Saab's offering up a Nordic Edition 9-5 for 2008, and no that doesn't mean an integrated sauna in the SportCombi and a complimentary copy of ABBA's Greatest Hits, alltför dålig. The package is available as an upgrade for mid-level Vector versions of the sedan and wagon, and consists of cosmetic, equipment, and comfort enhancements. Leather swathes the entire interior, which gets a better audio system, special metallic trim and an electrochromic rearview mirror. New 17-inch alloys fill out the wheel openings, and the roof rails get a nice matte finish, while the rest of the exterior gets a monochromatic treatment. Theres even two new exterior colors; Pepper Green sounds good enough to eat, while Snow Silver won out over Straw Goat Brown.
Saab is trying desperately to remake itself as a premium player in a market rife with competitors offering sharp styling and competent handling. The Swedish automaker has been in a marketing and design rut, which it intends to rectify by offering a new compact model that takes aim at the MINI and other small-sized competitors like the Volvo C30.
The new compact vehicle will be accompanied by a new small crossover and a redesigned 9-5, both of which will take styling cues from the Aero-X concept that has already infused the new 9-3. A new 9-5 will be based on the Theta and Epsilon 2 platforms, and is likely to debut in 2009. The CUV is expected near the close of the decade, while the 9-7X may meet its maker by the end of 2008.
Well, this one's a surprise. We thought that the radical eXasis concept would be all Rinspeed had on hand at the Geneva Motor Show, but instead, the Swiss tuner has teamed with Saab to create a matching 9-5 BioPower station wagon, as well. Lowered and painted a striking yellow, the car features fiberglass elements similar to those seen on the eXasis. Rhombus patterns adorn yello fiberglass inserts in place on the grille, headlight surrounds, rear licence plate area, and dashboard. The shape pops up again on the car's seats,which are padded with a "technogel." Upsized black five-spoke wheels with metallic outlines fill out the wheel wells quite nicely.
At the time of this writing, no English-language press release was yet available. Trollhattan Saab has posted a basic translation of the German one at Saab's Swedish media site. If a picture says a thousand words, however, we have a gallery equivalent to 38,000 of them linked below. We'll update this post with the English press materials as soon as they're made available, and of course, our Geneva team will being you live coverage from the show itself when it opens next week
In celebration of its diamond anniversary, Saab is offering the 9-3 and 9-5 with special 60th Anniversary Edition trim packages. Outside, the cars receive a glitzy Ice Blue metallic finish and 17" rims. The theme inside the cabin is darker, with black leather seats and dark walnut trim setting the tone. Gray inlays and an embossed Saab logo add some more interest to the buckets, and matching-pattern floormats sit in the footwells.
In addition to that, the 9-3s get a high-zoot audio system, power seats, and foglamps. The 9-5s get the Visibility Package that features Parking Assistance and xenon headlights, among other things. Sedan, convertible, wagon -- all bodystyles for both the 9-3 and 9-5 are available in 60th Anniversary trim, so Saab's got you covered whether you need to haul the kids and family dog or if you're a sun-worshipper looking for a little wind in your hair.
On the 9-3 sedan, ragtop, and SportCombi the Anniversary package adds $1,825 to the price of the car. For the 9-5 sedan and SportCombi, the increase is smaller, coming in at $1,595. The press release after the jump goes into a little more detail, but as "paint & wheel" packages go, this one seems pretty nice. Happy shopping.
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.
The Saab 9-5 is the automotive equivalent of an octogenarian. Most manufacturers debut a revised model every four years, sometimes three, sometimes five, but the 9-5 has been around for over eight years now and it shows.
The UK's Car magazine cobbled together what facts are already known and combined them with some insider knowledge to come up with a few renderings of the future of the 9-5. The article itself isn't just pure stylist speculation, but gives a rough idea of both the looks and underpinnings of Saab's new mid-size sedan.
The styling takes cues from the AeroX concept car from this year's Geneva show and is clearly trying to get some of that coupe-meets-sedan cred that Mercedes made so popular with the CLS. As for mechanicals, you can expect that the new 9-5 will be based off GM's Epsilon II platform that will underpin the Opel/Saturn side of things. The platform will likey undergo some serious revisions, namely to the suspension and steering components, before being employed into the new Saab.
Naturally, FWD will be the order of the day, but AWD will be an option, as will the choice of either a common rail diesel V6 or turbo'd V6 that is expected to put out over 350 HP.
In the theory and speculation department, the blokes at Auto Express have summoned up some Photochops of what they believe the next Saab 9-5 is going to look like. Bob Lutz is already on record saying that the the spectacular Aero X concept will be lending styling cues (front end, wraparound windscreen, etc.) to future Saab products, and the Auto Express renderings obviously take that into account.
This vision of the sedan incorporates the Aero X's front and rear end treatments (the predicted nose is more restrained than the concept's) on a sleek body that most of us would eagerly welcome into our garages. As far as we're concerned, the sooner Saab applies the Aero X nose as the new corporate face, the better. As modern as it is, it's still instantly identifiable as a Saab. The wraparound windshield is not present on this rendering. Instead, the A- and B-pillars get blacked out, giving the impression that the roof is supported by only the ample C-pillar. They state that the interior will borrow heavily from Aero X as well,and include digital three-dimensional displays. Color us skeptical on that one. We'll believe it when we see it.
Auto Express claims that the replacement will be unveiled during the 2007 show circuit and be available later that calendar year. We'll see if and how that shakes out soon enough. Until then, we have thank to Auto Express for getting our collective imaginations going.
The Swedes are on the forefront of alternative energy research and Saab has done its part by announcing a new advanced BioPower engine that delivers 14-percent more horsepower and 11-percent more torque when running on E85 rather than gasoline. That translates into 210 ethanol-induced bhp and 229 ft-lbs of torque, versus 185 bhp and 206 ft-lbs on gas. Meanwhile, a trip to 62 mph takes 7.9 seconds on E85 and 8.5 seconds while chugging fossil fuel. The "flexfuel" engine displaces 2.3 liters across four-cylinders and is turbocharged for good measure. Saab will still sell the smaller 2.3t BioPower engine in the 9-5 sedan and SportCombi along with this new, more powerful motor.
One interesting omission from Saab's press release was a comparison of fuel mileage while running on both E85 and gas. We suspect running on E85 rather than gas would return less exemplary numbers in that category.
Autoblogger reader Swade notified us of an interior shot of the upcoming 2007 Saab 9-3 and opinions as well. Swade's take? The lack of differentiation with the 9-5 is quite disturbing. Reader opinion, on the other hand, was generally divided with some liking the cleaner look while others finding it cheap. An earlier post summarized the new interior's details: controls and layout similar to the 9-5 (and hence Swade's comment and comparison pic), more aluminum and the new wood coloration.
After taking a gander at the new interior, what's your take?
The EuroGeneral has some new awards for its display case, courtesy What Car? magazine's 'Going Green Awards.' The
automaker's Swedish outpost, Saab, claimed both executive categories with their diesel 9-3 and BioPower 9-5. The former
claimed the 'Compact Executive Car' category in 1.9 TiD trim, and the latter's 2.0t model picked up the greenest
'Executive/Luxury' category. Not to be left out, the Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTi took What Car laurels for the most
verdant peoplemover, and the company's sporty Tigra picked up the 'Greenest Open Top Car' award.
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