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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 (sitting on the new 9-3 production car platform), BMW's 200bhp aluminium 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine used in the Mini (they're buying it from Bee-Em) and even a 34bhp electric motor powered by a small battery attached to the rear axle (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 56.5mpg and emit just 119g/km of CO2. This hybrid system will find its way into the next 9-3 too.
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.
The new 9-3 will come as a hatch, estate and cabrio, sans batwings, sadly. Of course, should this concept suddenly morph into an ass-kicking exoskeleton and mercilessly gun down future rebel leaders, well, you've been warned...
Open Car Bar
What do you think?
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AlKim commented on this article
at 04:46 pm on 01 March 2011
An aggressive Saab. Never thought I'd see that.
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MasiMan commented on this article
at 04:48 pm on 01 March 2011
Quite nice, except for the christmas tree lights at the back.
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NobleM600 commented on this article
at 04:49 pm on 01 March 2011
a brilliant piece of design and should be praised immensely but i think 234bhp is to little why not 800bhp???
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RealMan commented on this article
at 04:51 pm on 01 March 2011
Amazing. That is a stunner. If they get the right BMW engine in it we will be looking at Saab making inroads in the Premium Car market.
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nHeroGo commented on this article
at 07:19 pm on 01 March 2011
Love it. I like it when they go bonkers with imagination. SAAB have a tradition of only aiming for average middle of the road and a statistical dead center which results in boring stuff - partially that had to do with their parent companies through the years. Now Spyker do smoke some funny stuff so it is fun to see SAAB being a bit playfull in spirit. Thanks. Hopefully some of these hints will carry over to their ordinary products.
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