Autoblog

click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Saab Turbo X

Turbocharging has been as much a part of Saab's DNA for the last three decades as jets. Saab didn't invent turbocharging, but the Swedish brand has probably embraced it more completely than other carmaker. With 2008 marking the 30th birthday of the first production Saab 99 Turbo, the gang in Trollhattan decided to celebrate with their meanest and fastest iteration yet. As we close out the 2008 model year, our Swedish friends are now starting to deliver the direct descendant of that first turbo, the 9-3 Turbo X.

Saab Turbos have come a long way over those three decades. The original 99 Turbo extracted 143 horsepower from its 2.0L four-cylinder engine to twist the front wheels. Most Saabs today are still powered by turbo four-cylinder engines driving those same front wheels. The Turbo X, however, adds two more cylinders and two more drive wheels. It also has nearly double the power and torque of that first effort. Fellow Autoblogger Dan Roth spent the day thrashing the Turbo X at a media preview a couple of weeks ago. We've now had the chance to spend a full week with Saab's newest baby in everyday use.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

photo: Zane Merva/AutoInsane

Expansive blue skies set the scene for a perfect spring day in New England as an enthusiastic team from Saab greeted us journalist types and eagerly showed off the Swedish brand's newest top-level sedan, the TurboX. After a quick Powerpoint chat with Saab USA GM Steve Shannon and a stroll under a TurboX that was hoisted on a lift, we were making use of the Big Dig highway improvements on our way to several hours of blissful thrashing. Federal dollars never sounded so good as we held the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 in first gear, happily snarling along in the upper reaches of the tachometer and turning the underground portions of the highway into a gigantic reverberator.

Originally predicted to be shown at the Paris Motor Show in October of this year, the 2010 Saab 9-5 won't actually debut until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March of next year.

While details of the new car are vague, we do know that it is based on GM's Epsilon II platform (unlike the new 9-3, now rumored to be downsized) and that the styling is expected to follow cues from the Saab Aero-X. Back in November 2006, we called the current Saab 9-5 an octogenarian. In today's current automotive industry, the 9-5 has reached centenarian status. The replacement can't come soon enough.

[Source: Trollhattansaab]

Click image above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Saab 9-3

Tougher emissions and fuel economy regulations in Europe and the United States have forced Saab to put the brakes on development of the next-generation 9-3. The current Saab 9-3 is built on GM's Epsilon platform (shared with the Opel Vectra, Chevrolet Malibu, and Pontiac G6). The next-gen model was set to be based on the longer and wider GM Epsilon II platform (used for the 2009 Saab 9-5). However, Saab and parent company General Motors are considering radically downsizing the model to fit GM's upcoming 'Global premium compact' platform - a size rivaling the Audi A3.

GM design sources told Autocar that a smaller chassis would dictate new technologies to maximize interior room. These would include a slim modular roof assembly and slimmer doors with advanced side-impact technology. General Motors has also hinted that the new 9-3 could be manufactured in the United States. Many European automakers are feeling the impact a weak dollar is having on profits and, like BMW, are moving or increasing production in the States.

[Source: Autocar]

Vägverket, the Swedish Road Administration, is reporting that General Motors used ten human cadavers for crash research. While it isn't clear which GM vehicle hosted the corpses on their one-way trip into a wall, a spokesman for Vägverket said it was most likely the Saab brand. The spokesman was also quick to point out that all of the cadavers were people "who had donated their own bodies." (Well, that is comforting to know!)

While cadavers were used in the earliest crash tests (first started in the late 1930s), most of us were under the assumption that fully-instrumented million-dollar synthetic crash test dummies, or computer simulations, had replaced human remains in current testing. Apparently, some folks at GM may have been thinking otherwise. As of today, neither General Motors or Saab have acknowledged any tests involving dead bodies, but our hunch says this issue hasn't been laid to rest. Thanks for the tip, Will!

UPDATE: Saab called to let us know that neither it nor General Motors use "postmortem human test subjects" for safety research, nor do they have the facilities to even do so. They do, however, provide funds to certain bio-mechanical research projects, often through universities, the results of which they use to make better crash test dummies.

[Source: The Local]

Click above for high-res gallery of Saab 9-4X spy shots

What we have here are the first spy shots showing a production prototype of the upcoming Saab 9-4X crossover. This CUV was first revealed as the 9-4X BioPower Concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, and as you can see from the spy shots in our gallery, the production version will be very similar to what we saw on stage in January. The Swedish designers even retained the sloping roof that begins its descent all the way up front at the a-pillars.

The 9-4X is based on a heavily modified version of GM's Theta platform that also incorporates elements of the company's Epsilon 2 platform, effectively making it a unique chassis on which only this CUV and the upcoming Cadillac Provoq CUV will be based. We know the 9-4X will be offered with Saab's new XWD all-wheel-drive system, and engine choices should be similar to the rest of Saab's range and include turbocharged four- and six-cylinder motors. (Yes, the 9-7X SUV is offered with a naturally aspirated six- and eight-cylinder engine, but that doesn't count.) Since the 9-4X will also be sold globally, we're hoping the U.S. market gets a diesel version, as well. Brenda Priddy hints that a 250-horsepower diesel is in the works. Okay, Saab. Now you've got our attention.


[Photos: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company]

Among the many ills plaguing automakers, and General Motors in particular, is an excessive amount of dealers selling their wares through competing outlets. GM has decided to rectify the matter by combining its top three "luxury" marques – Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab – into megastores that aim to provide consumers with a variety of choice without watering down each brand's distinct niche.

The plan involves consolidating the 1,400 Cadillac dealerships with the 238 Saab and 170 HUMMER outlets to form a one-stop shop for all things at the high-end of the General's spectrum. There have already been a few cases where GM has helped larger dealers buyout Mom and Pop operations that weren't willing to expand or were looking to get out of the retail game entirely. While the move has the potential to make it easier for consumers to get everything they want under one roof, the amount of capital GM might need to enable larger to dealerships to consume their smaller competitors could prove to be pricey. Plus, it's going to take a top-notch interior designer to combine the Quonset hut theme of HUMMER with the Kenny G stylings of Saab into a cohesive environment.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Saab has embraced E85 as an alternative fuel in Europe as a way to offer good performance and relatively good emissions using small turbocharged engines. Because ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline, boost pressure can be raised, allowing for a higher specific power output. It also helps that Saab already had a history of being quirky and using turbocharged engines in their vehicles. As an added bonus, it also gets to capitalize on the "green" aspect of the biofuel, and is leaving no eco-stone unturned. For the New York Auto Show, the Swedish brand be showing off its 9-X BioHybrid concept and the 9-4X BioPower concept. But its latest foray into being eco-friendly is the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection, which was created in conjunction with the Swedish clothing design firm Reflective Circle.

The Saab/Reflective collection, which currently includes T-shirts, button-down shirts, jersey shirts, a ladies shirt dress and tennis shirts (more coming soon), is made from 100 percent ecological/organic cotton certified by Skal International, an independent inspection and certification organization. One highlight of the collection is the use of the Coroso nut, which comes from Palm trees found in rain forests, for their buttons - as opposed to molding them from plastic.

Fans of the simple Scandinavian design ethos who prefer organic clothing will be able to purchase the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection starting in May at www.saabexpressions.com.

[Source: Saab]

The Geneva Motor show promises to have plenty of green products on display, and Saab intends to join the fun with its 9-X BioHybrid concept, which we previously thought would be called the 9-1X. We already know the 9-X BioHybrid will draw heavily from the styling cues of the Aero X and the 9X concepts, and now we're getting the scoop on the eco-friendly powerplant of the wagon/hatch.

World Car Fans Finland is reporting that the 9-X BioHybrid will draw motivation from a turbocharged 1.4L BioPower engine. As was the case with the 9-4X from Detroit, the 9-X will be E85-capable, and even though the engine's four cylinders have the collective volume of a Super Big Gulp, it will still deliver 200 hp. If a small powerplant and corn power doesn't deliver enough oil relief, the 9-X BioHybrid will also receive assistance from some form of a hybrid battery pack. We'll deliver more details on the 9-X BioHybrid on Monday, so stay tuned.

[Source: World Car Fans Finland via World Car Fans]

We've learned a multitude of things working the automotive beat on the 'Net. Among them: the German press is great for rumors and GM will badge engineer damn near anything. A piece from Auto Motor und Sport lives up to both expectations, with a story saying that the impending arrival of the Saab 9-1 hatch in Geneva will spawn a Saturn derivative and possibly a Pontiac version. According to AMuS, The Saab is likely to be powered by a hybrid system soon after it's launched and the Saturn version could feature a removable roof between the A- and B-pillar. Other blatant speculation includes the possibility of a (God help us) Buick version. We're going to stop laughing and get back to work.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]