Geneva 2011: Saab Phoenix revealed

01 March 2011 - 15:30

Think of this Saab as the T-1000 of concept cars, only with less duplicitous pointy-metal-finger death and more economy. It is the Phoenix, and it has just been revealed at the 2011 Geneva motor show.

Design director Jason Castriota reckons this concept ‘establishes a new reference point for the future of Saab product design', which if it does, means good things, partly because it comes with butterfly doors and looks kinda' hard.

See more pics of the Saab Phoenix concept car

A ‘liquid metal' style surface a-la-Terminator 2 houses a 2+2 cabin, a 140kW aluminium 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and even a 20kW electric motor powered by a small battery (itself charged by regenerative braking).

No word on performance, but the Phoenix sends the power to the front wheels via a six-speed ‘box and is projected to return 4.1 l/100km and emit just 119g/km of CO2.

It comes with three operating modes - Eco, Sport and Traction - and Saab's IQon, a communications platform using Google Android as an operating system. When you turn the ignition, it connects to the Internet and, via a touch-screen, allows entertainment streaming, audio, online navigation, music storage and smartphone-style apps.

Of course, should it suddenly morph into an ass-kicking exoskeleton and mercilessly gun down future rebel leaders, well, you've been warned...