Saab 9-3X (The Saab that never was)
Postitatud: T Dets 06, 2005 7:49
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Ready to roll - but on a road to nowhere. This is the Saab that never saw the light of day.
Auto Express can exclusively reveal the world's only picture of the 9-3X, an SUV crossover model that would have seen Saab take on BMW's X3 in the small 4x4 class.
From the beginning of the 9-3's design process, there were plans for five variants, but only three have ever made it to the showroom. The saloon was set to be joined by a smaller three-door hatchback - canned for cost reasons - and the all-wheel- drive version seen in the picture top right.
At the time of the 9-3X concept's unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show in 2002, designers were well on the way to finishing the production version seen here. However, Saab had one major problem with the platform. Based on the same underpinnings as the Vauxhall Vectra, the 9-3 family lacked the capacity for four-wheel drive.
Not keen on producing a front-drive only SUV, bosses pulled the plug on the 9-3X project, instructing stylists to switch their efforts to a conventional load-lugger (current new 9-3). This late change of plan explains why this year's Sportwagon took so long to arrive.
News of Saab's defunct 9-3X project comes only weeks after we revealed its plans for a larger Subaru-based off-roader had been ditched. For the moment at least, the Swedish firm is still stuck in neutral when it comes to an SUV for Europe.
Ready to roll - but on a road to nowhere. This is the Saab that never saw the light of day.
Auto Express can exclusively reveal the world's only picture of the 9-3X, an SUV crossover model that would have seen Saab take on BMW's X3 in the small 4x4 class.
From the beginning of the 9-3's design process, there were plans for five variants, but only three have ever made it to the showroom. The saloon was set to be joined by a smaller three-door hatchback - canned for cost reasons - and the all-wheel- drive version seen in the picture top right.
At the time of the 9-3X concept's unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show in 2002, designers were well on the way to finishing the production version seen here. However, Saab had one major problem with the platform. Based on the same underpinnings as the Vauxhall Vectra, the 9-3 family lacked the capacity for four-wheel drive.
Not keen on producing a front-drive only SUV, bosses pulled the plug on the 9-3X project, instructing stylists to switch their efforts to a conventional load-lugger (current new 9-3). This late change of plan explains why this year's Sportwagon took so long to arrive.
News of Saab's defunct 9-3X project comes only weeks after we revealed its plans for a larger Subaru-based off-roader had been ditched. For the moment at least, the Swedish firm is still stuck in neutral when it comes to an SUV for Europe.