Via JWLANKY at Saabcentral.

This photo has been published on a site called ‘Speedheads‘ in Germany. If there’s any German readers that can translate any of the accompanying material, then we’d all be grateful, I’m sure.

From what I can tell, it’s being written up in a forum at Speedheads as a photo of the smaller 9-4x, but it looks very much like the photos I published here a while ago and it looks waaaaaay too much like a Tribeca at the rear to be anything but the 9-6x.

So what do you think? Personally, I think it’s a good starting point. I’m not sure about the huge door handles it seems to be sporting here, and I think if they’re going to do a 3-door, then the doors should be bigger – give it a more sporting feel. Other than that, I think it looks alright.

The word around the traps is that there’s people (i.e. decision-making people) that are unhappy with the whole 9-6x thing as it currently stands, saying that it needs a heck of a lot more work prior to production (which is likely to be why it didn’t get a run at Frankfurt). We’ll wait and see…..

Re-Release:

It’s been all about the facelifted 9-5 this week, but I wanted to elevate this post again, as it’s significant. The impressions I’m getting from people indicate a pretty decent level of acceptance for this configuration, but a low tolerance for the B9-like tail lights. GM-employed readers (I know you’re out there) please take note. We’d love to see this car, but we want it done RIGHT.

And forget the headline, the consensus reads 9-6x all the way…..

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Djup Strupe II has done it again!! After coming through with the 9-5 spyshots last month, we have another scoop and a very exciting one at that.

The following two photos are of a model that may be previewed in Frankfurt (unconfirmed). Upon first glance they appear to be a crossover vehicle so the natural thought is for it to be the 9-6x.

The front. Note similar styling to the new 9-5 front.

However, a closer look shows that the car is actually a 3-door model. Djup mentions that it’s not likely for actual production in this guise, but looks fantastic.

It’s reportedly around BMW X3 size, which leads me to think it may be a prototype model for the 9-4x that’s been mentioned around the traps, crafted on the Epsilon platform. If so, then this is a very early prototype as the 9-4x isn’t scheduled for release until 2009.

So, 9-6x with a tricky body or 9-4x prototype? It’s hard to say, but here’s hoping they roll this baby onto the stage in Frankfurt next month so we can all get a better look!

The rear. Note the twin pipes and similar styling in the rear lights to the Tribeca.

Djup hints that the interior is very roomy and that this 3-door model hasn’t received a go-ahead for production. The dash is similar to a 9-3 or 9-7x dash.

Not much more to tell, I’m afraid.

I’m going with this as a tricky-body 9-6x. The cues from the Tribeca are just too strong in the rear for it to be anything else in my humble opinion. The fact thay’ve built up a 3-door is a big surprise and if this is a model in the balance then can I please add in my 0.02c worth and say “Yes!!”

Your verdict?

UPDATE: thanks to Ken via SC – Channel 4 are reporting in their Frankfurt preview that the 9-6x won’t be seen until the Detroit Motor Show in January. Bummer.

OK, perhaps it’s a little cheeky to headline it that way. But Edmunds do have a fairly comprehensive test based on 10 days with the Suuby B9 Tribeca, which of course, is the skeletal vehicle for the 9-6x.

As a side note, it’s interesting that Edmunds do a 2 page review on the vehicle. The first page is written on the vehicle as a whole and then there is an entire, albeit shorter, second page focusing just on the stereo system. Thankfully there isn’t one of their usual, rather stupid, “what this means for you” comments at the end.

But back to the story at hand, and I’m feeling reasonably confident that a 9-6x sneak preview vehicle may be unveiled at Frankfurt next month. Therefore it seems like a good time to take a look at the Suuby and see what’s good, what’s not so good and let’s face it – what’s downright ugly. In doing so it might be fun to speculate as to what Saab might retain and what they might tweak in getting the 9-6x ready for the marketplace.
Continue reading →

Thanks to Autoblog reporting on an Autocar report, we have some good news and some bad news about the 9-6x.

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UPDATE: Edmunds are running the same story, too.
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First the good news: the exterior styling is tipped to be based on the 9x concept from a few years ago. This is a fantastic decision and will continue the progressive exterior design trends of recent times that commenced with the concept cars and carried through to the SportCombi. Want to see yourself sitting in one of these?

Click to enlarge….

The bad news is that the car is tipped by Autocar to carry the Suuby interior design. So whilst you’re sitting in your hot-looking Saab 9x, you’ll be looking at this:

I can’t believe that Gm would make such a drastically bad decision.

Firstly, even GM themselves have emphasised Saab’s aircraft heritage and one of the main components of this was the ergonomic interior design.

Second, one of the main criticisms of the 9-2x was it’s lack of distinctive interior design. The failure to re-dress the cabin and give it a more Saab-like feel made the badge-engineering arguments all the more relevant. Remember, GM, the driver spends all his time inside the car and it’s here that the greatest, lasting impressions are formed. One of the main acceptance points of the 9-7x has been that the cabin is Saab-like rather than a Chevy cabin.

Finally, that B9 interior is dog-ugly. Go take another look. It’s the anti-Saab interior.

Thankfully, there is hope. The Autocar report also states that the Saab will have 7 seats like the B9. This is one area that has been previously contradicted by prior reports because of safety concerns for the rear occupants. Let’s hope that the interior design reports here are similarly inaccurate.

And GM, if you’re thinking of this (i.e. the B9) as the right interior for this vehicle, please think again.

And just so y’all know what they’re bypassing, here’s the proposed 9x interior when the concept came out. I’m not saying it’s the right design for the job, but it’s a heck of a lot better than the abomination above. Click it to enlarge.

Gee, you take a few days away from the PC and the news doesn’t just rain – it pours!!

UK 9-3 SportCombi pricing – go order yours now.

A ‘write-up’ on the 2006 9-3 Aero 2.8.

It’s all happening.

Added to this is some “On again” news relating to the 9-6x. If you’ve followed my 9-6x thread, you’ll know that there’s been a great deal of conflicting mail as to what’s happening with this project. So what’s the latest?

SaabKen found this item and let it rip on SC.

Washington DC May 23, 2005; AIADA reported that Saab is gearing up for production of its seven-passenger 9-6X SUV to begin next year at Subaru’s Lafayette, Ind. plant — the first vehicle produced in Indiana for the automaker. According to Automotive News, “Saab has not specified volumes for the 9-6X. But the plant, which is owned by General Motors partner Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., will apparently have room for about 10,000 to 15,000 a year.”

More from the News: “In the second quarter of 2006 the Indiana plant will begin producing export-only, right-hand-drive versions of the Tribeca. Production of the 9-6X is planned to follow. “Whether it develops into anything long term, we don’t know,” said Thomas Easterday, senior vice president of human resources and corporate affairs at Subaru of Indiana Automotive. “But having General Motors and Saab have the confidence in our quality and our production capacity to build a vehicle here is important.”

Looks like it’s definitely on again. But then again, I wrote that the other day, right? So isn’t it “OFF again” time?

I’m waiting for access to another article on the same subject and I’m hoping it’ll give a little more detail.

It’s been a little while since anything’s been written about the possibility of the 9-6x. I’d pretty much resigned myself to the notion that the project had been canned, as had been the rumour.

Than I find this. From Whatcar.

Saab says ambitious plans to launch five all-new cars within three years won’t be derailed by huge loses at parent company General Motors.

The Swedish manufacturer plans to continue with the rejuvenation and expansion of its range, despite GM’s announcement of a $1.1 billion first quarter loss last week.

This autumn Saab will launch its 9-3 estate and it will pull the wraps of a heavily face-lifted version of the 9-5 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Then, in 2007, the company will bring a Land Rover Freelander-sized crossover model which combines elements from off-roaders, people-carriers and conventional estates to the UK. It will also launch a larger off-roader in 2007, badged 9-6X (pictured), based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca.

The following year, Saab will introduce the next-generation 9-2 small hatchback to the UK. Like the version currently on sale in the US, it will be based on the next Subaru Impreza that’s scheduled to go on sale in 2007.

Both the 9-3 and 9-5 will also be replaced by all-new models in 2008. To cope with ever-increasing power outputs the pair could feature four-wheel drive. Saab said it would never revert to rear-wheel drive, but admits its traditional front-layout would struggle with future increases in power.

According to Whatcar, this is a photoshopped 9-6x, however if the stories are to be believed, then this would be what is dubbed, for now, the “9-5x”

It may be possible that this smaller SUV (the Freelander etc competitor) could be the “Swedish Seoul” 9-5x first mentioned a few weeks ago. This revelation, first made in ‘Car and Driver’ was met with widespread panic in the Saab online community.

From this Whatcar article, it would appear that the range will end up comprising:

The 9-2x – in it’s current guise until a new version (the “spiritual descendant of the C900″) is released in 2007/08. Apparently it would no longer be confined to the North American market.

The 9-3 – SS, SC, Diesel, Convertible and some time or other, AWD.

The 9-5 – the facelift will be unveiled in Frankfurt. Rumoured to also be getting AWD.

The 9-5x – Swedish Seoul – small crossover. As well as in Car and Driver, it was also hinted at by Carl Peter Forster back in March. I don’t think it would retain the 9-5x moniker due to confusion with the flagship sedan.

The 9-6x – Maybe it’s still going ahead, maybe not. A larger AWD with 5 seats instead of Suuby’s 7 in the Tribeca.

The 9-7x – Could they possibly retain the largest SUV with 2 or 3 others in the fold? I think not.

Addendum: It should be noted that the photo above is a photoshop job on the Chevy S3X, pictured in normal attire below, which was designed and built in Korea by what was (but officially doesn’t exist anymore as) Daewoo. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Continuing my thread on the 9-6x, there’s been a lot of speculation around the traps as to whether the model will be produced or not.  I’m going to try and tie it up here into one neat bundle.

It all started with a paragraph in Car and Driver magazine entitled "Swedish Seoul" (which I’m yet to find a link to).  The paragraph said the following:

"Saab’s 9-7x sport ute, built on the same platform as the chevrolet
trailblazer, is set to go on sale this month. the body-on-frame
mid-size 9-7x will be the only Saab SUV in showrooms for a couple of
years until the swedish automaker’s car-based unibody SUV, now dubbed
the 9-5x, shows up in 2007. Some time back, word had it that the
car-based sport ute would be called the 9-6x and would be based on
Subaru’s B9 Tribeca, but it seems the Japanese platform was dismissed
because it would have required too many modifications to adapt a diesel
engine necessary for Europe (the 9-7x will only be sold in the U.S.).
Therefore, Saab will build the 9-5x on the GM Theta platform that
underpins the Saturn Vue and Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac’s upcoming
Torrent, due this fall.

"A four-cylinder turbo diesel engine will come from Italian maker VM
Motori for use in the Saab, Opel, and Vauxhall versions of the SUV,
although plans for importing the diesel to the States seem unlikely. Don’t be surprised if the 9-5x is built in a Daewoo plant in Korea".

Autocar then came out and stated that the project was close to collapse.  An indication of which is the failure to show a preview model at the New York Auto Show.  This seems like a thin link at best.  If the car’s not ready, then it’s not ready – and they’d be stupid to rush one in just for the sake of it.

On the other hand, it was reported just a few weeks ago that (GM Europe head honcho Carl-Peter)
Forster said GM will create a global Saab crossover vehicle.
Front-drive is no longer a core value for Saab. "But agile, predictable
handling definitively is," he said at the Geneva auto show.

The Saab 9-6 comes first. A GM Europe source said: "closer to 18 months than two years."

We also have an article from Edmunds Inside Line, which also mentions the lack of a suitable diesel engine so that the car can be successfully marketed in Europe.  Whilst Subaru plan on taking the Tribeca to Europe in the next 12-18 months, they don’t yet have a diesel variant in place, but are working on diesel and hybrid options for release in 4-5 years time.

Added to that is my recent link to an article where Suuby will be calling their variant the B9X in the future, an abvious conflict with the 9-6x moniker.  Small point, but marketing these vehicles is a serious consideration.  Would Suuby have done that if the Saab was still a goer??

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It’s almost impossible to draw a conclusion from all this.

The bad news is that it may be possible, though still unlikely in my opinion, that the 9-6x project has been canned.  This would be a big call, but GM have made them in the past (giving up $2 billion to get out of Fiat – big call).

The good news is that this hasn’t been confirmed yet by anyone that matters and that stories like the ones above are all speculation and rumour until that time.