Saab will bring the 9-3 SportCombi model to the Canadian market this fall, continuing the product wave from the Swedish company owned by General Motors.
To give you some idea how Saab has grown, consider that the firm that sold only two models from its Swedish plants for all of its history is now up to four models from as many countries.
That would be the 9-3 and the 9-5 from Sweden and Austria, the 9-2X from Japan, and this spring the 9-7X from the U.S.
The latest model doesn't break any new architectural or geo-political ground for Saab, as it's not a variation on a Subaru theme like the 9-2X or the GMC theme like the 9-7X. It is instead a configuration of the Epsilon architecture that already underpins the 9-3 sports sedan and convertible.
Turning it into a station wagon wasn't that much of a stretch, then, but it certainly does give Saab entrée into a growing market. It takes Saab into the premium, mid-size wagon segment for the first time, said Debra Kelly-Ennis, president and COO of Saab USA at a backgrounder for the SportCombi in Detroit.
SportCombi's ''strong, compact proportions are a bold reaffirmation of a Saab tradition of designing cars that are sporty in character and versatile in use,'' Kelly-Ennis said. ''The cohesive five-door styling and a solid, muscular stance give the 9-3 SportCombi a clear, stand-out identity within the Saab 9-3 range.''
Lars Hygrell, the marketing manager for Saab Canada, certainly agrees with that. ''With a wedge-like profile and Saab 'signature' styling cues, the 9-3 SportCombi includes a surprisingly spacious cargo area and many practical load-carrying features."
The SportCombi wagon should speak directly to the Saab enthusiasts who were upset that the company abandoned its classis hatchback body style with the current 9-3 sedan, and might bring many of them back into the fold. This is important to the company, since that particular body style makes up nearly half of the 500,000 Saabs on the road in the U.S. today.
Though the SportCombi will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of weeks, it won't go on sale in Canada until the fourth quarter of this year, as a 2006 model. Hygrell thinks it ''will appeal to customers who require the versatility of a wagon, including smart load-carrying features and a generously proportioned cargo area, without compromising their desire for driving satisfaction.''.
Pricing will be announced later in the year.
In Canada, the 9-3 SportCombi range will start with a well-equipped 210-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder, with the high-performance Aero model featuring an all-new 2.8-litre, 32-valve, turbocharged V-6 that makes 250-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
By the way, this new engine will later turn up in the 2006 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan and Aero convertible.
Kelly-Ennis said the turbo V-6 in the 9-3 Aero SportCombi and other 9-3 Aero models will give drivers more of what they expect in the Saab driving experience -- ready torque throughout the rev range, high rpm power, smoothness and refinement.''
To give you some idea how Saab has grown, consider that the firm that sold only two models from its Swedish plants for all of its history is now up to four models from as many countries.
That would be the 9-3 and the 9-5 from Sweden and Austria, the 9-2X from Japan, and this spring the 9-7X from the U.S.
The latest model doesn't break any new architectural or geo-political ground for Saab, as it's not a variation on a Subaru theme like the 9-2X or the GMC theme like the 9-7X. It is instead a configuration of the Epsilon architecture that already underpins the 9-3 sports sedan and convertible.
Turning it into a station wagon wasn't that much of a stretch, then, but it certainly does give Saab entrée into a growing market. It takes Saab into the premium, mid-size wagon segment for the first time, said Debra Kelly-Ennis, president and COO of Saab USA at a backgrounder for the SportCombi in Detroit.
 |
| 2006 Saab 9-3 SportCombi (photo: Saab Cars) |
Lars Hygrell, the marketing manager for Saab Canada, certainly agrees with that. ''With a wedge-like profile and Saab 'signature' styling cues, the 9-3 SportCombi includes a surprisingly spacious cargo area and many practical load-carrying features."
The SportCombi wagon should speak directly to the Saab enthusiasts who were upset that the company abandoned its classis hatchback body style with the current 9-3 sedan, and might bring many of them back into the fold. This is important to the company, since that particular body style makes up nearly half of the 500,000 Saabs on the road in the U.S. today.
 |
| 2006 Saab 9-3 SportCombi (photo: Saab Cars) |
Pricing will be announced later in the year.
In Canada, the 9-3 SportCombi range will start with a well-equipped 210-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder, with the high-performance Aero model featuring an all-new 2.8-litre, 32-valve, turbocharged V-6 that makes 250-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
By the way, this new engine will later turn up in the 2006 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan and Aero convertible.
Kelly-Ennis said the turbo V-6 in the 9-3 Aero SportCombi and other 9-3 Aero models will give drivers more of what they expect in the Saab driving experience -- ready torque throughout the rev range, high rpm power, smoothness and refinement.''