While it doesn't mean that Saab will ever actually build anything like the fabulous Aero X concept that debuted this week at the Geneva Motor Show, it's important to remember that it is still the official policy of General Motors that none of its divisions (even the Swedish one) can build concept cars for the fun of it.
The days when GM divisions built concept cars to amuse their general managers and design bosses are long gone, so now every non-production model that goes on display has to be pointing the way to something real.
It's possible that public reaction could be negative enough to a concept to derail it (consider the Chevrolet Nomad), but that seems unlikely to happen in the case of this two-seat design coupe.
All the company will say on the record is that the Aero X "showcases a future Saab design direction," which is interesting enough. Speaking for myself, I don't really care which badge goes on this design direction, as long as we see it and some of its features on the road sometime soon.
Saab would argue that the Aero X suggests the future of more exciting Saabs, since it "harness the power of Saab's aviation and Scandinavian roots to make a unique statement in performance car design." I'm not sure I see that exactly, but I like what I see so I'm willing to play along. I don't believe that a car company or anyone else truly convince a person that they'll like something more if they're told what it's supposed to remind them of. You like something's looks or you don't, and only design weenies have to worry about why something looks good.
You don't have to like the Saab Aero X to appreciate its most impressive feature -- the absence of doors and windshield pillars and the addition of the type of canopy that traditionally covers a jet fighter cockpit. This
means the windows are part of the roof and the whole thing lifts up and forward.
The result of this is 180-degree vision for the driver, and a means of entry and exit from its low-slung cabin that is convertible-like in its ease.
Before we get to that cabin, however, let us consider the engine, which is a twin-turbo V-6 that creates 400 hp and runs on ethanol, which Saab correctly describes as "a sustainable energy source that is kinder to the environment by cutting fossil CO2 emissions."
To show that it's still possible to be self-indulgent while protecting the environment, this engine is still capable of pushing the lightweight Aero X (let's give a shout out to carbon fibre) from 0 to 100 kmh in 4.9 seconds. Not trophy-winning in today's production vehicle terms, but still near the front of the pack.
Also missing along with the doors and the CO2 are the dials and buttons that play a major role in virtually every production vehicle in the world. Saab has instead decided to add "a new dimension to clean Scandinavian interior design by applying techniques derived from Swedish glass and
precision instrument making, displaying data on glass-like acrylic 'clear zones' in graphic 3-D images."
As cool as it looks in a concept or a designer's dreams, this kind of move to a production car would take considerable gumption, since efforts to re-imagine the dashboard have not met with much success in the past, to put it mildly. My guess is that we'll see the cockpit canopy before we see that dashboard.
All exterior and interior lighting is by light-emitting diode (LED), which has "given the design team new freedom to exploit the compact packaging benefits of a technology that will be featured increasingly in future Saab products." Attention all readers, there's a hint off the starboard bow.
The days when GM divisions built concept cars to amuse their general managers and design bosses are long gone, so now every non-production model that goes on display has to be pointing the way to something real.
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| (Photo: General Motors) |
All the company will say on the record is that the Aero X "showcases a future Saab design direction," which is interesting enough. Speaking for myself, I don't really care which badge goes on this design direction, as long as we see it and some of its features on the road sometime soon.
Saab would argue that the Aero X suggests the future of more exciting Saabs, since it "harness the power of Saab's aviation and Scandinavian roots to make a unique statement in performance car design." I'm not sure I see that exactly, but I like what I see so I'm willing to play along. I don't believe that a car company or anyone else truly convince a person that they'll like something more if they're told what it's supposed to remind them of. You like something's looks or you don't, and only design weenies have to worry about why something looks good.
You don't have to like the Saab Aero X to appreciate its most impressive feature -- the absence of doors and windshield pillars and the addition of the type of canopy that traditionally covers a jet fighter cockpit. This
 |
| (Photo: General Motors) |
The result of this is 180-degree vision for the driver, and a means of entry and exit from its low-slung cabin that is convertible-like in its ease.
Before we get to that cabin, however, let us consider the engine, which is a twin-turbo V-6 that creates 400 hp and runs on ethanol, which Saab correctly describes as "a sustainable energy source that is kinder to the environment by cutting fossil CO2 emissions."
To show that it's still possible to be self-indulgent while protecting the environment, this engine is still capable of pushing the lightweight Aero X (let's give a shout out to carbon fibre) from 0 to 100 kmh in 4.9 seconds. Not trophy-winning in today's production vehicle terms, but still near the front of the pack.
Also missing along with the doors and the CO2 are the dials and buttons that play a major role in virtually every production vehicle in the world. Saab has instead decided to add "a new dimension to clean Scandinavian interior design by applying techniques derived from Swedish glass and
 |
| (Photo: General Motors) |
As cool as it looks in a concept or a designer's dreams, this kind of move to a production car would take considerable gumption, since efforts to re-imagine the dashboard have not met with much success in the past, to put it mildly. My guess is that we'll see the cockpit canopy before we see that dashboard.
All exterior and interior lighting is by light-emitting diode (LED), which has "given the design team new freedom to exploit the compact packaging benefits of a technology that will be featured increasingly in future Saab products." Attention all readers, there's a hint off the starboard bow.