dream Buick lineup for their project titled Revitalization in Action have come back again with a turnaround plan for Saab. GMI member ChevroletRevived collaborated with fellow forum member fbodyrules, who supplied the Photoshop skills, to dream up a new line of Saabs on which the quirky Swedish brand should, in their opinion, adopt if it hopes to save itself from being sold or axed altogether.
The lineup includes a 9-1 small luxury vehicle along the lines of the Volvo C30 and Audi A3; a refreshened 9-3 with cues from the Aero X that allow the brand's volume seller to carry on another four years before an Epsilon II-based model is ready; a 9-4X small CUV that will compete with the Acura RDX, BMW X3 and Audi's upcoming Q5; a new 9-5 based on the Epsilon II platform (shown above); another version of the Lambda platform for the 9-7X replacement called the 9-6x; and finally a true luxury brand flagship in the new 9-9x sedan.
In true Saab form, the GMI guys have placed various turbo powerplants in all the models, ranging from the 1.8t in the 9-1 to the 480-hp, turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 in the 9-9x Aero. They also aim to keep Saab on the cutting edge by having GM offer its two-mode hybrid system in various models with the brand's BioPower motor that can run on gas or ethanol. Clearly a common design theme has been executed across this entire fictitious lineup that draws heavily from the Aero X concept, as well. Their designs are fetching, their product planning is thorough, and the end result is the most mainstream and attractive Saab lineup ever dreamed up. The question now is, will it remain a dream?
Follow the Read link to peruse the supposed future of Saab and let us know if you think these guys are on the right flight path or have totally veered off course.
[Source: GM Inside News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DPC car videos @ Nov 6th 2006 3:20PM
Saab is defiantly stepping thing up, they where ahead of the game in the 80's but where lagging lately.
David F @ Nov 6th 2006 3:24PM
Yikes, I hope GM stays far, far away from those concepts. I liked the renderings of the 9-5 as covered here earlier last week. But these look more like Buicks or something. Gross!
enh @ Nov 6th 2006 3:25PM
Until I saw the story, I thought this was the refresh for the Chevy Impala
Fazzster @ Nov 6th 2006 3:27PM
The concept shown in the image is exactly what Saab needs. It is unmistakingly a Saab in it's execution rather than just a rebodied GM car. I do not agree on the business plan of more SUV type vehicles. Saab should focus more on near luxury cars with emphasis on sport and versatility. The 9-3 Sportcombi is a good start but it really needs an all-wheel drive system. The SUV market WILL DIE very soon with the introduction of cross-over vehicles. Saab should develop a very Saab-inspired crossover. Something like a MB R Class only more sporting.
Saab analyst @ Nov 6th 2006 3:28PM
horrible and amateur
BLS @ Nov 6th 2006 3:33PM
Questions?
Why does the 9-1 seat 3 not 4?
Why are the tire marks in front of the 9-3 converible, was is backed up aggresively into that picture?
Good stuff, liked the 9-6X much more than what a Tribeca based CUV would have looked like. Turbo in every car cool.
Where is the Sonnet? Other than ethanol for performance what is quirky about this line up? It seems to imitate BMW's line up. I guess Lexus has proved that you can succeed by copying. Then again they are doing the Hybrid for performance thing. So, replace Lexus with Hyundai.
Also, on their site they suggest that Pontiac would be GM's BMW, but the line up is 50% american muscle car and 50% 2009 Chevy.
Pontiac should come out with a small RWD hatchback and coupe model. Entry performance before someone else does and follow through with the all car RWD line up.
Solstice, RWD hatch/coupe, G6 sedan/C+C, GTO and let buick have the bigger cars. My 2 cents.
Jon G @ Nov 6th 2006 3:36PM
I only have one thing to say. If they ever make that 9-9x it better have an LS7 and a 6 speed. GM.
ATL @ Nov 6th 2006 4:18PM
I'll trade my 9-3 in today!!! Bring it on now!
WhiteGrace @ Nov 6th 2006 4:23PM
Bring back the Saab designers. GM wrecked the design (...and more.) when it obtained controlling interest. Now Saabs look like every other GM badge engineered melted bar of soap bean car. I purchased my Saab new in 1985 and still run it every day. I would not buy a formula built GM Saab for all the airplane engineers in the world.
Bingo @ Nov 6th 2006 4:30PM
The future does not have to be ugly!
DC_1 @ Nov 6th 2006 5:01PM
Saab should just die already!!
SilverAero @ Nov 6th 2006 5:05PM
I will admit that i am slightly biased when i look at these images. But regaurdless, i like em, in the prerendered concept that will never even become a concept car kinda way. The small cars need alot of work but i really like the bigger ones, even the suv looks nice. Very futureistic and SciFi.
laserwizard @ Nov 6th 2006 5:18PM
Unfortunately the folks at GMI are always the last to face reality. Saab is moribund. GM has littered that marque with castoffs of wimpy Subarus, awful GM mid-sized SUV's, and wimpy European clones. And now GM is going to try to convince us that it is now going to get serious about Saab? All the time spent speculating on what Saab could be is like taking a wee wee into the wind. You get wet, you look stupid, and nothing good happens.
GMI has been falling all over themselves slobbering on a show car with limited appeal and limited visual delight. GM has slathered that ugly face on a mundane vehicle and, of course, monkey see, monkey do, GMI takes the stinking heap and slathers it across the model range.
Saab is dead. But I guess it is kinda amusing to watch someone continue to change dresses on the corpse hoping to bring it back to life. Too bad the corpse was male.
Howard Kerr @ Nov 6th 2006 5:25PM
"...the end result is the most mainstream and attractive Saab lineup..."
Isn't the essense of Saab quirkiness? So why have cars and SUVs that look like Chevys or Pontiacs with Saabness grafted on? Several of the models suggested for Saab's revitalization, the 9-1 and the 9-3 Combi have been proposed in the past and killed by GM due to lack of available cash.
Until Saab or perhaps, GM, can once and for all decide where they want to take Saab, all this is moot. If Saab is going to stay with 4 cylinders (with and without turbos) and V6s (diesel and non-diesel), is it really a good idea to invest in something like the 9-9? It's too bad a coupe in the vein of the old Sonnet could not be spun off the Solstice/Sky platform. And I agree, instead of a bigger SUV...with it's necessary V8, a small AWD crossover makes more sense.
MJL @ Nov 6th 2006 5:36PM
The 9-9X is an awful idea that has no place in Saab's lineup. The company built its reputation on cars that were luxurious and sporty, but also economical, environnmentally friendly, and unpretentiously different. Part of the reason Saab has faltered so dramatically in recent years is that GM has tried to force it to become the Swedish BMW. The 9-5 is not a 528i; the 9-3 is not a 325i. They're a little different, and if you compare them dollar for dollar, the Saab usually turns up to be better value for the same money. The whole point is that a comparably sized Saab is cheaper – and not just by a little, but by a whole class – than a BMW. A 9-9X would quickly fall to the same fate as the Phaeton; the ultraluxury sedan segment is a place GM doesn't even dare to take Cadillac. Why would they send Saab to the slaughter this way?
Saab should focus on making vehicles that are always small for their class on the outside but big on the inside, turbocharged, faster than the competition, and quirky. That's what they are; if that formula is so doomed to failure that a V8-powered 7-series with a split-port Saab grille and a console-mounted ignition is all that will save us, perhaps it's time to go home.
Aside from that, all the other ideas are great. And I agree; bring back the Sonnet (hint: you already designed it and showed it at Geneva!)
Andy @ Nov 6th 2006 5:53PM
I actually like the current Saab lineup. I considered buying a 9-3 Aero cabrio, but decided against it when I priced one. The 9-5 is a handsome sedan. The Aero X was the second-best concept (after the Camaro) to debut this year. I found it the most technologically impressive, and the design correctly evokes Saab's aviation heritage. Saab has built some of the best jets in Europe, why can't it build its cars to the same finesse?
(And the Photoshop image is terrible.)
Phil @ Nov 6th 2006 6:51PM
These guys have to have better design skills because their drawings often look ridiculous.
patric95 @ Nov 6th 2006 7:38PM
If anyone thinks that a "9-9" or the "artist rendering" of the new 9-5 are in the cards, you must still believe in Santa Claus. First off Saab has a hard enough time moving 9-5's. Spending upwards of 7-10,000 dollars on incentives,leases and special promotions just to move a miniscule amount of cars compared to the competition why on god's green earth would they bring out a more expensive car which would meet more resistance than any of their other cars? And contrary to other info spoken of the new 9-5, the vehicle will be a sedan. It will have very bold styling but nowhere as wild as "spy shots" would have you believe. It will of course incorporate the Aero X front end design language and have a very high beltline and will have more of a 7 series profile than anything else. As for a 9-1 or 9-2 replacement..if and thats a HUGE if, the earliest would be 2011 before a car such as that would come out. If Saab truly wants to succeed they need to refocus their lineup as it was prior to their move upmarket. The Saab brand will never be a BMW or Audi or Lexus in terms of perception, sales, or percieved quality so whay waste time and resources going after them. Their true competition and place in the market place should be against the likes of VW,Toyota,Volvo and Nissan. The brand should be positioned as an apirational model for younger buyers and established Saab owners. This way the cars attributes (safety,uniqueness,styling) can be more fully appreciated and at a price which will afford a younger clientel a viable and exciting alternative. As someone mentioned when the new 9-3 came out in 2003..why would you choose a plain black suit when there is a closet full of Armani suits? And sadly that is the perception of Saab today. Is there a future for Saab? Of course. But not in the direction most people feel Saab should go.
anthonyx26 @ Nov 6th 2006 9:00PM
> Saab has built some of the best jets in Europe,
> why can't it build its cars to the same finesse?
Simple...despite all the marketing hype and romantically-inspired "lineage from jets", cars are not jets, nor will they ever be. Realistically, there are only a few slices of aircraft DNA that could be spliced into modern day road vehicles.
While "born from jets" may be an interesting marketing tag line, the reality of today's vehicles is that they barely show any hint of evolving from jets.
Saab has been dying to a lack of any clear direction or focus. It needs a dictator at the top with a clear vision for the future. Of course, it would be nice if the dictatator adhered to historical Saab values and attributes (safety, performance, atypical/thoughful features).
Typesbad @ Nov 6th 2006 9:37PM
As a Saab owner, I really would like to see the brand survive. But they can really only do so by continuing to march to that different drummer My basically pre-GM Saab may not be a segment leader in any of the main categories, but it does have many compelling details that I would hate to do without in my next car. Top of the list is the console key ignition. It may seem like a small thing but after you are used to it, having the ignition hidden behind the steering wheel seems incredibly dumb. I never get tired of playing with their unique vents, (wisely ripped by Caddy) and I've come to appreciate both their unique "night vision" dash lighting and the feature that lets you pre-sets your audio system volume upon start up. (good for those slow mornings after you were blasting the thing the night before.
I like these features a lot. I like the turbocharging but its a shame the Ecotec is such a dullard at high rpm.
As for these designs, they are a bit awkward but there are some good ideas that could work in the hands of acutual designers. I don't know about the Aero face though. It worked fine on the concept vehicle but applied here the cars seem to have a happily blindfolded look about them. Or maybe they are just squinting. Either way, I'm not sure how attractive it would be in real life. Oh and add more slope to the 5-door hatch D-pillars. Then they will look like Saabs.