The midsized sedan has been growing in all directions for decades, but soaring fuel prices have customers begging for something smaller. GM is heeding the call as it is preparing a smaller batch of next generation Saabs. The next 9-3 was originally slated to be underpinned by the Epsilon II, but in March GM decided to instead utilize the lower-medium Delta architecture. The Delta platform will also be used for the next-gen Chevy Cruze, which is slated to eventually replace the Cobalt. The end result will be a smaller, lighter, more efficient Swedish sedan.
With the 9-3 shrinking, Saab will also need to down-size its planned 9-1, which was originally scheduled to be Delta-based. Speculation has Saab reaching into GM's global architecture bin to use the Gamma platform that currently underpins the Opel Corsa. The idea has legs, too, as the Swedish automaker calls the idea "imaginable." Both vehicles are said to contain small, efficient turbocharged powertrains, which is in line with what Saab already uses. We're all for smaller, more agile Saabs, and killer fuel economy wouldn't hurt either.
Earlier in the week, a handful of tiny images from General Motor's presentation to employees leaked onto the Web, providing a glimpse into the future of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and Saab. As the General's spinmeisters try to console both Wall Street investors and tepid consumers after Black Tuesday's depressing announcements, they've finally released these all-too-small pics into the wild images began surfacing on other sites, sourced from GM's own media portal where the video of Wagoner's presentation was posted.
Aside from GM's plans to reduce white collar expenditures by 20 percent, eliminate salaried employees' health care after age 65 and a cut its way to liquidity to the tune of $15 billion by the end of 2009, Bob Lutz dropped the bomb that the current iteration of the Beat isn't coming to the U.S. and that the 40+ mpg Chevrolet Cruze won't be immediately available to North American consumers after it debuts at the Paris Motor Show.
Regardless, the images give us a sneak peak at the stillborn (Stateside) Cobalt replacement, which features tautly drawn headlamps, deep swage lines and a grille that apes its big brother the Malibu. The Cadillac CTS Sportwagon features a massive D-pillar reminiscent of that found on the CTS coupe concept and taillights that stretch from the edge of the roof to the lower fascia. The Caddy SRX's design is precisely what's been predicted, while both the Buick sedan and Saab 9-4X - a supposed competitor to the BMW X3 - are hardly compelling.
Check the images in the gallery below and give us your own opinion about GM's supposed saviors.
Saabs with the latest Haldex bits tucked underneath are a hoot to drive, as we found out the twotimes we sampled the Turbo X. That hardware will also be available on the 9-3 Aero, and Saab's got another trick up its sleeve in the form of the 9-3X. Rather than go the lowered, Vaderized route of the Turbo X, the 9-3X is angling for the table scraps left over by the Audi Allroad, Volvo XC70, and even the luxed-up versions of the Subaru Outback. Raised suspension and skid-platey accents butch it up, along with extra cladding and exhaust tips big enough to flank some bumper nutz. The official unveiling will most likely be in Paris in October. With the pending 9-4 and tweaks to the 9-5, it's going to be a busy few months for Saab. Thanks for the tip, Swade!
This has been a big year for GM's organization alignment, with President Fritz Henderson opening up about the brand issue snafu and the appointment of four brand czars. HUMMER was meant to join forces with Cadillac and Saab in a premium channel, but while HUMMER is still in the family, it's apparently been put out on the lawn. GM Inside News (GMI) reports that GM is treating HUMMER as a goner, saying that the H4 program is on life support for handover to the next buyer, and the H3 GMT-700 program is kaput.
The bigger hearsay is that GM's board is considering euthanizing GMC or Pontiac. Those two brands were to be aligned in a brand channel with Buick (PBG). Getting rid of GMC could make some kind of sense, since it's entirely brand-engineered vehicles with some of the worst mileage numbers in the fleet. Shunning Pontiac would be a surprise to us since the Solstice and G8 have given it a nice brand awareness boost and it's got some products in the pipeline. If GMC or Pontiac did go, the GM board would consider folding Saturn into the PBG channel to maintain sales volume. In corporate-speak, we believe this is called GM's "gloves off" phase. Thanks for the tip, Dan!
Click above for high-res gallery of Saab 9-4X spy shots
Yes, even crossovers need their suspensions tuned, and what better place for Saab to stretch the legs of its upcoming 9-4X crossover than the Nurburgring in Germany? The 9-4X was, of course, already previewed by the Saab 9-4X Biopower concept revealed last January at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, and then we also saw our first spy shots of the covered crossover back in April. Here we see the sloped roof 9-4X being thrown around the 'Ring during its development process. The engineers are no doubt striving to instill the 9-4X with that certain bit of Saabness the brand's current off-roader, the 9-7X, is completely missing. You should consider the 9-4X a cross between the late Subaru Impreza-based 9-2X and Chevy Trailblazer-based 9-7X, as its got enough ground clearance to go soft roading but should show off some deft moves on a flat surface. The 9-4X will be built on a unique version of GM's Theta platform, oft referred to as the Theta Premium platform, that will only be shared with Cadillac's upcoming crossover based on the Provoq Concept that will replace the SRX.
Today is a movie day, it seems, and once again, it's General Motors in the thick of things. Via HISSTank comes a new set of photos from the G.I. Joe movie set. There, we see a couple of the modified HUMMER H2s that will be used, as well as the Saab Aero X concept. No word on which character's driving the latter. Storm Shadow, maybe? At least it'd match his threads. As for the HUMMERs, they are apparently equipped to traverse hedgerows. At least that's what we gather from those tacked-on rhino-style bumper mods. See more pics at HISSTank and mourn with us for the wholesale destruction of our childhood memories.
click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Saab Turbo X
Turbocharging has been as much a part of Saab's DNA for the last three decades as jets. Saab didn't invent turbocharging, but the Swedish brand has probably embraced it more completely than other carmaker. With 2008 marking the 30th birthday of the first production Saab 99 Turbo, the gang in Trollhattan decided to celebrate with their meanest and fastest iteration yet. As we close out the 2008 model year, our Swedish friends are now starting to deliver the direct descendant of that first turbo, the 9-3 Turbo X.
Saab Turbos have come a long way over those three decades. The original 99 Turbo extracted 143 horsepower from its 2.0L four-cylinder engine to twist the front wheels. Most Saabs today are still powered by turbo four-cylinder engines driving those same front wheels. The Turbo X, however, adds two more cylinders and two more drive wheels. It also has nearly double the power and torque of that first effort. Fellow Autoblogger Dan Roth spent the day thrashing the Turbo X at a media preview a couple of weeks ago. We've now had the chance to spend a full week with Saab's newest baby in everyday use.
We're very sad to report that Trollhattan Saab, one of the best automotive blogs on the web and a valuable resource and gathering place for Saab aficionados, is closing its doors after today. The site will remain online as an archive, but there won't be any new posts going forward. Steven Wade, Trollhattan Saab's creator and driving force, explains his decision in a post called "The End", which went up on Wednesday. After reading it, we understand why he has chosen to walk away, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing to the people who visited Trollhattan Saab regularly. Good car sites are hard to come by, and this one will surely be missed. Good luck, Swade.
For three weeks in a row, now, we've brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Here's episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. There's the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundai's nose-thumbing at Toyota's hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week!
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Expansive blue skies set the scene for a perfect spring day in New England as an enthusiastic team from Saab greeted us journalist types and eagerly showed off the Swedish brand's newest top-level sedan, the TurboX. After a quick Powerpoint chat with Saab USA GM Steve Shannon and a stroll under a TurboX that was hoisted on a lift, we were making use of the Big Dig highway improvements on our way to several hours of blissful thrashing. Federal dollars never sounded so good as we held the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 in first gear, happily snarling along in the upper reaches of the tachometer and turning the underground portions of the highway into a gigantic reverberator.
While details of the new car are vague, we do know that it is based on GM's Epsilon II platform (unlike the new 9-3, now rumored to be downsized) and that the styling is expected to follow cues from the Saab Aero-X. Back in November 2006, we called the current Saab 9-5 an octogenarian. In today's current automotive industry, the 9-5 has reached centenarian status. The replacement can't come soon enough.
Click image above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Saab 9-3
Tougher emissions and fuel economy regulations in Europe and the United States have forced Saab to put the brakes on development of the next-generation 9-3. The current Saab 9-3 is built on GM's Epsilon platform (shared with the Opel Vectra, Chevrolet Malibu, and Pontiac G6). The next-gen model was set to be based on the longer and wider GM Epsilon II platform (used for the 2009 Saab 9-5). However, Saab and parent company General Motors are considering radically downsizing the model to fit GM's upcoming 'Global premium compact' platform - a size rivaling the Audi A3.
GM design sources told Autocar that a smaller chassis would dictate new technologies to maximize interior room. These would include a slim modular roof assembly and slimmer doors with advanced side-impact technology. General Motors has also hinted that the new 9-3 could be manufactured in the United States. Many European automakers are feeling the impact a weak dollar is having on profits and, like BMW, are moving or increasing production in the States.
Vägverket, the Swedish Road Administration, is reporting that General Motors used ten human cadavers for crash research. While it isn't clear which GM vehicle hosted the corpses on their one-way trip into a wall, a spokesman for Vägverket said it was most likely the Saab brand. The spokesman was also quick to point out that all of the cadavers were people "who had donated their own bodies."(Well, that is comforting to know!)
While cadavers were used in the earliest crash tests (first started in the late 1930s), most of us were under the assumption that fully-instrumented million-dollar synthetic crash test dummies, or computer simulations, had replaced human remains in current testing. Apparently, some folks at GM may have been thinking otherwise. As of today, neither General Motors or Saab have acknowledged any tests involving dead bodies, but our hunch says this issue hasn't been laid to rest. Thanks for the tip, Will!
UPDATE: Saab called to let us know that neither it nor General Motors use "postmortem human test subjects" for safety research, nor do they have the facilities to even do so. They do, however, provide funds to certain bio-mechanical research projects, often through universities, the results of which they use to make better crash test dummies.
Just as spring seems to have finally arrived in force around here, Saab dropped us a line this morning to let us know that it's releasing a new special edition of the 9-3 convertible. The 2008 Yellow Edition is the third of the type following the 1991 original and the 1997 version. The new Yellow Edition gets propulsion from Saab's 210-hp 2.0L turbo four cylinder with either a 6-speed manual or 5-speed autobox. Befitting the name, the body is coated in Lynx Yellow paint (although I don't think I've ever actually seen a Lynx in this particular shade of yellow), and you get 17-inch alloys, a rear spoiler, and a laundry list of standard equipment. The Yellow Edition will cost Saab aficionados an extra 3 grand over the standard convertible with an MSRP of $42,830. If you are so inclined, head on down to your Saab dealer while they last.
Update: We just some additional info from Saab. It looks like their will only be about 300 Yellow Editions for the US although the final number isn't nailed down yet. Interiors will be available in black or parchment (light cream), with tops of black, tan, or blue.
We don't normally cover every little change an automaker makes to its lineup as the model year clicks over, but General Motors has some significant features it's adding for 2009 that shouldn't fall through the cracks. For one, Bluetooth will finally become available on nearly all of GM's cars and trucks. For the longest time, only the Cadillac STS was available with Bluetooth phone integration, which ends with MY2009. Second, the six-speed automatic transmission that before was not widely available in the General's half-ton trucks and SUVs has spread like wildfire across the GMT900 lineup and will now be standard or optional in such vehicles as the Avalanche, Silverado and Sierra 1500, Suburban, Yukon and Yukon XL. Curiously, though, it's still not available on the Tahoe.
Other items of note include a new 6-speed automatic for the Pontiac G6 to replace its underwhelming 4-speed, the replacement of GM's 3.6L V6 in the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook with the direct-inject version that will bump power up to 290 hp, and finally a new four-cylinder base model for the uplevel Malibu LTZ that features the the 2.4L four-cylinder ECOTEC engine paired with a six-speed automatic. Thanks for the tip, Cameron!
Click above for high-res gallery of Saab 9-4X spy shots
What we have here are the first spy shots showing a production prototype of the upcoming Saab 9-4X crossover. This CUV was first revealed as the 9-4X BioPower Concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, and as you can see from the spy shots in our gallery, the production version will be very similar to what we saw on stage in January. The Swedish designers even retained the sloping roof that begins its descent all the way up front at the a-pillars.
The 9-4X is based on a heavily modified version of GM's Theta platform that also incorporates elements of the company's Epsilon 2 platform, effectively making it a unique chassis on which only this CUV and the upcoming Cadillac Provoq CUV will be based. We know the 9-4X will be offered with Saab's new XWD all-wheel-drive system, and engine choices should be similar to the rest of Saab's range and include turbocharged four- and six-cylinder motors. (Yes, the 9-7X SUV is offered with a naturally aspirated six- and eight-cylinder engine, but that doesn't count.) Since the 9-4X will also be sold globally, we're hoping the U.S. market gets a diesel version, as well. Brenda Priddy hints that a 250-horsepower diesel is in the works. Okay, Saab. Now you've got our attention.
Among the many ills plaguing automakers, and General Motors in particular, is an excessive amount of dealers selling their wares through competing outlets. GM has decided to rectify the matter by combining its top three "luxury" marques - Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab - into megastores that aim to provide consumers with a variety of choice without watering down each brand's distinct niche.
The plan involves consolidating the 1,400 Cadillac dealerships with the 238 Saab and 170 HUMMER outlets to form a one-stop shop for all things at the high-end of the General's spectrum. There have already been a few cases where GM has helped larger dealers buyout Mom and Pop operations that weren't willing to expand or were looking to get out of the retail game entirely. While the move has the potential to make it easier for consumers to get everything they want under one roof, the amount of capital GM might need to enable larger to dealerships to consume their smaller competitors could prove to be pricey. Plus, it's going to take a top-notch interior designer to combine the Quonset hut theme of HUMMER with the Kenny G stylings of Saab into a cohesive environment.
Saab has embraced E85 as an alternative fuel in Europe as a way to offer good performance and relatively good emissions using small turbocharged engines. Because ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline, boost pressure can be raised, allowing for a higher specific power output. It also helps that Saab already had a history of being quirky and using turbocharged engines in their vehicles. As an added bonus, it also gets to capitalize on the "green" aspect of the biofuel, and is leaving no eco-stone unturned. For the New York Auto Show, the Swedish brand be showing off its 9-X BioHybrid concept and the 9-4X BioPower concept. But its latest foray into being eco-friendly is the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection, which was created in conjunction with the Swedish clothing design firm Reflective Circle.
The Saab/Reflective collection, which currently includes T-shirts, button-down shirts, jersey shirts, a ladies shirt dress and tennis shirts (more coming soon), is made from 100 percent ecological/organic cotton certified by Skal International, an independent inspection and certification organization. One highlight of the collection is the use of the Coroso nut, which comes from Palm trees found in rain forests, for their buttons - as opposed to molding them from plastic.
Fans of the simple Scandinavian design ethos who prefer organic clothing will be able to purchase the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection starting in May at www.saabexpressions.com.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Saab 9-X BioHybrid
Saab is showing off its latest addition at the Geneva Motor Show today by adding a smaller model at the entry point to its lineup. The new Saab 9-X BioHybrid is strictly a concept at this stage, but it will almost certainly pop up in Saab showrooms before long. The 9-X is built on General Motors' next generation Global Compact Car platform (a.k.a. Delta). That's the platform that underpins cars like the Opel Astra, Chevy Cobalt and, in the future, the Chevy Volt. Given the size, the 9-X will probably become the 9-1 when it hits the streets.
Like other recent Saab concepts, this one carries forth much of the same design language, particularly in the nose and fenders. In profile, it's apparent that the windshield has a much more pronounced wraparound than recent production Saabs or the 9-4X crossover. The roofline has a distinct downward slope toward the back of the car, and the concept features active aerodynamics that help this compact hatchback from the wind. Above 70 km/h, for instance, a spoiler that wraps over the rear pillar and a diffuser below the back bumper extend to increase the effective length of the body and reduce drag. Underhood, the 9-X has a 1.4L turbocharged four-cylinder that, in typical Saab fashion, is optimized for running on ethanol and earns an output of 200 hp when doing so. Fuel efficiency is enhanced by a next generation GM Hybrid system, which we'll here more about in Geneva, as well. The battery charging capability is further enhanced by a solar panel mounted on the roof. Overall, the 9-X/1 could be a capable competitor to the MINI in the premium compact segment that's fiercely competitive in Europe, but has yet to heat up in the U.S.
The Geneva Motor show promises to have plenty of green products on display, and Saab intends to join the fun with its 9-X BioHybrid concept, which we previously thought would be called the 9-1X. We already know the 9-X BioHybrid will draw heavily from the styling cues of the Aero X and the 9X concepts, and now we're getting the scoop on the eco-friendly powerplant of the wagon/hatch.
World Car Fans Finland is reporting that the 9-X BioHybrid will draw motivation from a turbocharged 1.4L BioPower engine. As was the case with the 9-4X from Detroit, the 9-X will be E85-capable, and even though the engine's four cylinders have the collective volume of a Super Big Gulp, it will still deliver 200 hp. If a small powerplant and corn power doesn't deliver enough oil relief, the 9-X BioHybrid will also receive assistance from some form of a hybrid battery pack. We'll deliver more details on the 9-X BioHybrid on Monday, so stay tuned.
For three weeks in a row, now, we've brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Here's episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. There's the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundai's nose-thumbing at Toyota's hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week! 
We don't normally cover every little change an automaker makes to its lineup as the model year clicks over, but General Motors has some significant features it's adding for 2009 that shouldn't fall through the cracks. For one, Bluetooth will finally become available on nearly all of GM's cars and trucks. For the longest time, only the Cadillac STS was available with Bluetooth phone integration, which ends with MY2009. Second, the six-speed automatic transmission that before was not widely available in the General's half-ton trucks and SUVs has spread like wildfire across the GMT900 lineup and will now be standard or optional in such vehicles as the Avalanche, Silverado and Sierra 1500, Suburban, Yukon and Yukon XL. Curiously, though, it's still not available on the Tahoe. 
Saab has 
