And now for some fun stuff: diving head-first into speculation. Like any luxury or near-luxury brand, such as Alfa Romeo or Audi, Saab
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| Like any luxury or near-luxury brand, such as Alfa Romeo or Audi, Saab needs a modern, current lineup of products to adapt to this highly competitive market. (Photo: Audi Canada) |
needs a modern, current lineup of products to adapt to this highly competitive market. Two such segments for which Saab is reportedly aiming, is the smaller, more compact cars and crossovers which sell for less money - something which Saab needs for volume and for cash. It's probably worth noting at this point, that Saab's interests are also in line with those of Cadillac's in Europe, where buyers are requesting fresher, more European-friendly (smaller and diesel-powered) products.
Along the lines of its 'X' all wheel drive branding, the potential answer to Saab's financial problems is the 9-4X. As insiders have suggested, it would be a compact SUV built up from the Epsilon architecture, or more specifically, the 9-3's platform. With production of the 9-5 slated to move from Sweden to Opel's HQ in Russelsheim, Germany, this would free up space on the Trollhattan assembly facility to produce it, and its Cadillac equal, the BLX. This solution is popular with Saab; giving the Trollhattan plant enough
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| Some naysayers say the last thing Saab needed was a traditional body-on-frame SUV. (Photo: Saab Canada) |
of a production schedule to avoid closure. Keep in mind, Opel still needs a replacement for the now defunct Frontera (old Isuzu Rodeo), and this could be the solution although the current platform for the Saturn VUE/Chevrolet Equinox could be adapted to hasten progress.
Interestingly, the 9-4X is the most likely new vehicle to see the light of day. Saab's brief marriage to Subaru, the one which nearly produced the 9-6X, actually has a positive residual value. While naysayers would have agreed that the last thing Saab needed was a U.S.-built minivan-like SUV, the partnership with Subaru could leave some of Subaru's all-wheel drive technology in Saab's hands. Perhaps it's sounding a little bit out of character to suggest an all-wheel drive Saab, given the brand's decision to stick with front-wheel drive, but it will be useful should the Swedish automaker ever decide to reach or pursue more than 300-horsepower or contribute man-power in engineering a sport 'ute based off of anything other than a body-on-frame GM truck.
