The Swedish automaker Saab unveiled the new 9-5 sedan earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with sales set to begin early in 2010. The all new curvaceous four door will be followed by a more utilitarian station wagon and the first images have just surfaced on the information superhighway. The only thing is that being born from jets, Saab can’t just sit by and let their latest sport wagon be considered a boring old ordinary station wagon. Behold the almighty SportCombi.
Just like the sedan, the 9-5 SportCombi will be offered with a variety of power train options with the base model featuring a 1.6 Liter engine turbocharged four cylinder engine that can produce up to 180 HP. While at the other end of the spectrum, is a 2.8 Liter turbocharged V6 SportCombi that puts down a more masculine 300 HP. No matter which power plant you choose, Saab is offering a six speed manual or semi automatic transmission to mate it to. The new 9-5 SportCombi combines Saab’s latest swept back design theme that evokes speed and power even when sitting still, we just hope that they don’t disappoint.
Koenigsegg may have dropped the ball with purchasing Saab but at least somebody has stepped up to take the beleaguered car brand out of GM’s hands – at least some of it. Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd has bought the intellectual rights for Saab’s 9-3 and 9-5 sedans, in addition to a number of powertrain technologies.
As part of the new deal, BAIC will be manufacturing the 9-3 and 9-5 sedans in China with Saab supplying invaluable knowledge and resource to BAIC as the company begins to improve its future line-up of cars. According to Jan Åke Jonsson, the managing director of Saab Automobile, the sale of the 9-3 and 9-5 sedans to BAIC is a step in the right direction for both companies. "We have developed a good relationship with BAIC and look forward to working with them to integrate this Saab technology into their future vehicles," he said.
Despite the sale of the 9-3 and 9-5 sedans to BAIC, General Motors is still pushing through with selling the entire brand to a number of potential suitors, the most notable of which has become Spyker.
Now under control of the Swedish super car manufacturerKoenigsegg, SAAB is currently enjoying a bit of a revitalization and in doing so took the wraps off of their latest generation 9-5 sedan at the 2009 Miami Auto Show. Although the new car made it’s international debut in Frankfurt, this 9-5 is still new to North America and the South Florida Show marks the car’s first appearance here in the U.S. The nose of the new 9-5 sedan is inspired by the Aero-X Concept featuring a deep grille flanked with curving, ice-block headlamp units. The entire greenhouse is presented as a ‘wraparound’ mono graphic, the disguised windshield and side pillars giving the cabin Saab’s signature cockpit look. Squint slightly, and the proportions of the windshield and roof become reminiscent of the classic 900 model. The new car comes with a variety of engine options, however here in the U.S. SAAB expects the 2.8 Liter turbocharged V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 HP to be the big seller.
The new Saab 9-5 Sedan marks an all-new era for Saab. It is not onl;y the first model revealed after the Swedish brand is under Koenigsegg’s ownership, but it also comes with new design, inspired by both Aero X and Saab heritage. The all-new Saab 9-5 Sedan will make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show with sales to start later in model year 2010.
For the new 9-5 sedan the front is inspired by the Aero-X Concept: deep grille flanked with curving, ice-block headlamp units. The entire glasshouse is presented as a ‘wraparound’ mono graphic, the disguised windshield and side pillars giving the cabin Saab’s signature cockpit look. Squint slightly, and the proportions of the windshield and roof become reminiscent of the classic 900 model.
The car comes with a variety of engine options with the base model having a 1.6-lite engine that can produce up to 180 hp. On the other end of the spectrum, is a 9-5 that comes with a 2.8-liter turbo V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 hp. While engines may differ depending on which version of the car you get, all 9-5 sedans do come with the same six-speed tranny in either stick-shift or semi-automatic.
The interior comes with all the neat trinkets – including a Harman Kardon surround sound audio system that can be configured and controlled through the touch screen display - that befit a car of this stature.
We don’t have any new updates regarding the sale of Saab to Koenigsegg but we do know that it hasn’t stopped the former from working tirelessly in developing their latest flagship sedan, the 2010 Saab 9-5.
Now we have news that the 9-5 - turbocharged powertrain and all – has finally been released.
It doesn’t come as any surprise to us that the new 9-5 has somewhat veered away from all other previous 9-5 incarnations and while GM may have still had a hand in the car’s development, the striking changes attributed to the car can be traced back to its new – or incoming – owners.
Apparently, Honda isn’t the only one with a countdown these days.
Saab, which has made the headlines over the past few months because of its impending sale to Koenigsegg, is taking a step back from the business side of the industry to release a countdown towards the unveiling of its new flagship car, the 9-5.
Unlike Honda, which has their own countdown in anticipation of the sneak preview of the still mysterious Accord Crosstour, a lot of us already have a good idea of what the new Saab 9-5 looks like.
As you may recall, a number of photos of the 9-5 sedan have already made its way to the Internet and whether it was an intentional marketing ploy by Saab or a case of pre-emptive photo-leaking, the Swedish-based company is nevertheless pushing through with the car’s official unveiling on – judging by how many days the countdown has left - August 27.
We have been talking about the next generation SAAB 9-5 for a while now and the Swedish automaker has finally released a few official images of the new car. So that can mean only one thing, the 9-5’s official debut should take place any day now. The new SAAB 9-5 will be offered with a choice of four or six cylinder power plants that are E85 BioPower capable as well as an alternatively fueled four cylinder diesel engine. The future 9-5 will be built upon the same Epsilon 2 as its European GM cousin, the Opel Insignia, except the Saab will feature the longer wheelbase version.
The last Saab 9-5 rolled out of the production line, after the company decided there are enough models produced until the launch of the next generation 9-5 in Frankfurt Motor Show.
In 12 years of existence - ever since 1997 - Saab sold 9-5 units. During all this period the car had only one major facelift.
The new Saab 9-5 will be produced at the Opel’s factory in Russelsheim. The new model will share its platform with the Opel Insignia, but we are still waiting for an official statement from Koenigsegg.
Saab has been officially bought by the Swedish company Koenigsegg, but this doesn’t mean that they stopped building the cars they already announced. The 9-5 sedan is one of those. The car will be revealed in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Compared to the previous generation, the new 9-5 will be longer, wider and with more room for passengers. Under thew hood Saab will place a 2.0-litre turbo unit producing 210bhp.
In Europe the Saab 9-5 will also be offered with a 2,8 liter V6 engine, while in America it will go with a 3,8 liter V6 engine. Diesel and hybrid versions are also expected.
Thank you SAAB for making the word wagon an acceptable term in automotive vernacular, we don’t have to be ashamed about calling the new SAAB 9-5 a cool looking wagon, there is no need to use the term crossover here. These are the first images to hit the web of the next generation of their four door sensation that the Swedish automaker is planning on bringing to the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Thanks to the super car manufacturer Koenigseg, the future SAAB 9-5 should start to appear in showrooms as early as the end of this year, but certainly by 2010. The renderings seen here make the Frankfurt show car look very similar to a four door Audi A5, with that sportback notch at the back of the sedan. The wagon has a roofline that looks very similar to a Nissan GT-R.
The Swedish automaker will offer the new 9-5 with a choice of four and six cylinder power plants that are E85 BioPower capable as well as an alternatively fueled four cylinder diesel. The future 9-5 will be built upon the same Epsilon 2 as its European GM cousin, the Opel Insignia, except the Saab will use the long wheelbase frame.
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