The brand that was “Born from Jets”—and nearly “Killed by GM”—continues to taxi down the runway toward rebirth, following news that dealers have now started taking orders for the Saab 9-3X.
It’s true there’s no pricing info yet, and that the orders won’t be literally submitted until/unless the Spyker/Saab deal goes through, but it’s still a step in the right direction for the company.
The 9-3X was first introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and is targeted at rivals like the Volvo XC70 and Subaru Outback: Vehicles that are somewhere between a station wagon and a crossover. For Saab, that meant starting with the 9-3 SportCombi (that’s Saab-ish for “station wagon”) and basically adding some 1.4 inches of ground clearance and a pretty impressive all-wheel-drive system. The result is a competitive package that also offers a relatively good mix of performance and fuel efficiency, thanks to the 9-3X’s 2-liter turbocharged engine. And considering Spyker’s performance bona fides, I’m thinking there’s a good chance the turbo V6 from GM’s 9-3 Aero models could end up under the hood at some point in time.
Of course, this all depends on getting the Saab sale done, but at least there’s good news on this front, too. It’s a little complicated, but the European Union has given its blessing to the Swedish government’s endorsement of a $546 million loan from the European Investment Bank. This stack of cash is a vital component to the sale and will, in theory, be used to help Saab develop greener vehicles.
Frankly, it seems that everyone would be happy if the company could just stay out of the red.
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