Saab is back in gear

The Swedish car maker has been idling in neutral for almost five years, backsliding on sales because of the age of its 9-3 and 9-5 models, but is about to get the newcomers it needs to surge forward.

Its 9-4X crossover wagon has already been previewed at the Detroit Motor Show in January but the real breakthrough will come when its compact 9-1X is revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in a fortnight.

“2009 is going to be a very big year for us,” Saab Australia boss Paveen Batish says.

The change comes as General Motors, which owns Saab, finally provides the cash and focus the company needs to move forward.

The 9-1X will become a crucial building block as, just like the Volvo C30 compact which has put the zip back into its Swedish rival, it will be set to draw newcomers to the brand. The first official picture of the 9-1X, front-on and with detail, says very little away about the car. It shows a bold frontal treatment similar to the Aero X concept car from 2006 on a car which will be sized to compete with the C30, Mini, BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, but not much else. But, based on Saab's existing product plan, it is certain to have an efficient turbo engine, will run on ethanol fuel and will have the company's all-wheel-drive system as an option.

Saab is not confirming the 9-1X name yet as the car has been called the PCC (Premium Compact Car) through its planning. But it does admit it has a newcomer and that it will join the 9-4X wagon in the line-up. “Janake Jonsson, our global managing director, has publicly confirmed that Saab has been working on a premium compact car as well as a premium mid-sized SUV,” Mr Batish says.

“The 9-4X that we saw in Detroit is very close to what we will see as a production car. Similarly, the Premium Compact Car, which will initially appear as a concept will also be very close to what the Saab fan base can expect to see in the next two years or so.”

On the styling front, the 9-1X concept picks up the rounded windscreen design used for the Aero X show car, which gives a jet-fighter effect with a semi-pillarless look to the roof supports. Inside, it will pick up the same design cues, especially around the dash seen in the 9-4X.

But Saab is saying nothing about the fine detail of the car, waiting until Geneva to reveal the new look, its powerplant and production plans.