I was wrong. Paris is off the table. New Saab 9-5 to show in Geneva, 2009.
I mentioned to you that there was going to be a GM Next presentation this week, right?
Hot off the press from Djup Strupe in Europe….
Well to be short, the new 9-5 is absolutely magnificent (both the sedan and the estate are beautiful). The cars were presented last in the GMNext conference, almost 6000 people joined this event last evening.
Unfortunately the 9-5’s weren’t real cars but dummies without engines and real suspension, so the cars had to be pulled in with ropes.
We also saw the new 9-4x, the final version (even better looking than the concept, more European)
And finally a 9-3 CrossRoad kind of car, something like the Audi A6 Allroad or the Volvo V70 CrossCountry.
The introduction of the 9-5 will not take place in Paris this Autumn, it’s going to be Geneva once again.
Oh yeah, baby!!!
It seems that my previous prediction, based on a quote from Steve Shannon, that the Saab 9-5 would debut at the Paris Motor Show later in 2008, was incorrect. I’m more than happy to exchange an error for a confirmed date, though, especially when it means we’ve now got something else to look forward to in Paris later this year 
Bring it on. And in a hatchback form too, please……
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what an agonizing wait…2009 seems so far away!! lol
I am dying here… come on Saab just a peek please.
Seems a bit silly. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of ’spy’ photos before then. At least what is shown at Geneva will be a real car and not just a concept. They’d better show a hatch too even if it’s only a concept version, with an actual car being released after the sedan and wagon, if that’s the only it can happen. But it shouldn’t have to be that way.
I’m really, really, really looking forward to seeing how the production 9-4x and the 9-3x come out.
I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be seeing some more Saab concepts this year. Even simple stuff like a two-mode hybrid 9-3 would be a good way of keeping Saab in the news.
I can’t wait almost a year before seeing the new 9-5 though, someone has to sneak a picture or two of the prototypes between now and then!
beat those bushes for a picture, this is what you must do. it is your destiny. i mean at least one of those 6000 must have gotten a picture.
can’t wait.
Whats the point of waiting until Geneva 2009 if the new 9-5 is already being shown to GM top brass? As Markac pointed out, the car at the Geneva show will be a real car not some dream! The 9-4X sounds interesting particularly if it has been more “European-ised” as the concept looked a little too Ford Edge to me.
Ooooh I’m with Alex. I can’t wait for the 9-3X and the 9-4X, both of which would be high candidates for our 2nd car. Although I’m inclined to go with a 9-3X in consideration of possibly better fuel economy.
Bring it on SAAB ……. my checkbook is waiting for ya !!
The only reasonable explanation to wait until Geneva in 2009 is to not hurt the already dismal sales of the current 9-5.
Apart from that, showing the all-new 9-5 next March makes perfect sense from a marketing perspective, as Saab will be able to keep the momentum for when the car goes on sale.
It’s positive overall. Come 2009 Saab will really have a competitive line-up. And seeing new-gen 9-3 will probably be a MY12 car, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 9-3 got a second refresh somewhere around 2010, to keep it relative in the market place.
Kroum, did you ever get that Turbo X test drive?
This is excellent news! At least it is some sort of timeline to go by. My hope is that 1 of the 6,000 attendees has a good enough memory and drawing skills to replicate all the cars that were shown, so that we have something to go by. I have New hope that this magnificent line-up will be what brings Saab glory again. They were never a poor brand, just an abandoned step child, left fending for itself. Nows the time to see what a true Saab line-up can do in a crowded race for identity. The way everyone is raving gets me more excited, it seems GM have finally found the right chemistry that is Saab!
Per Steve Shannon, the 9-4x will be about 97% of what we all saw when unveiled. That alone is cause for celebration, ESPECIALLY with the XWD available from the beginning.
That will be a very, very good CUV.
Hmm, so what’s gonna be new in the UK market by this Dec to replace my leased 9-3sw, the 9-3x? Further 9-5 editions? I want something fresh, (I like novelty)so now veering towards a ‘vert TTiD like Kaz’s, but in December it will be a bit like a sweet you can’t eat
Hey EG,
This 9-4X is prolly about as close to production (except center console) as we’ll see between now and official launch:
http://www.autobild.de/mmg/mm_bildergalerie_701921.html?bid=481383&m=SAAB%2C+&e=testberichte;startseite&i=SON-TESTB
Interesting development with the next 5-series ….. a HATCHBACK !
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/21/bmw-5-series-hatch-cometh/
Like the Skoda Superb’s split door/trunk we were talking about here recently.
So I was right the other day about Geneva.
Much bigger show than Paris. Also, makes more sense to show it like 6 months before it can be delivered, instead of a whole year before. And great news about the 9-3X thingy. Much needed.
So it’s the 9-3X (CrossRoad/Allroad) we will see in Paris. According to dealers this car is due in the spring of 2009. The next gen 9-5 will start production in August 2009, about a year after the Opel Insignia.
that seems like quite a long time to wait… is this for the concept or the production version.
my dad’ll be pleased, he’s a big Saab fan too and has the 9-5 estate now, so this’ll be out ready to renew his membership to the saab club
I really hope they don’t call that 9-3SS/SC CUV thingy a 9-3X. That title belongs to a much more interesting car. Something that might have been and perhaps should have been……
BMW is coming out w/ a 5-series hatch?
Time for SAAB to step up to the plate
and roll out a 9-5 hatch!
Make mine a 6spd in black w/ black leather, please.
Well Mark.. The 9-3X has many things that I´d like to see in the upcoming 9-1 (9-2).. The Interior!!! And maybe the rear end… No! Let´s make that one as it is on the 9-X. Otherwise we would just hold on to the shape of the 9-3SC.. Which I think should be reserved for the 9-3.
The interiour of the 9-3X.. Just look at that steeringwheel! Sweet!!!
We are writing alot about the Saab hatch as being the original.. Well in one way it is in others not. Looking at the lines of the rear end of a C900 and the NG900/OG9-3 it is.. But on the 9000 it´s not. The way the roofline follows all the the way down (Mm, sounds sexy
) on the 900´s and OG9-3 the Hatch is absolutely original. But on the 9000 ít´s like a Civic.. Although better.
The question with the 9-4X is how fuel efficent it will be. If you look at the Saturn Vue it gets 5-7 miles per gallon less than most of the competition (16 compared to 24 for the CRV). And with the current obsession with gas prices in the US, not getting between 22-25 mpg could really hurt. I have thought about replacing my 9-3 wagon with the 9-4 but I’ve decided to keep it instead.
who needs a 9-5 that is going to be built in Rüsselsheim. i want a swedish car, no opel! that’s just what GM always did: kill their brands. i won’t buy the 9-5, even though i would love to like it.
and speaking of fuel economy: in only a few years, nobody will buy SUVs anymore. i just can’t imagine, the 9-4x is going to pay off.
The Vue only sucks gas with the V6, it compares well with the CRV if you choose the 4 (or hybrid).
The 9-4x is supposed to have a 4 cylinder engine, so it should do alright.
I am glad that Saab will show the 9-5 much closer to the availability date. I can see potential customers putting-off a purchase for 6 months, but not for 18 (as is the case with the 9-4x) or 36+ (9-2).
Nick X, is the 9-3 convertible less of a Saab because it’s built in Austria?
Ken, those are some great pics, thanks for the heads-up.
Zippy, no, I did not get to test-drive the Turbo X, just put in an order blindly based on all the reviews, etc.
Kroum, I am sure you are gonna love it. Did you ever get to drive the 335Xi?
Zip, yeah, I did drive the 335xi coupe, it is an excellent car overall. The engine and handling are superb, and I can see why they won Engine of the Year twice in a row.
It’s just something about being seen driving in a BMW that puts me off.
2009
If they build a 9-2, there are enough great ingredients in the 9X, the 9-3X and also the 9-X BH to make a really good car. I’d prefer it if they didn’t use the 9-2 name for any future 9-3 hatch, because the hatch should be regarded as equal to the sedan, not a lower model. They need to buld the smaller 9-1 as well. That’s a section of the market Saab must be in.
Kroum- driving a BMW shows you have know imagination to look at other cars, its the boring choice. Choosing a Saab shows that you have an imagination and think outside the box, thats why they’re bought by engineers and architects, because they are thinkers, whereas BMWs are more of a status symbol of someone who thinks that they are doing well.
cerulean: at least no opel-fingers put on in austria…(as far as i know)
Dan, I agree, it’s a shame really, because they do make great cars.
Swade, looks looks like you’re getting link-love and credit from Left Lane News.