Saab 9-1 – This is much more exciting….

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I got a shiver when I first saw this…..very exciting…..

With many thanks to Magnus for the tip, here’s the new masthead at Saab.com

Click to enlarge….

Saab banner

90 thoughts on “Saab 9-1 – This is much more exciting….”

  1. Ohhhhh I’m so happy to see the 9x as a reference!!! :)

    (Unusual bonet shutlines on the 9-1, but I’m excited about this!!! :) )

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  3. ive looked at that picture at every possible weird angle trying to get the lighting effect to show me something on my monitor… all to no avail… it look like a 9x with Aero-x-esque lighting so far…

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  7. All right. Now we´re talking.
    I love 9X and Aero X. Fingers crossed here as well. I hope we´re not going to see many details of that sad sketch 9-1. But this pic looks promising! That´s exactly three weeks to Geneva show..

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  10. Fake in the Saab.com website? It’s a concept: rear view mirrors aren’t mandatory… ;) and makes the photo even more stylish.

    Joerama :) you answered yourself: the car on the left is the 9x concept from 2002.

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  13. 6.5 years later Saab makes it’s way back to a Mauer design. Saab has been on ice since 2001, hopefully the 9-1 is the beginning of the thaw.

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  15. OK, here’s that Apple analogy again:
    Doesn’t this smell a whole lot like “Something’s in the Air” that Apple ran a couple of weeks ago?

    Boy, how nice would that have fit Saab? “something’s in the Air”… or “Aero”? ;-)

    91′s looking hot. Like the 9x but with the Aerox lights. Neat!

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  17. TrakDah I hope this is going to be as good as it looks, cos this looks FIT, half aero half 9X would suit me down to the ground…
    Its also nice to see that Saab are playing the media game…
    Swade you weren’t the only one getting shivers about this 1,
    Fingers crossed……

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  18. Am I the only one not terribly excited about a new ‘concept’ vehicle? Saab, stop wasting money and time on vehicles that you never produce! Lets see some results. I want a car that I can buy at my local dealership, not some car I can look at in an auto show and have some Saab exec say, “hey, look what we can (but won’t) do.”

    OK, rant off. Yes, I’m all for the 9-1 but come on, stop teasing us and give us results. Saab is way too slow to provide their customers products. Seriously, how long is it going to be before we actuality see the fruits of this labor, four or five years? If so, it will be way too late. This car should already be in showrooms. (ok, NOW my ranting is done)

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  22. Looks like the 9-1 is going to have a low long hood with a high cockpit, wrap-around glass like the 9-4x. This is going to be standout.

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  23. The promise of new lines for SAAB is great news but, like CWilson, I’m a bit over concepts. This will be the third one in two years and none have made it into production. Yes, if this is the 91 then thats really good to hear but if we can’t buy one within 12 months then I fail to see the point. Another exhibtion of Saab design language?

    Unless GM sees Saab as a Bertone/Pininfarina/Porsche design kind of studio who can actually invoice customers ( which I HIGHLY doubt….) I think they’d be better off focussing on delivering cars into showrooms.

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  26. PT/Cwilson,

    Concepts are an essential guage of public and media reaction. If Saab wants to sell 50k+ 9-1s a year then the car better be popular. Cars can’t be put into production overnight so let’s keep people interested in Saab.

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  29. IMO, concept cars are part of the process and are unavoidable. Based on how complete the 9-4X is, I think SAAB is intending these concept vehicles will be going into production and is not intending them as an exercise in design.

    IMO, concepts show that a company is willing to spend money on new development. Three concepts in two years is great news.

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  30. Looks promising. Perhaps the “unusual bonnet lines” are actually cockpit lines like the Aero X?!?

    Where’s the new signature lighting from the 9-3 though?

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  31. Hi,

    I don’t know what some of you are bickering about. I think it is amazing what SAAB is doing here. Remember when they launched the all new 9-5, that was also first with a teaser picture, headlights first. Also this image has replaced the highly anticipated 9-4X on the saab.com page, which was only up there less then 5 weeks. So finally Saab is learning something. The media should go crazy about this little gem. They kept the 9-4X under wraps a long time, which resulted in an anticlimax at Detroit. Obviously the 9-1 would have a much larger customer potential then the 9-4X, which I am still highly interested in mind you. The 9-1 would give Saab the position it needs, on Europes narrow streets and roads, with a car that is a statement in itself.

    Cruising down Via Dei Fori Imperiali, past the colloseum in Rome, whooo-yaaaah, ciao.

    Yep I live in the USA, but it should be Rome.

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  32. A beautiful wide stance. I agree…Saab can’t afford to wait years to get it into production it needs to be there now. 20-25k and this car will sell. I just priced an 2008 Aero and the price was ridiculous. Almost 40k!!!! That won’t happen here in the US. Too many other cars hat offer more for less and the lease deals on Saabs are terrible compared to Audi and BMW.

    This car could be a big winner in the US as well as the 9-4x which was quite attractive. Its also a good thing that Saab keeps coming out with new concepts keeping the brand name in the lights generating hype.

    I wish them luck with the 9-1x….I hope it turns out positive for Saab…I think we all do. Another 2dr hatchback SAAB….YAHOO!!!!

    Lets just get it into production in a realistic time…not 3-4 years from now.

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  33. I guess we all are fairly furstrated and had enough of all the “promisses” coming up. We want to see real cars out of the production line in to showrooms and in to clients like us. Again PT summarizes from the business front the realities of the crossroads that Saab is at. Make it happen for crying out loud as they have a chroinc paralysis by analysis syndrome. And Richo, have you got your Liberty yet as this is already distorting your sight !!!

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  35. Richo – Styling Always Ass Backwards, you know.

    Looks cool, hopefully it’ll have the drivetrain to back up the sporty image and the interior to back up its undoubtedly slightly-too-high price.

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  36. OMG I am seriously excited to see what is in store. Looks mean, kinda like a Lotus Exige from the front! Having said that Saab has a bad record of not building cars that look anything like the concepts but maybe this time, just this once……… :D

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  37. Dan- I thought the same thing. I thought the 9-3s lighting was supposed to be a “signature” styling that is on all front ends from here on out.

    If it looks like a Saab, has all the technological doo-hickies people want and gets great gas mileage, it will be a winner.

    The car will appeal to (mainly) a younger audience. If it does not have bluetooth or iPod connectivity, don’t even bother releasing this vehicle.

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  38. If this 9-1 concept ends up being as good looking as that silhouette is compared to the 9x and Aero-X, then I’ll take back everything I’ve said about GM’s mismanagement of Saab.

    The wide stance of the headlights and the overall “big car” look of the silhouette is making me think that this 9-1 business may well have been a red herring and that Saab is going to debut the next 9-5 at Geneva as well.

    Just look at it and see if it says “9-1″ or “9-5″ to you, I know I’m getting bigtime 9-5 vibes from that teaser.

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  40. Alex…Ditto

    i really dont think this is the 9-1 based on the stance and width of those headlights. it just screams 9-5 to me. when I FIRST saw it, i undoubtedly saw 9-5.

    But who knows, 3wks and all will be revealed :]]

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  41. I know what you mean, Alex, but I think it’s just the position of the cars. The 9x reference seems quite deliberate and that’s not a big vehicle. It’s an awesome vehicle, though. It was spine tingling to see that vehicle in person at the Saab Museum last year, so my hopes are high.

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  42. Yeah, the more I look at it the more I think they’re going for a compact with an unusually tall greenhouse and wide, aero-X like front fenders. It should be a real looker, I can’t wait to see it.

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  43. Look at it closley..Did they fool us and show the rear of the 9-1 with headlights? Richo, you may be on to something, and not know it..

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  44. Fun this speculation – the pic doesn’t give much away – at the moment I’m thinking Nissan Micra!

    Can’t wait to see teh real thing – you reckon they might go a weekly update with diff angles?

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  45. Might be another Geneva winner.. Another homerun for Brian N. He himself said it´s the coolest car he´s ever designed.. If it´s cooler than the Aero X and will go into production, the 9-1 will be a big seller and a cash cow for Saab. Will this car be Saabs biggest success?

    Mark.. Please don´t refer to the ugly Micra.. I makes me want to hurl. ;-)

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  47. Richo, I did. SO you like the Z4 do you?

    Anyway, what’s wrong with a cab-forward design? Might end up with something like the old BMW Isetta bubble-car!

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  48. Some are saying Saab needs concepts to gauge the market. Well, they do not really need to gauge the SUV market, they could have started selling a car like 9-4X today with good results. They do not really need to gauge the compact premium market, they could have sold plenty 9-1s as from today.
    Trouble is the 9-1 will enter the market not before Audi renews their A3, and BMW comes with a new 1-series (which just can’t avoid being better looking than todays awful one), Alfa Romeo will be there already with their coming 149, Volvo may even do a facelift on the C30, just to mention some… No doubt the 9-1 needs to be good, very good.

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  50. VERY promising. I don’t want to jump the gun, but I may consider buying one of these new when it comes out, which is usually against my principles (usually I let someone else take the depreciation hit on a new car and I go by the rule that you never buy the first two model years of a car to allow the company to iron-out the bugs).

    CWilson: in this case this concept is just to show what’s coming. This isn’t one of those fantasy concepts of something that will never come to fruition (like the Aero-X). This is a concept along the lines of the SportHatch concept (as someone else alluded to earlier in comments), the C900 convertible concept of 1983 and the 9-4X concept. Though the 9-1 shown in Geneva will be a “concept” and surely will undergo some changes before it gets to production (most likely it’ll have an expensive-to-produce space-age concept interior only to have a more traditional interior when it hits production), but we will definitely be seeing a production version of the 9-1 in years to come. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

    If the 9-4X is eighteen months between concept debut and production, will the 9-1 be a similar timeframe? I’d love to see the 9-1 out in calendar year 2009 rather than 2011 as was originally predicted.

    If Saab can produce the 9-4X, 9-1, and next-gen 9-5 in calendar year 2009 (as MY2010 models) that’d be fantastic. It still seems like so far away, but at least we’re seeing some progress finally after waiting a good six years for something new.

    MarkoA: I’m less excited about the Aero-X front on the 9-1, I’m more excited about the prospect of the 9X back on it! The 9X had a really revolutionary utilitarian back end. Just the sort of thing needed to differentiate itself in a sea of “hot hatches”.

    JohnK: I don’t think that the 9-1 will be priced that low (in the USD20K-25K range). That’s Pontiac Solstice money. That gets you cloth seats and plastic everywhere. Saab is trying to move upscale, not downscale. The 9-1 will likely compete more with the leather-clad BMW 135i than the cloth-clad MINI. I would imagine the price will start a bit below the 9-3 (which might get another price increase before the 9-1 is released seeing as how weak the US Dollar is and accounting for inflation) and once you spec-it-up with options and trim levels (I’m sure the Aero version will be an absolute BLAST) it’ll likely be well into 9-3 price range.

    I don’t think Saab is targeting college students with this car. They’re probably targeting people in their late-20s through 40s. Professional people who will have the disposable income to spend on an entry level premium car. They’ll leave the low cost Pontiac Solstices and Chevy Cobalts to the college student crowd.

    Saab needs to make money on this car, an end to the heavy discounting on Saabs has got to stop in order for Saab to (finally) get “into the black”.

    joemama: you owe it to yourself to educate yourself on the 9X concept. Check-out the microsite for it. Unfortunately for some reason it doesn’t work with Firefox and must be viewed with Microsoft Internet Exploder. :-( The 9X concept was designed by Michael Mauer when he was still Saab’s design chief before he moved-on to Porsche. The only Mauer design I can think of that ever made it to a production Saab is the 9-5 refresh (circa 2006) front-end. He also designed the 9-3X concept. The innovative rear-end design which converts into a convertible, a wagon, and even a ute sort of thing is the best feature, but I also like the interior “mood” lighting, though this is probably not very functional…

    joemama: I think Saab needs to officially name Bluetooth in their vehicles “joemamatooth” for the amount you harp on the lack of this feature. I mean, yes, they really should have had this feature standard for quite a while, but WE GET IT already. You want Bluetooth and iPod connectivity… ;-)

    Tompa: Brian Nesbitt says that it’s the coolest car he’s ever designed, but it appears to me from the silhouette that it’s based more on Michael Mauer’s 9X and Anthony Lo’s Aero-X. I guess we’ll see when it’s revealed!

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  51. Gripen – Sorry I can’t help myself at times. Trying to makes things better is in my blood as I am a teacher!

    I also think I have a good sense of what younger generations want because I am an original Transformers generation member who currently teaches the new transformers generation (if that makes any sense what-so-ever).

    The beauty of my input and others like me is that I am not a die-hard Saab fan. There are many like you who are extremely knowledgeable about Saab and their history. I would be hard pressed to say that Saab is trying to win “you guys” over. Frankly, they want new customers. I can make a non-influenced opinion based on the knowledge given at that particular time.

    If Saab tries to sell the 9-1 to late 20-somethings to 40 year olds, they will have a lot of problems. Isn’t that what the 9-3 was supposed to do?

    First, the car can’t come close to the 9-3 in price. What will happen is the likes of Volvo’s c30. The price, with “standard” options, skyrocketed close to $30k, around the price range of the s40. I don’t think I’ve seen one c30 on the road since it came out.

    I want Saab to succeed, don’t get me wrong. I just think they need to research the wants and needs of customers first.

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  52. joemama: no need to apologize. I realize it’s constructive criticism and you’re hoping Saab reads it and gets the idea (as we all do), but I’m sure they’ve got the “hint” by now! ;-)

    The 9-3 turned into a larger sedan in 2003 and is slated to get even larger with the next-gen. It’s also slated to go further upscale (read: more expensive), which will price it out of the range of most in that age range.

    I think with the 9-1 Saab is targeting the BMW 135i and Audi A1, not the MINI and C30. I think we can see the writing on the wall that the C30 is a flop, unfortunately for ovloV.

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  55. It’s more interesting than that concocted drawing yesterday. But it still could be shadow dancing? I hope there is much 9x as well as 9-3x and 99 Combi Coupe in the mix with just a hint of Aero-X. Too much Aero-X in the nose of a smaller car will make the whole thing bloody ugly and will date quickly. That’s not saying the Aero-x is ugly, far from it, it’s just a matter of scale. I think the Aero-x should be treated like the EV-1 and not as a panacea for all future Saab styling.

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  56. Talk about figher jet profile! Slap on som wings, load up the sidwinders and go bimer hunting! :)

    Mee want one soo bad, I have been waiting for such a size car from SAAB for years now. Please SAAB make the production version as good looking as this profile promisses!

    About the missing rear view mirrors. Havent videocameras been proposed as an solution on consept cars for years now? Lamborgini has a vidoecamera as a rear view mirror on the Muuuurck,as Clarkson cals it.

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  57. Gripen 1985: I hope it’s the next Audi A3 that is the target not the A1. An A1 is Mini or Opel Corsa sized and too small for me.

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  58. Markac, I hope so too, it being A3/ Golf/1-series might be a better prospect than it being a A1 fighter. The larger size could make it more of a design than it being conpact.
    I don’t get where some of you are coming from on the whole back to front thing, I think I can see the bonnet shutlines. Or is this a metorphorical back to front?

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  59. O my good, I’m so exited! My biggest wish becomes true: When I finish university (still some years to go) I will have the possibility to buy a compact saab with a stunning styling (hopefully).
    And if it looks a bit like the 9-X this will be like birthday and Christmas of 5 years together.

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  62. FWIW – Lots of C30s on the road here in Sydney. Seems to be a favourite with journalists too. I think its a good sign about the market potential – if Saab ever actually make a 91 that can be sold to customers.

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  66. I understand the reasoning of having a concept but I have a problem when there are more ‘concept’ vehicle than production vehicles in the last few years. Looking at the competition such as Volvo, BMW, and Audi, they have a fare mix of design studies as well as production vehicles.

    For example, why don’t we have an Aero-x type vehicle in the showroom right now (essentially a 9-3 coupe). This car would have been the perfect launching pad for the XWD and the 280 motor. Introduce these features in a higher end, ‘halo’ car then have them trickle down into the 9-3 sedan and combi. Another issue I have is spending too much time and resources in concepts when you have a car that is long overdue for a complete redesign, the 9-5. What is the point of building excitement only to squash it once a new, potential customer stops into the dealership only to find a rather dated product line.

    I’m very excited about the future of Saab. I just wish they would get the go-ahead for actual production vehicles that are as exciting as these concepts. Saturn has had a very nice revival with several new products in the last two years. When will Saab get this type of much needed attention?

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  70. Markac: “I think the Aero-x should be treated like the EV-1 and not as a panacea for all future Saab styling.”

    Well, I’m sorry to inform you of this but I’ve been told by Saab insiders that the Aero-X is the design direction Saab is going for the foreseeable future. The ’09 9-3 was to look a little like the Aero-X, then each subsequent vehicle is supposed to appropriate more and more Aero-X design language. They didn’t want to do it all at once in a shocking manner. They’re slowly easing into it.

    If you like the Aero-X you’re in luck. If you don’t, you might as well stop following Saab for a while… ;-)

    As for whether the 9-1 is targeted to compete with the A1 or A3, we’ll have to see. The A3 isn’t all that much smaller than the 9-3, I don’t think. What if Saab wants to compete with MINI and the A1 in the future? Do they make a 9-0.5 or something? ;-)

    CWilson: I think the reason Saab has old models and nothing new coming immediately are because of money. GM gave Saab a whole lot of money in the late 90s and early ’00s and Saab spent the money unwisely. They poured so much money into developing the 2003 9-3SS that they didn’t have enough left over to build the combi variant right away. They also had to cancel a new 9-5 that was going to be produced around 2005. GM was understandably upset and that’s why we’ve been stuck with these models for so many years. The 9-5 will probably be 4-years later than originally planned. Now GM allocated Saab a metric buttload of money to develop new models but it takes years to get a car from drawings to production. In the meantime you keep dealers and customers interested by showing concepts of upcoming models. That’s where they stand right now.

    It’s excruciating being a hardcore Saab fan and essentially waiting since 2003 for the next new Saab model. It feels even longer if you were dissatisfied with the 9-3SS (and the NG900 for that matter, in my case)…

    zippy: the 9-1 is slated to be built on the GM Delta II platform, the same platform the Volt is built on. I wonder if there’s going to be some parts-sharing. However, I’m sure the headlights in that pic are just a placeholder for the real lights which will assuredly feature the Saab “signature lighting”.

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  71. Gripen I understand your thinking with the potential 9-1 price range but I just don’t see it here in the US. So many makes to choose from and considering our economy is pretty lousy right now not many cars are going to move off the lots. Saab advertising is terrible here in the US also which hurts them. I have seen some of the commercials from Europe and they are so much better than here. People just dont view Saab as a “upscale” european brand here. Audi/Bmw/Mercedes and Volvo are more widespread here and the advertising far exceeds Saabs. I love Saab designs and owned a 1987 SPG and I am considering an 08 9-3 Aero but it seems the prices keep rising at such a rate for what is considered a small sedan here.
    I think if Saab is to survive they need to come out with more models quickly and might have to consider building a plant or two here in North America like all the other foreign cars to make a profit. I hope this new concept is a show stopper for Saab and “buildable” like the 9-4x. Talking to many here they would consider the 9-4x as their next SUV which are popular here of course. You see Volvo XC90s all over the place here. Perception here is that Volvo is above Saab…..Ford puts more into advertising than GM obviously.
    Maybe Saab is better off without GM holding the strings….I hope they succeed because they make a great car.

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  72. It has great great standing to be my 1st brand new car if Saab doesn’t screw it up.

    I hope the design is as exciting as the Opel GTC.

    I’m in the market for 3/5 dr hatch with 1.6-2.0t, any hints of th diesels been avail. state side?

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  75. Jorgen I agree with everything you’ve said.
    I hope it’ll be show up at the London show anyway.. or maybe the 9-5 as well??
    1st New car here we come :D

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  77. I agree with Gripen that a Mini competitor is a good slot for the 9-1. Mini actually increased sales in January (with more total US volume than all Saab models over here):

    “MINI USA reported a 20 percent increase in January sales, to 2,460 cars
    compared to 2,050 cars sold in the same period a year ago”

    The side profile of 9-1 in that sketch makes me think of a MINI. Saab would be smart to follow their pricing model too – starting around $20,000US base and going way up as you add options. That would be a great way to bring drivers into the fold who can’t justify buying a 9-3.

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  78. Here are some real-world US sales numbers of the competition for January 2008.

    Volvo C30 (351) vs S40/V50 (1,682) –> 17%
    Audi A3 (311) vs A4 (2,914) –> 10%
    VW Golf (1,169) vs Jetta (6,488) –> 15%

    Sales of the 9-3 in January was 1,167 so 15% of that number is 175 units. They sold 199 9-5s in January.. A 9-1 for $20K could have a chance but it is still going to be a very tough sell here. I wouldn’t be surprised if Saab wouldn’t even bother to sell it in the US and concentrate on the 9-4X instead.

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  82. Dan, starting to sell a new model involves much more than just shipping it over here and put it on the sales floor. Think about parts inventory, mechanics training, marketing etc. There is now way they can make a new model profitable at just 175 units a month. That’s like 1 or 2 for each dealer?

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  84. OK sorry Wulf that was a bit undersighted of me, apologies. If opinion of it is good at geneva from American buyers then that would make a good reason to try and sell it in the US?

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  85. Saw one of the new Audi TTs on the road today. They are pretty sweet little cars – a huge improvement on the hairdresser-mobile that the 1st gen was. Whats more, they are a legitimate hatchback. Couldn’t help but think that this would be a nice benchmark, rather than the a3/golf/1 series/C30 that is most obvious.
    Anyone else with me?

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