DETAILS
Yes, believe it or not beneath this rather odd camouflage lurks a next-generation Saab 9-5 mule, riding on a version of Opel/Vauxhall’s ubiquitous Global Epsilon architecture and due in Saab showrooms by 2009. It’s part of GM’s plan to introduce no fewer than five new Saab models in short order – a welcome move but after years of chronic under-investment, some might say way too late. The 9-5 will come in the anticipated saloon and estate versions, and will be longer, wider and sit on an extended wheelbase to distance it from the next–gen Vectra. And our sources claim the 9-5 will be engineered to accept an extra-cost hybrid drivetrain, dubbed Performance Assistant. An auxiliary 30bhp electric motor compensates for any turbo lag on both petrol and diesel powerplants, providing short range zero-emissions mobility.
What of these other Saab models you mentioned?
The oddball but ugly Vauxhall Signum will be canned, replaced by an estate-cum-SUV crossover that insiders describe as a four-door coupé with a shooting brake rear end. Both Vauxhall and Saab will pitch in this model near the top of their model ranges, with the Saab version expected to be called 9-4X. Out in early 2010, the strikingly styled five-seater crossover Saab will be much better looking than the Signum (not hard, that) and even more cleverly packaged, with an optional third row of seats which folds flat, Zafira-style. Its part-time four-wheel drive system will be supplemented by the optional Performance Assist, installed to drive the rear wheels.
What of these other Saab models you mentioned?
The oddball but ugly Vauxhall Signum will be canned, replaced by an estate-cum-SUV crossover that insiders describe as a four-door coupé with a shooting brake rear end. Both Vauxhall and Saab will pitch in this model near the top of their model ranges, with the Saab version expected to be called 9-4X. Out in early 2010, the strikingly styled five-seater crossover Saab will be much better looking than the Signum (not hard, that) and even more cleverly packaged, with an optional third row of seats which folds flat, Zafira-style. Its part-time four-wheel drive system will be supplemented by the optional Performance Assist, installed to drive the rear wheels.
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