Gents (and ladies, although I’m beginning to wonder…), this is real.
I believe that I speak for everyone here when I say that the Saab AeroX concept car is a runaway success. A crowning achievement, oozing in cool. Sub zero, Mr. Clarkson. If the Aston Martin ‘has it’s own fridge’, the AeroX must create its own liquid nitrogen.
Anthony Lo, the chief designer on the AeroX project, hit a home run (as we would say in the United States). He is to be commended mightily.
Things haven’t always been so rosy in the Trollhattan design clubhouse. In fact, just five short years ago, the Swedes decided to engage the venerable Bertone design group to put together a Saab 9-5-based concept car to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in 2002.
And they made it orange. Really.
The Novanta was a high-tech car. It highlighted a lot of the Scandinavian ingenuity that made Saabs successful in the past. Great technology made it into the Novanta. Things like drive-by-wire technology from Swedish controls giant SKF. Wireless communication, data transmission and control from Nokia. Powertrain know how from Saab. These and other innovations allowed the design team to work without some of the mechanical limitations that dictate conventional automotive configurations.
So they made it with three doors — one on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side. All of that freedom, and they go all crazy and implement a feature that was standard on the 1971 Chevrolet Suburban. I’m underwhelmed.
Steel yourselves. The pictures you’re about to see will both sicken you and haunt you for the rest of your days…
This is the 2002 Saab Bertone Novanta. In all its surreal orange glory.
I don’t know if it’s the utter disregard for proportion or the “tense lines” (that’s what Bertone calls them, anyway), but the Novanta is one ugly vehicle. And the orange doesn’t help. I used to think that the Saab Lancia 600 was the ugliest car to ever wear a Saab badge. I’m rethinking that after contemplating the Novanta.
Nice seats. Is this the car special ordered by Kandinsky?
OK, enough’s enough. If you want more of the Saab Bertone Novanta, you may find it in these places:
Saabhistory.com
2002 Geneva Auto Show
Bertone coverage at Auto Intel
Bertone.it
I hope that Saab stopped payment on the check.
Edit: Thanks to Wilfried and Ivan we have these additional links for additional photos (if you dare):
saab900.hu
Totalcar.hu
(What’s with Hungary and the love of Novanta? Hmm….)
I just want one!
Gross!
Shhh. Maybe we can pop off the Saab emblems and replace them with a set from FORD, no one will ever know! And they can take the heat!
Yikes, what a disgrace for Gruppo Bertone – and they have designed some great-looking cars in the past. This, obviosuly, not one of them.
This has got to be the ugliest, most useless looking “thing” I have ever seen
why havent I seen this before?
Phew! For a moment, I thought Anthony Lo was stricken by a disease and dying :’-(
Yay, hope the unveiling of the new 9-5 will be another feather in Tony’s cap!
How about we pop the badge off and replace it with a Cadillac thorn?
“why havent I seen this before?”
I was thinking the same thing.
I think it’s pretty cool. What’s wrong with orange?
I have seen it on pic before, but I never understood it was a Saab! It was so ugly I just thought it was another concept car form a US brand like Ford och Chevrolet or something…
Hmmm… and where is Anthony Lo from? eggsngrits
Emm, Maybe a title change is required, I really thought Mr. Lo has passed away.
And to be contrary, I find the Bertone design to be fine. Not my favorite design but it’s on the nice looking side of my book.
To each his own opinion, I found the the original text came off a bit too strongly.
If they made it with 3 row of seats, I will consider it as a MPV.
Title comment noted and title changed. I hadn’t thought of that interpretation — it was pretty late when I wrote this. This goes for Mav & Robin, too. eggsngrits
It may not be perfect, but it’s a six years old concept and has a lot of innovations such as drive-by-wire.
To be fair, it’s so much easier to build a two door supercar that is sexy (as Aero-X) than an electric MPV (as Novanta). An ethanol-driven gasoline engine isn’t so innovative either (in 2006).
I feel mostly positive about this vehicle even though the colour isn’t my favorite.
Agree though, that Anthony Lo is The Man.
Novanta report from Hungary
“Why haven´t I seen this before..?!”
More like “Why did I have to see this now…”
Damn. I really feel sick.
I guess there is a reason why this concept is not featured on any official Saab website. Orange is the national color of my country, Holland, however I do agree it’s to strong.
For a concept though it is an interesting looking Saab, with some 9X resemblence. Imagine this car in the regular concept silver color (with better seats), I’d bet the reactions would be more favorable towards Bertone.
I agree with Ying, maybe a tile change, i also thought he had passed away or ill.
Looks like an upside-down vacuum cleaner. Sh##house!
DB
Here’s a question. look at the photo’s above and tell me if the doors are front hinging off the a piller or centre hinged off the b pillar? To me it looks different from the pictures.
Trent:
Theoretically, since the car opens completely on the passenger side, there really is no ‘B’ pillar.
The door on the driver side is hinged on the rear (trailing) edge.
Even though the Saab logos are clearly visible on the car, this concept was hardly ever referred to as a Saab concept, but as a SKF–Bertone concept.
One might guess why…
Maybe that’s why some of you never heard of it.
Take a look at http://www.saab900.hu/novanta.htm, the novanta is nicely covered in a photoreportage. Some good pics.
Its missing the elegance which was there in the (Maurer’s) 9X and the (Lo’s) AeroX. But hey, in these retro-design-times, where serious designers like Donkerwolcke and Da Silva just are copying the past, at least bertone’s novanta has a absolut modern character. I wouldn’t want a 1970 stratos prototype as a daily driver, but that one had together with the earlier Bertone Alfa CARABO some ultra-modern design-features wich can be seen in many later ’70s and ’80s production sportscar wedges (tvr/lotus esprit/…). I’m no good at photoshopping, but try to put on some decent alloys, redesign the too big backside and leave out the darker parts of the roof and the front, won’t be that bad.
I seem to recall it being a Bertone design study but I dont ever recall the Saab name ever being attached to the ‘project’. IMHO the current 9-5 and AeroX are just as offensive but I am definitely in the minority there it seems. I wish Saab had done something with the 9X though, now that was a seriously cool Saab.
i remember liking that car, but not the wheels, when saw pictures of it years ago. today’s design lingo surpasses that, not surprisingly. hopefully one thing they learned from that is “say no” to orange (concept) cars. no contest with an aero-x.
I like it a lot… :”/
nice bold colour, a shame it isn’t available on recent saabs
historical reference saab 99 L orange:
http://www.frvideo.net/volvosamling/Saab99orange.jpg
http://www.jasonsimonds.com/viggen/99/
would be nice to have this colour in 2007, even without go-faster-stripes:
http://dump.freddelito.se/saab_93ss_2006_orange.jpg
…this car could have been GM´s Hybrid against the Prius. With a Saab badge. But it isn´t. The shape of this car is magnificent! Compare it with the last Italien design, the 9000. This one is truly a SAAB! Some of the design features have been compied by other companies like VW and Suzuki only recently. So, Bertone set some marks. Unfortunately, Saab set none recently (“none” includes Ethanol!).
Instead, Saab production is very low. Hopes too (even including new models. This is that scare me the most). Design is bland.
The actual 9-3 facelift is just happend to “rescue” the 9-3. It is very sad.
Maybe, Saab/GM is chasing a wrong and bland target group? Maybe I am wrong and some of these Prius-VIPs park a Saab on their gateway too. But I have my doubts.
If we Saab-fans look in the mirror, we recognize that we got adicted to Saab mostly by the old 92-96 range and the 99-900 CC. These cars were statments by design.
The AeroX? Mr. Lo? Did he design the GM Volt too? I can hardly distinguish on from the other. Still, both cars look great. But were are they? In a museum?