In regards to China, Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson, told reporters on the sidelines of the Los Angeles Auto Show: "Until we launch the new 9-3 at the end of 2012, it will be just a couple of thousand units (annually), all based on imports. As we lead up to this, we have to make a decision if and when we are going to introduce local manufacturing in China."
"Spyker Cars N.V. ("the Group"), a holding company that owns subsidiaries which produce and sell premium automobiles under the Saab and Spyker brands, has noted recent press speculation about the possible supply relationship with BMW. The Group confirms that talks are ongoing and will give further details once a final agreement has been reached."
Revealed ahead of its Paris show debut, the 9-X Air concept previews Saab's upcoming 9-1 premium hatch that will rival the likes of the Audi A3, BMW 1-Series and Volvo C30. Equipped with a fabric top that automatically folds in three sections behind the rear seats, the 9-X Air is powered by a 200 HP 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that runs on E85 biofuel and is matted to a hybrid electric motor. Hit the jump to check out the first official video of the 9-X Air that includes an interview with GM Europe’s Vice President of Design, Mark Adams or click here for more details and a high-res image gallery. -Continued
Set to make its global premiere at the Paris Motorshow in October, the Saab 9-X Air Concept is the convertible version of the 3door 9-X BioHybrid that was revealed at the Geneva Show in March. And despite its name, this concept is not just a lot of hot air as the Swedish firm intends to use the 9-X models as a base for their forthcoming 9-1 premium hatch that will rival the BMW 1-Series, Volvo C30 and Audi A3. Essentially, the 9-X Air is giving us an idea of what a convertible version of the 9-1 could look like. -Continued
The most unique feature on the 9-X Air is the clever roof system that Saab calls the ‘Canopy Top’. The flat-folding fabric top was developed from a Targa roof principle, hence the prominent C-pillars, or as Saab calls them, buttresses, that provide the rear mounting for the Canopy Top.
The fully automatic fabric top folds into three small sections under a rear tonneau cover in the trunk deck. The rear screen between the buttresses retracts automatically into the underside of the raised tonneau cover to allow stowage of the Canopy Top. The screen then moves back into position to provide a complete glass surround for the cabin in open-top mode.
This ‘surround glass’ feature, together with an active wind deflector on top of the windshield header rail, essentially create a ‘wraparound’ wind deflector net, promising to cut turbulence for all four passengers.
As you may have noticed in the photos, the 9-X doesn’t actually have a boot opening. And indeed, Saab’s designers have replaced the traditional boot with a storage compartment, big (or rather small) enough to accommodate two golf bags, that slides out from underneath the rear light bar.
Inside, the 9-X Air boasts a futuristic design with a row of five display screens illuminated in green 3-D graphics that we probably won’t see going into production for another decade or so, but hey, what did you expect from a concept car.
As with its three-door sibling, the 9-X Air Concept is equipped with a hybrid powertrain that comprises a 200HP 1.4-litre turbocharged biofuel (85% bioethanol - 15% petrol) engine matted to a dual-clutch six-speed semi-automatic transmission and an electric motor with a lithium-ion battery pack. According to the Swedes, the 9-X Air can sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 231 km/h or 143 mph.
Finally, Saab says it has projected an average fuel consumption on gasoline of 5.0 lt/100 km (57 US MPG) and 119 g CO2/km while on E85, CO2 emissions are projected to be even lower, at just 107 g/km, with estimated fuel consumption of 6.5 lt/100 km (36.2 US MPG).
The first official photos of Saab’s surprise concept for next month’s Paris Motor Show have unofficially found their way into the net. The drop top Saab concept is based on the 9-X BioHybird that was revealed at this year’s Geneva Salon in March. Compared to the 3door ‘shooting brake’ concept, the 9-X Air has lost its tin top in favour of a retractable canvas roof while Saab’s designers also restyled the car’s rear end. A notable design feature of the 9-X Air is the rear fin-like extensions of the C-Column. -Continued
Even though Saab has retained the 2+2 seating arrangement of the 3door version, from what we gather by looking at the pictures, it looks like this Saab won’t be carrying around any adults behind the front passengers.
Since Saab hasn’t released any official information on the 9-X Air Concept, we don’t have any technical details in our hands yet. But it wouldn’t be too far fetched to say that the front-wheel-drive 9-X Air Concept will most probably get the same hybrid powertrain as the Geneva Concept which was equipped a 1.4-liter turbocharged E85 flex-fuel gasoline engine matted to a 6speed dual clutch gearbox and backed by an electric motor that’s powered by a set of lithium-ion batteries.
Saab will enhance its range in 2010 with the 9-1, a new entry-level model that will compete in the premium hatch segment against the BMW 1-Series and the Audi A3. Swedish car magazine “Teknikens Varld” hosted an interesting rendering of Saab’s forthcoming hatch that’s heavily inspired from the Aero-X concept. While we can’t say for sure that the 9-1 will actually look like the car pictured here, we think that the Swede’s rendering gives a pretty good idea of what to expect.The later features two electronically controlled electric motors which act on a series of gears to create an infinitely variable drive system. The system fits within the space of a conventional automatic transmission and it’s combined with a battery pack that supplies power to the electric motors and also allows for full-electric propulsion. The hybrid system’s operating parameters include full engine stop at idle and full electric propulsion at launch. The electric motors are also used for deceleration, recuperating kinetic energy during braking and coasting thus charging the battery pack.
Rendering via: Teknikens Varld
