The Saab 9-6 in pictures

July 12, 2011 15:35 Line

By: Swade

Comments (51)

Last week we had a poll on Twitter, asking people which model from the Saab Museum they would like to have photographed – the Saab EV-1 concept or the Saab 9-6 prototype. Guess which car won?

Here we are, then, with a photo study of the Saab 9-6. The car is now on display at the Saab Museum after spending several years in hiding storage out the back.

The Saab 9-6 was a joint project with Subaru, based on their B9 Tribeca SUV. Saab, at the behest of General Motors (who owned 20% of Subaru’s parent company at the time), had already launched the Saab 9-2x based on the Subaru Impreza WRX. This vehicle was supposed to build on that relationship.

Even though the 9-2x was loved by those who owned it, the car was lampooned by the press for being a poorly executed mimic of a cult classic. The Saab was actually better equipped than the WRX of the time with several components from Subaru’s performance division (STi) added to the car, but it ended up selling for a lot less in an employee-pricing fire sale back in 2005.

Whilst it had nothing to do with the fire sale, GM ended up selling its 20% stake in Subaru later in 2005 and the Saab 9-6 project was cancelled. Prior to this cancellation, Saab had built two prototype vehicles – this five door model now on exhibition at the museum, as well as a three-door version.

Many will refer to the 9-6 as the 9-6x, which makes sense as it would have had a 4-wheel drive system on board, which is the usual trigger for the added ‘x’ (9-3x TTiD owners – your objection is noted). I used to call it the 9-6x as well in stories that I wrote about it back in 2005. The museum example, however, is referred to without the ‘x’ in the title so I’m going to stick to that protocol.

Click to enlarge the images.

There are plenty more photos after the jump…..

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Saabosphere – links we linked this week

July 11, 2011 13:28 Line

By: Swade

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Forgive me, but I’ll start with a bit of reading I didn’t like. Analysts. I’m so over reading thoughts from analysts.

Auto industry analysts in Sweden said car company Saab looked to be on its last legs.

Actually, it’s analysts from all over the place, not just in Sweden.

No analyst wants to be on the wrong side of an issue and everyone wants to get their name (or their firm’s name) in the paper so they look like “the man”. Right now the issue is the state of Saab and we have a massive target on our backs.

Here’s the thing, though. The same people were making the same predictions about us back in late 2009, when GM said they would close our doors. We’re still here, and if the people who work at Saab have anything to do with the decision, then we’ll still be here in five, ten, twenty years and more from now.

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In contrast to all the doomsayers out there, BNET has an article that looks at the various rays of hope emerging in the last weeks.

Good to see someone bucking the trend and seeing the threads that are tying things together here in Trollhattan.

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In a similar vein, TTELA journalist Valdemar Lönnroth took a look at the five reasons, both positive and negative, why Saab will survive or perish in the near term. (in Swedish)

TTELA is always recommended reading for issues to do with Saab. They’re local, well connected and quite objective when it comes to Saab coverage. And Valdemar….. we’ll be OK.

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It was nice to see our recent news about the Top Safety Pick award for the Saab 9-4x making the rounds. This, from Motor Trend.

The IIHS tested the Saab 9-4x for frontal offset, side impact, and rear crash performance; the 9-4x earned “Good” ratings in all tests, the Institute’s highest mark. The IIHS also gave the 9-4x a “Good” rating for rollover protection and roof strength. The 9-4x also comes standard with Electronic Stability Control (ESP), which is a requirement for all Top Safety Picks.

In the words of the hokey-pokey: That what it’s all about.

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Speaking of the Saab 9-4x, enthusiast website Saabs United got photos of what could well be the first Saab 9-4x delivery over the weekend.

The car was a fully loaded black Aero, purchased from Saab of North Olmstead, in Ohio.

I had a Premium [model] on order, but the dealer (Saab in North Olmsted Ohio) received their first one yesterday – a black Aero, fully loaded. I put my butt into the seat, looked around and bought it on the spot before even driving it.

If other dealers would like to dispute this “first” claim, please get in touch and send along your photographic proof :-)

There are photos of the car at the Saabs United link, above. It looks fantastic, and I’d like to pass on my congratulations and appreciation to the new owner.

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German website Saabblog.net takes an enjoyable look into the crystal ball to see what will be happening at Saab in 2017.

Great vision! I’m not sure about how much of that can/will get done, but there’s a good deal of stuff there that’s well reasoned and do-able. And what excited me even more was the fact that this came out of Germany, where we need to build a bigger presence. It’s always great to see some more German Saab fans getting engaged in things.

We wait and see.

And thanks to my mate RedJ for the tip.

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And finally, my feeds have been blowing up this week over stories from Fashion Week and the designer, Elie Saab. Apparently he’s released a new fragrance as well as a whole bunch of new clothing (which everyone seems to rave about).

A few years ago, a friend of mine from England (and Saab 99 and 900 book author) named Lance Cole wrote a spendid piece on the (original) Saab Smell.

It’s highly recommended reading (link to a copied version on SaabScene as my old website, Trollhattan Saab, seems to be having a hard time at the moment).

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From the carpark, part III

July 11, 2011 10:48 Line

By: Swade

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My obsession with the Saab 9-4x continues with a rare top view of the vehicle….. I was walking upstairs to talk to PR about a few things and this angle caught my eye. Two minutes later I was back with my camera.

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The 9-4x would fit perfectly here….

July 10, 2011 23:11 Line

By: Swade

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My wife and I did some west-coast touring today, taking in beautiful Fjallbacka and Smögen (I want to live in Fjallbacka – I absolutely loved it!)

The coastal towns certainly earn their living during the summer. There are people everywhere and when you spend a little time, you can see why. Picturesque villages abound and the shops, cafes and restaurants are sublime. Throw in a perfect summer’s day with lots of happy people and you can see why half of Norway seems to invade Sweden’s west coast during the summer months :-)

We passed this small car park as we headed back to our street parking in Smögen and the lineup of cars here was typical of what we saw throughout the day. New-ish Audis, BMW’s, Mercedes and Volvos everywhere. Lots of the private holiday homes had Porsches and Jaguars, too.

As we passed this particular carpark, however, I was struck enough to take a picture of it (click to enlarge). It made me think right away of how the 9-4x would look amongst these vehicles. The answer – it would make them look decidedly second hand.

Like lots of people, I was a little slow to catch on to the idea of a Saab SUV. I’ve traditionally been into smaller, more practical and clever cars, and Saabs have always stood out to me because of the good use of space in the hatchback form. The more I’ve seen of the Saab 9-4x, though, the more I’ve come to like it. I’ve been seeing them around here, in Trollhattan, for the last few weeks now and the presence this vehicle has on the road is just outstanding.

I saw a lot of very classy cars today – all the marques I’ve named above were in plentiful supply on the streets and in the driveways of homes that I saw. Saab’s new products would have looked completely at home with any of them. When you think of where Saab were just a short time ago, from a product perspective – with one 6 year old car and one 12 year old car – it’s been a little while since we could say that with such confidence.

Below: The Saab 9-4x one day earlier – in a less idyllic setting – but in good company and still looking superb.

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The dream factory – Saab 9-5 convertible

July 10, 2011 10:09 Line

By: Swade

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I always love to see what fans with photoshop skills can dream up.

X-Tomi is one such Saab fan, from Hungary. He refers to himself as a “virtual tuner” – a description I like a lot. If you have a look at X-Tomi’s website you’ll see a lot of different models receiving some treatment and they look great.

X-Tomi recently submitted this illustration of a Saab 9-5 morphed into convertible form for an online design competition. This was the base image.

First, I ripped the lid, I pushed back the door, a shorter wheelbase and length of the car, got new wheels, larger rear wheels, the grille is changed minimally.

Nice work, X-Tomi. Always fun to see.

My thanks to Yang for the tip on this one, and X-Tomi for being happy to have it shared here.

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Saab at the 2011 Swedish Open tennis

July 9, 2011 23:12 Line

By: Swade

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Saab have been the main sponsor of the Swedish Open tennis tournament for the last 25 years. That all changed this year of course, because of our current circumstances, but our initial commitment to the tournament some time earlier meant that we were still able to have a presence there.

The ladies singles and doubles finals took place earlier today and I was there to see the show.

The tournament is held in a small, beautiful seaside town called Båstad (Aussie/Swedish pronunciation: Boh-stahd). Apparently the numbers in the town swell by around 80,000 over the two weeks of the tournament, which is why Saab like to be there. Accommodation is booked out in the region as the beautiful people from Stockholm head west and the Goteborgers (my term for them) head south to mingle and mix amid the heat and the bouncing balls.

The weather gods turned on a glorious day today and the social set really did get value for their money. The tennis was pretty good, too.

That’s the eventual ladies champion, Polona Hercog from Slovenia, serving to local favourite and runner-up, Johanna Larsson. Hercog really did seem to have Larsson’s measure for most of the match, but the Swede did make a late comeback with a break in the second set, but used up too much energy in doing so and was flat in the final game. The final score was 6-4, 7-5.

So aside from that little courtside naming banner to the left of Polena, what else did Saab have on show?

There were a number of Saab 9-5′s being used as courtesy cars at the tournament. We saw these in action but didn’t have the camera around at the time. Needless to say they were looking pretty smart.

Saab also had a 9-4x Aero on display just outside the centercourt area……

…..as well as a 9-3 Independence Edition Convertible looking over the main court area. I’m still trying to figure out how they got it there…..

That photo was taken during the ladies doubles final, inevitably won by a Spanish team. Two Spanish teams were fighting it out in the final and the lack of a local contestant probably lowered the crowd numbers.

The doubles final provided me with an opportunity to realise a long-held childhood dream (OK, not really) – being a ballboy at a national tournament:

The Swedish Open is a little different from some tournaments in that the women’s tournament is held one week earlier than the mens. There are only a limited number of courts at Båstad so there are only a small number of players in each of the womens and mens tournaments, too.

Now that the women are done, the men will begin work tomorrow.

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Surprise bonus!!!

As we were driving home from Båstad, a quick look in the side mirror told me there was an extremely handsome SUV coming up behind me. I moved over to let a very nice, Silver Saab 9-4x pass by at a reasonable rate of knots. The car took off ahead and I figured that was probably the last I’d see of it.

Little did I know the driver, one of our product marketing team, would be getting hungry around the same time as we were…….

That’s my car on the left, and quite possibly my future car on the right :-)

A Saab 9-4x sighting on top of a perfect day’s outing at the tennis. Can you ask for anything more?

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Saab PhoeniX Concept in Top Gear Magazine

July 9, 2011 7:54 Line

By: Swade

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I showed you my own Saab PhoeniX images from the Top Gear Magazine photoshoot last month. Basically, I was just hanging around whilst the TG pro-snapper did his thing. And the reasons he’s a pro-snapper and I’m just another guy with a camera are plain to see.

Check out the TG shoot here.

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Best Of The Road update…..

July 9, 2011 1:06 Line

By: Swade

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The five groups touring the Best of the Road around the USA in their Saabs have been having a LOT of fun and it’s been great to watch them making their way west for the big finish in LA.

Jules and Joan (twitter) have made their way from a town called Santa Claus in Indiana to Glenwood Springs in Colorado. No need to explain too much about what happened in Santa Claus (a lot of ho-ho-ho-ing, methinks) but it looks like they had a great time.

Glenwood Springs has been all about the outdoors with whitewater rafting, paragliding, caves and ATV rides, mixed in with some vaudeville theatre and 4th July fireworks, too.

With a few long drives between cities, Jules and Joan have been calling in on some smaller towns along the way, such as this stop on the way to Park City, Utah.

And this pic taken at Red Rocks in Colorado….

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The Fun Finders (Twitter) are eating their way across the country (that’s their job – looking for the best food) and are mixing in plenty of good times and sightseeing along the way.

They’ve recently travelled from Burnsville MN on a massive drive taking them through six states to end up in Gulfport, Florida. They were there for the 4th July celebrations and took part in the parade in a Saab 9-3 Convertible, in red to match their team colors (OK, they’re in white in this shot, but trust me). The Convertible was provided by Dimmitt Saab.

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The McNavigators (twitter) spent some quality time in one of the towns I’d like most to visit in the US: Franklin, TN. I have a good friend who lives there and whenever I’ve seen images of Mike’s 900 convertible in the local surrounds it has really made me look forward to spending some time there.

The McNavigator’s entries have only reinforced my thoughts. They must have loved the place, too, as they’ve done six separate blog entries and five short videos from there.

They’ve since been to Sandpoint, ID and are currently in Baker City, OR, but I haven’t seen much on the blog about those places yet, just a few entries on Facebook. It looks like Franklin had them totally consumed.

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Gone with the Wynns (twitter) seem similarly transfixed with Nacogdoches, TX, having written a LOT about their time there. I’ve really been enjoying their videos and photos (check out the road photo from their stop in Woodward, OK – amazing shot…… actually, their 4th July pics from this link are just as amazing).

They are now on their way to Walla Walla in Washington and from the number of entries on their Facebook page from WW residents, I think the town is preparing to give them a very BIG reception.

One of these teams is going to win the Saab 9-4x from their work on this trip. The Wynns look like formidable competitors in that particular race, with quality work and a big following.

And speaking of work, what a nice office……

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Equally busy are Captain and Clark (twitter), who have just had their Saab 9-4x in for service at Sid Dillon Saab in Nebraska.


Oil change, tire rotation, & great service for our Saab 9-4x. Thanks Sid Dillon Saab!

C&C have what is probably the most serious of the five tasks at hand – visiting the most patriotic towns in America. They’ve recently spent a lot of time amongst veterans at Ft Leonard Wood and Clarksville and there are some very moving stories being told from these visits.

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Be sure to follow each of the teams as they wind up their adventures. I’ve included their Facebook and Twitter links in the text above. You can also view the Best of the Road website and follow their latest updates there, too.

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Event: Swedish Car Day XII

July 8, 2011 20:04 Line

By: Swade

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I’m very sad to pass on to you all that I won’t be able to attend either the Saab Owners Convention, nor Swedish Car Day, this year. Inside Saab isn’t immune from Saab’s current circumstances, so I’ll have to content myself with doing such things next year.

I attended Swedish Car Day in 2010 and I can tell you it’s one of the best events I’ve had the good fortune to be at. Boston is just a brilliant city and the work that Village Auto Group put into this event is amazing. Just check out the setting, for starters!

If you can get to this event, I strongly urge you to do so. You will absolutely love it.

This has been added to the Inside Saab events page.

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When: 28 August 2011
Where: Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Website: http://www.facebook.com/swedishcarday

What: Sponsored by Charles River Saab, and its sister stores Boston Volvo Village and Volvo Village of Norwell, Swedish Car Day brings together Saab and Volvo owners together every year on the lawns of the gracious Larz Anderson Auto Museum. The event will feature over two hundred cars displayed on the lawn, and we can reliably expect that two-thirds will be Saabs. There will be cars of every vintage, some pristine, some well seasoned, and a number of modified examples as well. There will be a raffle, awards for displayed cars as chosen by the attendees, a parts tent, specialty vendors, guest speakers and for the first time, live music! Don’t forget to tour the museum’s collection!

As a warm-up for Swedish Car Day, on 27 August 2011 we will see the return of the Swedish Car Day Rally. This will be a scavenger rally, and the theme will be Greater Boston Parks and Gardens. The rally will finish at Charles River Saab and we will have an early evening barbecue and gathering for all Swedish Car Day enthusiasts to catch up with old friends and get geared up for the main event.

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A couple of my photos from last year (it was HOT! and the weather was pretty warm, too)

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In the carpark II…..

July 8, 2011 15:44 Line

By: Swade

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Saab 9-4x 3.0 Premium in Moorland Bronze.

Like most Saab fans, I was a little skeptical when I first saw the 9-4x concept back in 2008. With a little time and personal exposure, however, I have to say …….. I could definitely have one of these. It’s the first time I’ve seen the color and this interior configuration up close and it’s absolutely magnificent.

Click.

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