This is part 2 of a 2-part entry. It was initially placed in comments by “Jeff” but was such a good and in-depth read that I thought it deserved to come out on to the front page.

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.

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Add these to the previous post of Saab 9-X colors provided by Tiago and WooDz.

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.

Teemu has emailed through his quick try at what the Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept could look like when it morphs into a production version called the Saab 9-1.

As the color variants of 9-X BHC keep coming in, I thought that I could take things bit further and make a Photoshop mockup about how the production 9-1/9-2 might look like. The basics have been kept the same, but some things has been toned down a notch, and the most ridiculous concept car clichés (as huge wheels) have been replaced more practical design (a-pillar & mirrors added, roofline lifted etc…).

I guess we’ll have to wait a while before we’ll find out if I got the design right

It’s certainly interesting to contemplate, especially with regard to the c-pillar, which Teemu has rendered as a more traditional saab hockey stick look here.

The first picture is Teemu’s rendering, and the second is the concept vehicle for comparison.

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And just because it’s there, here’s a look at the clay model fitted with what could be considered some more traditional 5-spokes.

Spotted by Tompa. Click to enlarge.

This is the second-longest comment in Trollhattan Saab history, and I think it well and truly deserves to be transferred here to the front page as a post in its own right. The article comes from “Jeff” and was posted in comments to the poll I had here recently on the 9-X BioHybrid rear end.

I’ve separated it into two parts. This first one looks at the rear end in particular, as well as few tweaks. Thanks Jeff, for all the effort. Your image kicked off the poll and the discussion in the first place, and your comments on it, reproduced here, make for some great reading.

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My gut reaction to first seeing the concept was mixed. After having anticipated the launch of the car for so long (how many years now?) and owning an 01′ 9-3 SE myself, I was hoping that we would see something really progressive, really edgy, really tight, and really SAAB.

Well, I can’t sound as though I’m disappointed. Hats off to Anthony Lo and the rest of the Saab/GM design team for being brave enough to think unconventionally. If what Swade hypothesized is true, and I suspect he’s dead on, that the showing of this concept had been moved up several months and that what we saw was a very raw (or medium-rare perhaps) version of a final concept, then it is an even greater accomplishment. Yes, the interior may look like crap, but come on, you all have to admit, putting driver information displays on the upper door area is pretty genius, and very very jet-cockpit inspired. While the information bar across the top may seem very Honda Civic, the intent for it has been there since my first 900, and evolved into the blip in the current 9-3 dash. This leads me to my most important point about why this whole exercise is intriguing at all.

We often forget about conceptual design and its role in defining a creative vision. I’m an architect, and I can tell you first hand that the creative process is only truly successful when rooted in brave conceputal thinking. It’s clear that the priority of the Aero-X was to explore Saab’s relationship to its jet manufacturing heritage. Perhaps it was a tad literal with the cockpit door, but those details all added up to a beautiful package that we all can agree stopped us cold. I have heard many complaints that Saab should be releasing new products, closer to production grade with interiors more in line with the 9-4x. But I think this concept is really encouraging because it shows us that Saab really is a brand that is trying to completely redefine itself.

In the design world, we often pin up our work on the wall for each other to see, quite often during the initial design phase where we can be collaborative about directions that fresh eyes could take our visions. These auto shows provide the designers with a real review from the public to gauge if they are on the right track. Both of these exercises are critical (thus the word, critique) in the creative process. So while I’d like to go out and buy one in three months, I’m really happy to see the behind the scenes inner workings of GM/Saab, and I’m very happy with what I see.

With the 9-X BioHybrid, I feel the designers did what one of my best design professors liked to call “Frankensteining;” obviously the Aero-X nose and 9-X tail had to be reconciled somehow. This is where the controversy starts.

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