Jan-Ake Jonsson, Managing Director of Saab, recently told Automotive News that hybrid drivetrains would
find their way under the bonnet of both Saab and Opel vehicles by the end of the decade. The technology is currently
being developed in Sweden and will likely being worked on in conjunction with the Saab 9-5 replacement due in 2007, as
well as the 9-3’s successor set to break cover a year later.
Inside Line reports that Jonsson says
hybrid technology would “fit into the image of the brand.” Saab certainly has taken an environmentally
motivated left turn as of late, showing off the 9-5-based BioPower concept and the Aero X concept that
features a twin-turbo V6 running on pure ethanol. Hybrid technology will add another facet to the Swedish brand’s green
portfolio and will give parent company GM another eco-friendly drivetrain to proliferate in the fold.
[Source: Inside Line]