We’ve been hearing of Saab’s 9-5 sedan for some time now but the vehicle has made its official debut today at the Frankfurt Motor Show. There wasn’t much mad eknown that we didn’t already know but for those of you not paying attention, I’ll give  a brief run down of the car’s specs.

The Saab 9-5 will give consumers the option to choose from different engines including a 1.6 liter 180hp, a 2.0 liter 220hp, and a 2.8 liter 6 cylinder twin turbocharged engine. Like I said previously, this is all stuff we already knew however, it was made known today that the car will be hitting European dealerships sometime early next year for an unannounced price.

via autoexpress

Pictures of the forthcoming 2010 Saab 9-5 have reportedly leaked onto the internet after someone allegedly got their hands on them.

WorldCarFans reports that the 9-5 won’t make its official debut until the Frankfurt Motor Show where we are sure to learn more details about the cars specs. For now, we know that the car will feature several different engine trims including a turbocharged 1.6 liter 4cylinder 160HP engine, a 2.0 liter 4cylinder 210HP engine and a 2.8 liter V6 300HP engine. Additionally, the car will ship with two different 2.0 liter diesel powered engines with one sporting 160HP and the other with 190HP.

Saab’s 2010 9-5 will apparently go on sale in Europe in April of next year with a starting price right around €35,000 or about $50,000.

Saab’s break from General Motors and pending sale to supercar company Koenigsegg will apparently have no great affect on the Swedish automaker’s future model launches, specifically that of the upcoming 9-4X crossover. The new crossover will share much in common with the recently-revealed Cadillac SRX. According to GM’s executive director of product and marketing for Cadillac, Hummer and Saab, Steve Shannon, the new model will be launched next year as a 2011 model.

According to earlier reports, the 9-4X will run a 284hp V6 gas engine paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox. For European markets GM is also expected to offer a turbodiesel unit delivering 250hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. While development of the 9-4X appears to be nearly complete, Saab will introduce other two models before the arrival of the new crossover – the smaller 9-3X crossover and the 2010 9-5.

Count another falling brand under the GM logo sold. The latest car brand made famous by General Motors has been officially sold to Koenigsegg Automotive AB, a tiny company that produces only a dozen custom-made super cars a year.

GM bought a 50 percent stake in Saab for $600 million in 1990 and acquired the rest for $125 million in 2000. GM CEO Fritz Henderson said GM could build another car for the Saab brand. “Based on the preliminary plan, we expect the buyer to ask GM to build the 9-4x,” Henderson told reporters during an online chat Tuesday. “We will also provide support in terms of powertrain and other technologies.”

While the task to rebuild the Saab brand seems like a daunting task, Koenigsegg has been known to be successful without the expensive modes of advertising and promotions. Can you imagine a car company that does not advertise prices but is doing good in the business? That alone speaks highly of what the company can do to turn around the sagging fortunes of the Saab.

No financial figures have been revealed but many speculate the deal to be a virtual giveaway. The deal is expected to be finalized by the third quarter of the year.

(Source) CBS News

Koenigsegg is largely known for making exotic cars, you know, the ones that none of us will probably ever be able to afford. Well, if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know that the exotic automaker has recently purchased the troubled Saab from the even more troubled GM.

Considering the contrast between Koenigsegg and Saab the transaction raised a lot of eyebrows but consumers need not be worried as Baard Ecker, controlling owner of Koenigsegg, has vowed to revive the “soul and spirit” of Saab.

Well, GM wasn’t able to do this so prehaps a company who deals with some higher class vehicles will be able to do the trick.

Read (Autoblog)

First Hummer, then Saturn, now Saab — GM seems to have found a buyer for their Saab brand in Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg who has banded together with a group of Norweigen investors.

GM says that while Saab had several potential buyers Koenigsegg made the best overall offer. Unforunately there were no details on how much the deal will go down for but we do know that it will happen sometime before the end of the suimmer.

According to KickingTires, Saab hasn’t turned a profit for GM since they bought a stake in it back in 1990. Worse yet, sales peaked at 133,000 so it’s really no wonder that GM would want to sell off the brand.

GM may be in talks with a buyer for their HUMMER brand but up until now there were no known interested buyers for their Saturn brand.

Well, GM exec Ray Young has broken the silence and was quoted to say that there are a full 16 interested buyers for the Saturn brand. Additionally, there are 3 interested buyers for their Saab brand.

But why would anyone want to buy the Saturn brand? Well, Autoblog points to the fact that they have a close knit community of dealerships who all have a flawless record of customer service. Who exactly these 16 interested buyers are, we have no idea, but we will keep you updated as this story unfolds.

Saab has been in its own talks to revive itself once GM lets the Swedish brand go. It’s been known for awhile that Saab is not high on GM’s priority list. The Swedish brand has been looking for a companion since GM announced plans to let Saab go beginning January 1, 2010.

Saab said that it has signed confidentiality agreements with twenty-seven potential suitors. “It is of course positive that there has been this level of interest,” said Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs. She added that Saab had held meetings with representatives of the potential buyers this week. “We are now in an intense and more organized phase of presenting the company to potential interested parties,” she said later on.

Saab 9-Griffin concept

The Saab 9-Griffin concept doesn’t actually stick to its name but it does have an unorthodox design. This Saab luxury sedan goes lopsided in design by pushing the driver a bit ahead of the first seat passenger. The windscreen on the four-seater concept follows the asymmetry and creates a bubble around the driver’s head.

The doors of this concept also follow asymmetry with the passenger side having one large door, while the driver side gets two doors, a traditional side door and a forward hinging canopy. The design was produced by Joonhyung Park at the Hongik University as part of the final graduation project.

Have you ever wanted to see Saab’s elite Performance Team conquer the frozen tundra? Not to mention the apperance of the forthcoming 9-3x in all of its glory.

Anyways, check out the video and watch as Saab flips the bird to automakers specializing in rally cars.

Read (TurboNines)

Saab 9-3X

The Saab 9-3X is a rugged all-round car designed for the adventure lover. Some of the features that make this Saab standout out are the versatile SportCombi body, advanced all-wheel drive technology and higher stance.

The 9-3X is fuel efficient and available with a 2.0 liter gas engine, E85-capable BioPower or the 1.9 TTiD diesel which comes with front-wheel drive.  The transmission is a 5 speed automatic with steering wheel mounted gear shifts. The versatile and functional storage is yet another bonus. Its sleek design has an appearence of a sport coupe and is the perfect alternative to SUVs and larger, heavier crossovers. This car will be debuted at Geneva Motor Show.

It is no secret that General Motors is trying to offer its other car product lines to groups that can finance and manage them. After the Hummer, it looks like its other brand, Swedish brand Saab has found no takers to date. And based on their analysis, no one seems to be interested in taking the chance on this Swedish-based car.

The lack of interest makes Saab the second brand GM has been unable to shed as the global financial crisis curbs merger and acquisitions. The automaker has also failed to find a buyer for Hummer, which was put under review in June.

Could we see this GM brand shut down? If not, perhaps a new take-off for the Swedish brand Saab can help revive its fortunes. With proper analysis and planning, Saab can make a comeback. But with factors like the economic crunch around and lack of focus, the road towards achieving that is not going to be easy.

(Source) Autoweek

The Saab BlackBird concept car in the picture here might never be more than just a concept. The car is inspired in the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane. The car’s made out of solar-friendly material. That’s right your virtual BlackBird would have four electric motors, one for each wheel, all powered by the sun.

Inside the car we’re going to have an LCD display for the driver and a communication panel for the passenger’s seat. The seats are adjustable to fit the occupants.

The Saab concept looks rather bold. It would be fun to see it on the street. But would you actually buy one if given the opportunity?

via Diesno-art

We’ve seen quite a few concept cars from Peugeot a few days ago, but they were all designed for the future modern city. If you’re heading to the Paris Motor Show you are going to actually see some interesting concept cars, like the Saab 9X Air in the picture above.

General Motors has unveiled the 9X Air which is an open air coupe based on the 9X BioHybrid. The hard top is replaced with a cloth piece and a rear glass coming out from a rear hatch.

The interior will get you black and white seats and a digital dashboard. Under the hood there’s a 1.4 liter E85 flex-fuel engine, an electric motor, lithium ion batteries and a six-speed dual clutch gearbox. The car will go from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds and it will get you some 40 mpg.

Do you like it? Would you drive it?

The Saab 9-3 2.0T Sport is quite a car. And it’s going to get even better, which unfortunately means more expensive too. It is going to get XWD. The cross-wheel-drive was previously available for the Aero and the SportCombi.

The XWD models will get the moonroof, the Winter Package and the choice between an automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual one. The convertible will not get the XWD since its platform won’t fit, mechanicaly speaking of course.

What about prices, right? The 9-3 2.0T Sport Sedan without XWD will be $420 more expensive and it will sell for $29,610. The 9-3 SportCombi will be $680 more expensive and it will sell for $31,040.

As for the XWD option alone there aren’t any prices but the overall price increase is about $5,000. Which means that a 9-3 2.0T XWD Sport Sedan will cost $34,870 and the 9-3 Aero V6T XWD Sport Sedan will cost $41,885.