11 Aug 08 14:08
Saab's next-generation 9-5 is to feature an all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, in line with the company's new policy on downsizing.
The new 9-5 will make its debut next year, perhaps at spring's Geneva Motor Show, though sales are not expected to start until after the Frankfurt Motor Show in the autumn.
As it shares its GM 'Epsilon 2' platform with the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, it will be built alongside the Insignia in Russelsheim, Germany, though it will be clearly differentiated in its design both inside and out.
Despite the smaller entry-level engine - which will nonetheless have a competitive power output and performance capabilities, boosted by its turbocharger - the new 9-5 will actually be a little larger than the outgoing model.
Saab is aiming to put more distance between this and the next-generation 9-3, and to turn it into more of a rival for the likes of the Audi A6, Volkswagen Passat and similarly-sized large family vehicles.
Other engines to feature in the new 9-5 saloon and estate include units as in the Insignia: the 260bhp 2.8 V6 petrol (as also used in the Cadillac CTS) and the 2.0-litre CDTi diesel, plus Saab's own turbocharged 2.0-litre, ethanol-compatible Biopower engines.
Further down the line, GM's new 2.9-litre V6 diesel will be offered. Saab's XWD four-wheel-drive system will be offered, and expect a high-riding, SUV-style crossover variant of the estate to follow.
The 1.6 turbo engine will also be fitted in the next-generation Saab 9-3, due late 2010 or 2011. The new 9-3 is based on GM's Delta platform, shared with the next-gen Vauxhall Astra and Chevrolet Cruze. It will be smaller than the current model, with the saloons and estates thought to be around the size of the Volkswagen Jetta/Golf Estate. Smaller - Astra-sized - hatches, probably to be called 9-2, will follow.
Saab is to show a concept hinting at the new 9-3 at this autumn's Paris Motor Show. Though this was rumoured to be a convertible version of last year's 9-X Biohybrid concept, it seems that this isn't the case.
Saab insiders suggest that it's going to be more of an 'exploration into function and space', with an emphasis on utility and versatility. A Saab MPV? Probably not, but a further development of the shooting-brake body-style of the 9-X (a kind of three-door estate) shouldn't be ruled out.
