Already labeled “Best Concept” by AutoWeek Magazine upon its world debut at the Geneva auto show last March, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid has been voted “Specialty Concept Car of the Year” by a jury of 25 professional North American automotive journalists. The award ceremony took place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

Now in its 7th rendition, the annual Concept Car of the Year Awards recognize those vehicles that are most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry.

Now, hold on a second…..

Before Saab go and take a whole heap of pride in this award – which they are quite justified in doing, by the way – I’d like to get you all to read that last sentence again:

Now in its 7th rendition, the annual Concept Car of the Year Awards recognize those vehicles that are most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry.

I’d like to point out the bleedin’ obvious for those at GMEurope who haven’t noticed it yet. The Saab 9-X BioHybrid is not going to shape the future of the automobile industry in any way whatsoever unless you build it.

(or something close to it, at least)

BUILD THIS SUCKER AND WE WILL COME IN LARGE NUMBERS!!!!

OK, back to the press release, which you can read at your own leisure. I’ve made my point.

The winners were selected from 40 concept cars and 12 production preview vehicles that made their North American debut during the 2008 auto show season.

“The Saab 9-X BioHybrid blends organic form with ecologically sound propulsion for both aesthetic and environmental appeal”, said jury panel member Arv Voss of Auto Impressions. Added Bob Kroupa of the Automotive Writers Group: “Saab takes center stage with a new design approach for a compact vehicle. With the BioHybrid turbo engine included, we have a winner”.

“We are honored by this important recognition from an expert North American media organization,” said Saab Automobile USA marketing director Roger McCormack accepting the award. “As we witnessed first hand from public reactions at the New York auto show, the 9-X BioHybrid Concept has exceeded many optimistic expectations. Following in the footsteps of the highly inspirational Aero X, and the 9-4X BioPower crossover concept which also debuted earlier this year, the 9-X BioHybrid demonstrates that Saab is truly on the move.”

The 9-X BioHybrid is a vivid vision of what a future compact car from Saab could look like. It is designed to reflect the priorities of youthful customers who seek progressive looks, responsible performance and high-tech communications, all in a sporty, fun-to-drive package.

Exploring design themes from Saab’s award-winning Aero X and earlier 9X concepts, the 9-X BioHybrid also demonstrates the potential for ultra-efficient power from a 200 hp (147 kW), 1.4-liter BioPower turbo engine backed by GM’s next-generation hybrid system. Projected combined cycle CO2 emissions of just 105 g/km on E85 fuel are testimony to the promise of this package.

The interior showcases an entirely new expression of Saab’s driver-focused cockpit design, together with innovative, seamless connectivity for personal nomadic devices and a rear cargo deck with a ‘low friction’ loading system.

“This car is all about efficiency in design and performance,” says Anthony Lo, director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe, who led the 9-X BioHybrid design team in co-operation with the Saab Brand Center in Sweden.

With its ‘turbine’ wheels placed at all four corners, minimal bodywork overhangs and an extended roof line, the proportions of the three-door Saab 9-X BioHybrid bring a dynamic, new dimension to conventional compact ‘hatchback’ looks.

The smooth ‘fuselage’ bodywork, now without any visible handles or door mirrors, the bold ‘wraparound’ window graphic and deep front grille are all themes inspired by the Aero X coupe concept shown at Geneva two years ago.

The car’s distinctive ‘shooting brake’ silhouette and rear functionality are developed from the 9X multi-role concept shown at Frankfurt in 2001. “You could say we designed this car from back to front,“ says Lo. “The shape of the 9X is right for a car of this size, and the longer roof line helps the aerodynamics as well as providing more rear headroom and interior space.”

Echoing Saab’s roots in aircraft design, the 9-X BioHybrid also explores the potential for using active aerodynamics to reduce drag – and fuel consumption – at cruising speeds. Above 70 kph ( 43 mph), the upper and lower bodywork is reshaped as the roof spoiler automatically extends to further lengthen the roof line and an underbody diffuser is deployed from the bottom of the rear bumper.

The four-seater cabin introduces an entirely new execution of Saab’s driver-focused cockpit design. The central, floor-mounted console, with its angled controls and displays, is now eliminated. Instead, the driver-focused layout incorporates a main instrument panel that sweeps out from the top of the door moulding, arching across the driver. The embedded 3-D graphics appear to be ‘frozen’ in ice, continuing a Scandinavian design theme first seen in the Aero X.

Reflecting the needs of youthful customers, who expect easy access to multi-media both inside and outside the car, Saab has co-operated with Sony Ericsson in providing seamless in-car connectivity for a range of nomadic devices. The result is a wireless interface for streaming data, entertainment and satellite navigation functions for display and use. The interface also allows the simultaneous use of multiple devices when passengers are in the car.

At the rear, the cargo deck features an electrically-powered slide-out floor, which is activated when the bottom half of the split tailgate drops down. The floor, and the back of the folding rear seats, is covered by ‘high friction’ rubber carpeting, which ‘grips’ items and holds them securely in place. For easy loading and unloading, aluminum bars automatically rise up and down as the tailgate is opened and closed.

The treatment of light is an important part of Scandinavian design and this is evident in the use of variable, white ambient lighting inside the cabin. The level of suffused illumination can be changed in intensity from bright, cold to warm and soft. It’s a personalized feature that could even be programmed, for example, to reflect the pattern of the changing seasons

“This car shows how our concept work can be carried forward into a compact format,” adds Anthony Lo. “It has a number of features which we will be developing further, such as the new driver-focused design theme, the importance of clean, uncluttered surfaces and the easy, seamless connectivity inside the car.”

Auto Motor and Sport went to Trollhattan recently and hung out with the Saab people as they drove, yes, drove the cars around the hydro power station there for the cameras.

I’m not sure what they’re talking about, but it’s worth being baffled by the words just to see the imagery.

Click through to AMS to watch the video! They look great

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Car Design News is one of the leading meeting places for car designers. They get some big opinion makers in there and consequently, it’s always interesting to see what they’ve got to say.

Unfortunately the review is for subscribers only and I’m not one of them. But I know a couple of people who are and I’m sure someone will pass the story on in due course.

The byline is encouraging – meet Aero-X’s little brother – and given that the car won the same Best in Show award as it’s big brother it will be quite interesting to read the thoughts of the CDN reviewer.

Stay tuned.

There’s absolutely nothing here in the video that we don’t know or haven’t seen before, but it’s worth watching just to get another glimpse of that 9-X in live video (rather than a photo).

Part 1 is here. Click on any of the photos to enlarge.

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On Wednesday morning I got up bright and early to get a head start on the day and headed down to the Javits center. I knew that I had to get myself situated because I was scheduled to interview Steve Shannon at 9:00am and then Jan-Ake Jonsson at 9:45.

I arrived by 8:15, which gave me a chance to look at a few cars before I had to do my interview. I saw the Nissan guys rehearsing the release of the new Maxima. I don’t know but it has hints of the Old Infiniti Q45 in the nose.

Then I went to look at the new car that is coming to where I work. The new Infiniti FX 50 with its punched out 5.0 litre V-8 pushing out 390hp. This horsepower war is just never going to end anytime soon. Whether it’s in a car, a truck or an SUV, but I digress because I will be the first person who says “Give me more Power”, even if what I have is sufficient.

I went in search of the SAAB booth and found it tucked in neatly behind the Cadillac area and sandwiched in next to the Hummers and the new Smart car for America. This is a curious little car that I always thought was a cool concept. But I’m surprised that the release in America is with a 3-cylinder NA motor instead of the turbocharged version in the rest of the world. Ok, back to the cars that I was here for…..

As you walk into the SAAB booth you are greeted by all white cars except for the Turbo-X, which is waiting silently in a black suit. With the 9-4x and the 9xBioHybrid tucked in behind gleaming brightwork.

The 9-4x has been talked about a fair bit since its introduction in Detroit two months ago, but it still draws a crowd. I must say that pictures really don’t do it justice. In the flesh the concept’s lines and shapes really do work together quite well. The overall execution for a crossover vehicle seems just right. It fits in with most current SAAB owner’s idea of an SUV. Not an overly bloated vehicle, but one with the proper proportions so that it looks capable and yet is also compact.

Knowing that my wife will be in the market about the time the 9-4x is due to make into showrooms, I have a feeling that her quarter-million mile 9-5 will have a good replacement.

My take on the 9x BioHybrid is a little different, It’s actually more on an emotional level as opposed to just a logical progression like the 9-4x would be. It has a lot of cues from the original 9X concept car that SAAB built about 7 years ago.

I purposely didn’t take a lot of detail close-ups because the car is a little rough. Even Bryan Nesbitt had admitted that they really just wanted to put this car together and show it off to the public, and they didn’t have a whole lot of time to do it. He said that they had wanted to bring this car to life for quite some time, and now they would have a chance to get reactions to it.

The only gripe I have for the car is minor. I think that the backseat solution, as it’s set out in the concept, won’t work all that well. It’s just too tight in the backseat to really call this a 2+2. The solution would be if the engineers could some howfigure out a way to make the cargo area flexible with the backseat position. If they could move the backseat rearward about four inches than I think the usability of the car will be OK.

The 9x would make a great small premium car if they could bring it to market around where the 9-2x was. If this car were available in a fwd base model in the low $20’s with a XWD Aero version costing under or around $28k then SAAB could have a car that could really get a foothold into the younger demographic just graduating school and transitioning into the workforce.

After I had time to talk to both Steve Shannon and Jan-Ake Jonsson on the state of SAAB both here in America and back in Sweden I was able to get an idea of where SAAB is heading in the future of its development.

Take it to heart that the future look of SAAB is what you are seeing before you in these concept vehicles. Like the designers are saying the design language you are gong to see on the new cars is that of the AERO-X. The marque is trying to establish a more recognizable face that lets people know it’s a SAAB from a distance.

Between using signature lighting to recognize a car at night, to the broad features on the face of the car in the day, the next 9-5, which I know we are all dying to see, will follow along in the same design cues as the concepts here.

As for power plants in the SAAB of tomorrow expect to see the B series engine phased out, replaced by the 2.8 V6 turbo and the smaller displacement 2.0t and T. But also expect to see SAAB broaden the engine range along with their rightsizing philosophy to include smaller displacement engines.

We may soon see smaller displacement engines that can run on Biopower (E85) or gasoline. 1.6 or 1.8 litre turbo engines may soon make an appearance in the lineup. SAAB is committed to the Biopower concept at home, and a lot of European countries are following suit. If GM can get online with producing E85 from the waste cellulose process that they have invested in then you may just see a whole lot more cars running on recycling of waste.

The next logical step is for SAAB to start getting cars tooled up for BioHybrid systems to take advantage of the ability to have great performance, greater range and fuel economy.

I asked Jan-Ake as to whether or not SAAB would try to have a specific HALO car, like the Turbo-X or the Aero-X. His answer to this was that SAAB’s HALO car is anyone that carries an Aero badge. So we have them on the road right now. If that’s the case did I mention that I want a SAAB 9x XWD Aero with a 260hp 2.0 Ecotec.

Once again I say to SAAB you must start building the concepts that you create. Most of those concept vehicles would sell if you could only convince mother GM to allow you to take the risks and build them.

My overall feel from this short trip was one that said SAAB is slowly gaining momentum to try and bring itself back to the forefront, with technologies that will be an integral part of our world in the not to distant future.

Many thanks go out to the people of SAAB and GM who arranged my trip to New York for the show. To be able to participate and interact with the designers from GM and basically having a great old time talking about the things I love best, cars.

John D turned up on our collective behalves. He got wined, dined and shown around Saab’s new concepts by various GM personnel. The following is Part 1 of his reportage from the event:

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Well I’ve just returned from my whirlwind trip to the Big Apple for this years New York Auto Show. And I must say what an interesting 24 hours I just had. Thanks to GM’s Communications group I had a door to door all-access pass to the show.

I left my house at 7:00am to catch a 9:30 shuttle flight so I could roll into the Peninsula Hotel in time to be whisked off to a Buick Luncheon at The Cipriani Restraunt with a group of eight other bloggers that GM invited to the show.

I know the Riviera concept came out last year, but what an incredible car! Seeing this car in person it has presence. For Buick I rank this car up there with the Aero-X. It is quite a stunning looking coupe that just shows what these young designers can do. There is definitely no lack of talent in the GM pool.

We got to hear about a new Buick sedan called the Invicta, which will debut in Shanghai and is destined for production sometime real soon. The designers who worked on this project were very happy with the results. David Lyon, the Executive Director of Interior Design, and Lead Designer Justin Thompson spoke as to what they have been working on the last few years.

I came away from that presentation with a renewed hope that the designs coming out of GM are going to really be world class if they can just bring these “Design Studies” to life effectively.

After we left Ciprianis we had some time to kill before our next meal so I just chilled out for a few hours getting myself situated in New York. While all the PR people were waiting down in the Lobby, I had the chance to speak to Jan-Willem Vester (PR head honcho, SaabUSA), whom I always enjoy having conversations with about everything SAAB, or anything else automotive for that matter.

Then it was off to another meal with Christopher Barger as our point man for the trip, riding around like the Secret Service in a bunch of Black Suburbans.

We arrived at The Park Restaurant for lots of red wine, and another great meal. I had the great pleasure of getting to sit with David Lyon and Bryan Nesbitt along with Jan-Willem for dinner. We discussed the design of the two newest SAAB’s and where they fall into there market segment and what seems right and wrong. It was very interesting when we just spoke of designs in general and what has and hasn’t worked. Car talk with dinner and a drink make for a very entertaining evening, and once again I see the eye of designers who like what I like and are of the same mindset.

So after our meal it was across the street to the IAC building for our SAAB 9x BioHybrid reveal. However this was done with a little flair as a fashion show for the SAAB Reflective line. It was mentioned to me that a reveal was not in the cards for the NYIAS itself but beforehand in a separate venue for various reasons.

One reason may be because the 9xBioHybrid is a little rough in its completion. It sounded like it had been really put together in a short period of time. Bryan Nesbit commented that they had wanted to put this design to clay for quite some time.

However it was quite a little party and the refreshments flowed with abundance. And the slick little Ice Bar with Bombay Sapphire sitting in it didn’t hurt. As for the party atmosphere for the launch it seemed a bit odd but I’ve never been to one of these gigs before so I didn’t know what to expect.

Warning SAAB Content:

As for the reveal of the 9-4x, which I’ve only seen in photos and then the 9xBioHybrid, I must say that photos cannot do these cars justice. The 9x is a very unique looking vehicle and it really looks every bit a SAAB. In a touch of the past they have finally brought back the 99/900 wraparound windshield, as well as an inverted hockey stick on the C pillar.

The size is right for the segment, but GM wants to make sure that the premium small size car is a viable class to let SAAB have a stab at. I say if they start off with a 240 hp 9x Aero XWD and then make a lower base FWD 2.0t that this vehicle could really bring newer customers into the brand and also get a lot of current owners picking up one of these as a FUN car.

Can you imagine a 9x WRC car that was running 300hp and showing its face all over Europe. It wouldn’t get as much exposure here but for these of you who know WRC you know what I mean. Hell we should ask David Lyon to pen the design since he did the Chevy WTCC concept that I really looked kick a$$.

GM must build this car, to be able to put more butts in seats they have to broaden the entire range of vehicle. And yes they are on the way with the 9-4x, and from what I was told the car has a few minor changes that Bryan, Jan-Willem and a few others said make it look even better than the concept. Granted its still eighteen months away before the new ute will be available we can still hope that SAAB are going to surprise at the coming auto shows.

There is a brighter light emanating from that GM tunnel that looks like SAAB may finally have a turnaround in its future with products that may become more desirable to the greater market so that our beloved mark is able to continue on down the road to tomorrow.

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Part II coming soon…….

I’ll have a little more on 9-X design later on – time to address the hockey stick issue!

In the meantime, enjoy this.

Which one do you like and which one do you hope to see in future Saabs?

Click on any of these photos to enlarge.

First, the 9-4x interior:

And then we have the 9-X BioHybrid interior:

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So, here’s your poll. Saab people read this, so let them know which of the two interior concepts you prefer. Comments are open too, if you want to qualify your vote.

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Part 1 is here.

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I’ll preface this by saying, yes: Saab should always be a step ahead of the competition, they should be revolutionary with their styling and really give us something inspiring with their design, technology, and feeling.

I think the rear of this concept is onto something in small car design. I honestly think a few minor tweaks, a little more time in the oven, and this 9-1 is good to go. But damn, I will say it is polarizing. They went so far as to put MacBooks around the thing to see what reactions were. And you know what? Just like here, motorshow elite or not, I guarantee people either love it, or hate it. They feel passionately one way or the other, and there you have it: people will see this car and feel that word…passion, towards a Saab. And whether it’s in a positive or negative way, it’s challenging us to react.

That’s what good concepts do, they make us rethink our norms (which consequently is probably why this car looks better everyday you come back to see it). It’s the same phenomenon Apple has seen as of late, people love or hate them, but their intrinsic philosophy has stayed the same, and eventually, that attention has brought people to their brand, and marketshare and revenue have come with it.

But as far as styling trends are concerned, we all saw that the coupe rear end is where car design is headed. Not only the Mercedes CLS, BMW GranTurismo (future 7-series), Aston Rapide, Jaguar XF etc etc have adopted this, but even the BMW X6. And while the back of the X6 has received some bad press and I’ll agree, the front and the back don’t match, it shows that sporting profiles are what people want. Isn’t it ironic that at a time when everyone else is adopting a trend, Saab has dumped it while their current lineup apes sedans designed 10+ years ago? When something is your trademark for so long, and everyone else comes along with their own version of it, you don’t just drop it, you enhance it and celebrate why yours is the original and the best. I’m tired of Saab being regarded publicly as just “that quirky brand.”

And it’s about time good ol’ Maximum Bob Lutz got to see first hand that this brand can ignite this passion.

Wouldn’t it be remarkable if they capitalized on this? If they started working with Hirsch in house as an AMG/M/RS tuner to compete with those Germans? Wouldn’t it be great if GM finally saw this brand as its premium European sporting arm, and let Cadillac take a more premium luxury angle? Why can’t they coexist like BMW/Mercedes? Wouldn’t it be amazing if Saabs started showing off the E-Flex architecture showcased within clean Scandinavian designs? Wouldn’t it make sense to promote the fact that Saabs are universally safe? Wouldn’t it be fair if Swade got embargoed materials before anyone else on the planet? (why, thanks! – SW)

I’m serious about this. Any politician knows that cultivating your base is how you win over hearts and minds, politicians know it, brands like Mini know it, VW is starting to catch on, and Mercedes certainly is getting back to its roots as a solid, safe investment. It’s reflected in their sales data, too.

In an ideal world, Saab would release the 9-1 as a coupe with a sloping rear that looks a hell of a lot sleeker than my nasty photoshop, a shooting brake similar to the concept, and a convertible. Hell, call the coupe the Sonnet and really get people juiced up. The lineup wouldn’t be all that different than the BMW 1-Series, and isn’t that what we should be fighting/compared to anyhow?

Alright, I admit this may be the biggest comment in the history of all time, and I hate to rant, but I love this blog and respect Swade and the other posters here greatly, and love this brand. I also really, really, really want a new Saab. I can’t stand the current 9-3 SS or SC, I’m sorry folks, it’s just so conventional. And those new ice lights are like lipstick on a pig for me. As for the SC, well, I hate wagon proportions. The 9-1 is the car I have been waiting for. I pray that it is released soon, funky C-Pillar or not. Either way, I know I’m getting one.

As a final thought, over on Autoblog they caught the new Skoda’s trunk (it’s basically a Czech VW Passat). And might I say, it’s damn cool, and Saab should have been all over this years ago:

If Saab would come out with this in the new 9-5, in a sloped back coupe concept style rear like CAR magazine or the spanish competition posted here a few weeks ago’s first prize entrant, I would expel magical bricks from my bee-hind.

Anyhow, I’m working on a CGI concept of my own for the 9-1 Series in 3D studio max incorporating my thoughts, and hopefully I’ll be able to post those soon. Hats off to everyone for being so passionate about this concept, and this brand.

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Swade here: I’ve been very happy to post this as it’s the type of impassioned plea/rant/tome that I’ve been inclined to write myself from time to time, but I feel I must register a protest vote against that Skoda ‘hatch’. The one knock on hatches is the loss of rigidity. The main benefit of a hatch is extra storage without the look of a wagon. That hatch seems to lack the storage benefit but lose the rigidity anyway. Just my 0.02c.

These ones were sent in by Ted Y (or Saabyurk as he’s know around these parts…) Click on any of them to enlarge.

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Cream:

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Mocha:

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Lime Green:

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I like all the colors this exercise has brought to the table. Most of Saab’s current colors are silver or dark derivatives, which definitely hasn’t always been the case for Saab. They had some really funky colors back in the 96 and 99 days and it’d be fun to see a ‘young’ car like this bring back some funk.