Saab 9X Air Concept a Sneak Peak of Upcoming 9-1 Convertible
If there was an example of what not to do in the car business, Saab just might be the poster child. Certainly they've made
more gaffs than the average brand, thanks to mixed parentage trying to meet the needs of global market demands.
Currently, the brand's lineup includes some impressively executed sport-luxury sedans, such as the 9-3 and 9-5, plus a bevy of taut, performance-oriented wagons that bring style and substance to the family hauling equation. But the Trollhattan, Sweden-based brand, through its Detroit-based General Motors ownership, has made some questionable and seemingly knee-jerk decisions over the last decade or so that have had Saab-faithful up in arms, such as the introduction of the competent but controversial compact 9-2x, unofficially dubbed the “Saabaru”, which was little less than a badge-engineered Subaru Impreza hatchback. And there was and still is the ill-timed 9-7x truck-based, V8-powered SUV, which while a very nicely
appointed and particularly stylish Chevy TrailBlazer, doesn't relate to the rest of the lineup or fit in well with brand's core identity and therefore didn't exactly charge up the sales charts even before the SUV segment went limp.
While a new crossover SUV would be helpful, what the brand truly needs is a new small car to go up against Audi's A3, BMW's 1-Series and Volvo's C30, something that pulls in new younger buyers to the Saab brand and attracts those looking for an answer to pump price woes. A possible new direction was revealed yesterday, just ahead of the Paris motor show where it will officially debut. The 9X Air Concept, while an unusual visual statement of open air touring derived by chopping the top off of last year's 9X BioHybrid and adding a retractable rear window and fabric roof piece, is considered to be an interpretation of the upcoming 9-1 compact.
Powered
by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with E85 flex-fuel capability and an electric motor featuring a lithium-ion battery pack, and mated to a six-speed dual-clutch sequential manual gearbox, the hybrid drivetrain is reportedly capable of reaching 60 mph in about eight seconds, which is acceptable if not very sporty, although the car's expected 40 mpg average fuel consumption would make it a major hit nevertheless.
The concept features a digital dashboard that harks back to GM production models of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, while its four black and white seats are anything but old school.
From the front the 9X Air Concept looks exactly as it should, a Saab through-and-through and an attractive one at that. Its rear end styling might raise more objections, but the C-pillars and steeply raked rump are likely to be modified for production.
Whether or not some of the more creative features of this concept make it to the production model, it is expected both hardtop and convertible models will eventually be available.