This brings us to our next point: Saab wants to compete with the likes of Audi and other German luxury brands starting with its next-generation 9-5 sedan. According to Shannon, the car will share much of its technology and powertrain options with other GM sedans (mainly the Cadillac CTS) and will be introduced by the fourth quarter of 2009 as a 2010 model. Marketing efforts for the car will position it as a premium luxury vehicle without the associated price tag.
Also thrown into Saab's luxury market foray will be its upcoming 2010 9-4X Crossover that Shannon says also can be expected by the fourth quarter of next year. He further revealed the production version maintains some "97 percent" of the styling characteristics first displayed on the 9-4X concept seen at this years Detroit auto show and "will be the size of an X5 at the cost of an X3." As expected, the crossover will employ GM's all-new "Premium Theta" two-row architecture that will likely find its way underneath the 2010 Cadillac BRX, or SRX, depending on whom you ask.
Fittingly, the 9-4X was recently spotted undergoing high-speed testing on Germany's famed Nurburgring wearing a full camouflage guise. Judging from what we've seen and heard so far, it's clear Saab and GM are genuinely serious about giving Germany's finest a run for their money.
Oil Burners and More Efficient Cars
European 9-3 and 9-5 models are available with diesel engines, as will the upcoming 9-4X crossover when it hits European markets. Why doesn't Saab bring the diesels our way? It boils down to pure economics. According to Saab's PR team, the challenge is recouping costs associated with converting the existing powertrains to stringent U.S. 50-state-legal specifications.
With CAFE looming on the horizon, Shannon says that Saab has a dedicated "army of people" primarily focused on the downsizing of future cars, the development of more efficient turbocharged engines and the researching of lightweight composite components to be used throughout its vehicle line-up. Fine-tuning its E85 drivetrain first demonstrated on the 9-X BioHybrid concept in Geneva is also a priority on Saab's future car agenda. The latest intel indicates that Saab is also developing a car based on the 9-X concept.
Shannon is quick to point out that although there have been no plans for U.S.-market models to receive turbocharged diesel engines, 80 percent of Saab models currently can employ an efficient four-cylinder turbo powertrain.
A bit of motorsport for the Saab enthusiast. Motorsport has always been infused in Saab's DNA since its inception after WWII, but you most likely won't see its triumphant return to the rally arena anytime soon. As much as Saab officials (and we) would like the automaker to compete, it's currently an endeavor deemed too expensive for the relatively small automaker to undertake. If anything, Shannon mentioned that the extent of Saab's motorsport involvement could possibly include another Pikes Peak race or Talladega Speedway run, not World Rally Championship.
All in, Saab has high hopes of gradually building upon its modest 135,000 unit worldwide sales in 2007. The coming new product and technology will certainly help, but with the present gloomy American economic environment, it's tough to say whether the small Scandinavian company will be able to gain any more traction in the U.S. especially anytime soon.