DETROIT — Secret photos of the 2010 Saab 9-4X have just emerged from GM, confirming the finalized look of the new five-passenger crossover utility vehicle expected to come to market late in 2009.
The 2010 Saab 9-4X crossover utility vehicle closely resembles the Saab 9-4X BioPower concept introduced at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The five-passenger CUV is based on the same GM midsize sedan architecture that underlies such cars as the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, and the Saab will share its overall mechanical package with the forthcoming 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and 2010 Cadillac SRX.
As Steve Shannon, general manager of Saab Automobile USA, told us this spring, "It will be priced like a BMW X3 and sized like an X5." Shannon also confirmed that the final production version of the vehicle will be introduced at a major auto show next spring, which we anticipate will be the 2009 New York Auto Show.
GM has struggled with the Saab brand ever since it purchased 50 percent of the Swedish automaker for $600 million in 1991. To capitalize on American enthusiasm for utility vehicles, Saab added the Subaru-based 9-2X to its product line in 2004, only to discontinue the model in 2006 when GM ended its relationship with the Japanese company. Subaru had prepared the Saab 9-6X crossover based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca, but this project also died in the wake of the corporate break-up.
GM also introduced the Saab 9-7X in 2006 to capitalize on the utility market, but this full-size SUV based on the GMC Envoy sold only 5,257 examples in 2007. Meanwhile the market for compact utility vehicles has expanded dramatically in the last two years, as analysis by Edmunds.com indicates that the overall market share of CUVs in the U.S. market has grown by 62 percent since 2003. The 2010 Saab 9-4X is meant to take advantage of this trend.
The Saab 9-4X's trim dimensions should help it sell in European markets, and we expect this Euro-style crossover to feature innovative powertrain options like the concept vehicles E85-fueled, direct-injection four-cylinder engine. The all-wheel-drive system will come from the Opel-based Saab 9-3 sedan, although the 9-4X should be available in front-wheel drive as well.
What this means to you: The boom in crossovers is the biggest product story in the U.S. auto market these days. Sales increased to more than 2.8 million last year, extending a seven-year surge, and now more than 50 separate models of utility vehicles are offered on car-based platforms. Maybe the 9-4X will help Saab turn a profit at last. — Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
Get the inside story about these other future GM vehicles:
2010 Buick Sedan
2010 Cadillac SRX
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
2010 Chevrolet Equinox
The 2010 Saab 9-4X crossover utility vehicle closely resembles the Saab 9-4X BioPower concept introduced at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The five-passenger CUV is based on the same GM midsize sedan architecture that underlies such cars as the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, and the Saab will share its overall mechanical package with the forthcoming 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and 2010 Cadillac SRX.
As Steve Shannon, general manager of Saab Automobile USA, told us this spring, "It will be priced like a BMW X3 and sized like an X5." Shannon also confirmed that the final production version of the vehicle will be introduced at a major auto show next spring, which we anticipate will be the 2009 New York Auto Show.
GM has struggled with the Saab brand ever since it purchased 50 percent of the Swedish automaker for $600 million in 1991. To capitalize on American enthusiasm for utility vehicles, Saab added the Subaru-based 9-2X to its product line in 2004, only to discontinue the model in 2006 when GM ended its relationship with the Japanese company. Subaru had prepared the Saab 9-6X crossover based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca, but this project also died in the wake of the corporate break-up.
GM also introduced the Saab 9-7X in 2006 to capitalize on the utility market, but this full-size SUV based on the GMC Envoy sold only 5,257 examples in 2007. Meanwhile the market for compact utility vehicles has expanded dramatically in the last two years, as analysis by Edmunds.com indicates that the overall market share of CUVs in the U.S. market has grown by 62 percent since 2003. The 2010 Saab 9-4X is meant to take advantage of this trend.
The Saab 9-4X's trim dimensions should help it sell in European markets, and we expect this Euro-style crossover to feature innovative powertrain options like the concept vehicles E85-fueled, direct-injection four-cylinder engine. The all-wheel-drive system will come from the Opel-based Saab 9-3 sedan, although the 9-4X should be available in front-wheel drive as well.
What this means to you: The boom in crossovers is the biggest product story in the U.S. auto market these days. Sales increased to more than 2.8 million last year, extending a seven-year surge, and now more than 50 separate models of utility vehicles are offered on car-based platforms. Maybe the 9-4X will help Saab turn a profit at last. — Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
Get the inside story about these other future GM vehicles:
2010 Buick Sedan
2010 Cadillac SRX
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
2010 Chevrolet Equinox
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