First spyshots Saab 9-5 Estate create mixed feelings
Thursday November 26 2009 - Hans
The future of automotive brand Saab looks bleak. The consortium headed by super car company Koenigsegg have withdrawn their offer to buy the Swedish brand. Company leader Christian von Koenigsegg said: "The time factor has from the beginning been critical for our strategy to breathe new life into the company. Unfortunately, delays in completing the deal have led to risks and uncertainties that prevent us from successfully carrying out our business plan for Saab Automobile." General Motors had previously stated that Saab would be shut down if a buyer could not be found by the end of 2009.
This is certainly a shock for people in Sweden. However, how much harder must it be to hear about Saab’s near death when sitting in a prototype of a new model that almost certainly will never make it into production?
Autumn 2010
We caught this pre-production test car in southern Italy where it was part of a huge test-group with lots of Swedish drivers and engineers in each of the cars. The Saab 9-5 estate pictured here was scheduled for launch in autumn 2010, by which time the company hoped to have sorted out the complicated separation from GM. It’s one of four new Saabs that were supposed to come within the next 18 months: the 9-5 saloon and estate, the new 9-4X crossover and the next 9-3.
The prototype is said to be remarkably close to the finished 9-5 estate. We would have loved to see a smooth style, with a visor-like wraparound rear screen, a large tailgate for easy access and a heavy dose of Swedish practicality.
Insignia
The current 9-5 estate ushered in aviation-spec cargo lashing tech. Many will remember the press launch, where the Swedes hung a wagon upside down hanging from a single aluminium lashing point... That sounds like a symbolic parallel to Saab’s situation today. While the new 9-5 shares many mechanical similarities with the Opel Insignia, Saab product planners have told openly that 70% of the 9-5 was designed in Sweden and was thought to be 100% built in Sweden. Originally, GM had planned to switch production to Russelsheim in Germany.
