Swade
10-01-2008, 05:23 AM
Auto Motor and Sport in Sweden have published (http://www.automotorsport.se/news/15729/saab-planerar-9-1-p%C3%A5-egen-plattform/) a series of items drawn from a press engagement with Saab Sweden chief, Jan-Ake Jonsson.
Following is a translation of the article, which I’ve tried to tidy up as best I can. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, most notably about the proposed Saab 9-1, which Saab still want to build if they can only nail down a platform to build it on.
——
“Our new model does not necessarily have to be based on GM’s global Gamma platform.”
So says Saab’s CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson, and indirectly admits that Saab is working on its own platform for the new smaller 9-1 model likely to be built in Trollhattan.
A lot depends on the size of the 9-3.
“We want to create a model for 9-3, but the question is how to do it,” said Jonsson. General Motors has produced a new global platform, developed by GM’s Korean division of GM-DAT. It is called Gamma II and will form the basis of several models from Chevrolet, Daewoo and Opel/Vauxhall. It is about the size of the Opel Corsa.
The architecture is, therefore, an option for Saab’s technicians. But the Saab chief is not convinced that it is the right basis on which to build. “Our new car should not necessarily be built on the global Gamma,” he says. “It may not have everything we want, for example, four-wheel drive.”
Another option is to use a shorter version of GM platform Delta II, as the next generation of the Opel Astra is based. Delta II is the platform that the next Saab 9-3 will be built on.
But none of the options appear to speak the Saab language properly, which is why people in Trollhattan are also working on a full-fledged solution for the Saab 9-1. The model is supposed to be between BMW’s Mini and 1-series and the Audi A1 and A3.
The next generation of 9-3 was originally supposed to be built on the same platform as the new 9-5, namely GM Epsilon II, but Saab changed and chose the smaller Delta II instead. Production of the new 9-3 is scheduled to start in Trollhattan late 2012 or early 2013.
Saab will premiere the 9-X Air cabriolet concept at the Paris Salon this week, which it is relatively safe to assume is a fairly complete specimen of the new 9-3 convertible. One could therefore assume from the dimensions of the concept, that the new 9-3 will be shortened from the current 460 to around 443 cm. At the same time the width may be increased by 5 cm and axle distance from 267 to 270 cm.
“If we take fuel economy and carbon dioxide seriously, we can not make cars bigger for each new generation”, has Jan-Ake Jonsson said earlier.
In the case of Saab’s continued production, Jonsson is careful. He believes that the volume should be between 150,000 and 175,000 cars per year. However, the distribution between the models will change. Today, the 9-3 comprises two-thirds of Saab Sales and the 9-5 makes up the remaining third.
The change starts next year, when the new compact SUV 9-4X commences construction in Mexico. Jan-Ake Jonsson explains that the SUV is expected to take just over 22% of Saab’s total volume, while the new luxurious 9-5 takes about the same proportion. Thus the proportion for the 9-3 will drop to about 55% of the entire Saab cake, according to Jan-Ake Jonsson.
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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/trollhattansaab/ceTX?i=NeGYv0</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/trollhattansaab/ceTX?a=NeGYv0)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/trollhattansaab/ceTX/~4/408086594
Following is a translation of the article, which I’ve tried to tidy up as best I can. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, most notably about the proposed Saab 9-1, which Saab still want to build if they can only nail down a platform to build it on.
——
“Our new model does not necessarily have to be based on GM’s global Gamma platform.”
So says Saab’s CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson, and indirectly admits that Saab is working on its own platform for the new smaller 9-1 model likely to be built in Trollhattan.
A lot depends on the size of the 9-3.
“We want to create a model for 9-3, but the question is how to do it,” said Jonsson. General Motors has produced a new global platform, developed by GM’s Korean division of GM-DAT. It is called Gamma II and will form the basis of several models from Chevrolet, Daewoo and Opel/Vauxhall. It is about the size of the Opel Corsa.
The architecture is, therefore, an option for Saab’s technicians. But the Saab chief is not convinced that it is the right basis on which to build. “Our new car should not necessarily be built on the global Gamma,” he says. “It may not have everything we want, for example, four-wheel drive.”
Another option is to use a shorter version of GM platform Delta II, as the next generation of the Opel Astra is based. Delta II is the platform that the next Saab 9-3 will be built on.
But none of the options appear to speak the Saab language properly, which is why people in Trollhattan are also working on a full-fledged solution for the Saab 9-1. The model is supposed to be between BMW’s Mini and 1-series and the Audi A1 and A3.
The next generation of 9-3 was originally supposed to be built on the same platform as the new 9-5, namely GM Epsilon II, but Saab changed and chose the smaller Delta II instead. Production of the new 9-3 is scheduled to start in Trollhattan late 2012 or early 2013.
Saab will premiere the 9-X Air cabriolet concept at the Paris Salon this week, which it is relatively safe to assume is a fairly complete specimen of the new 9-3 convertible. One could therefore assume from the dimensions of the concept, that the new 9-3 will be shortened from the current 460 to around 443 cm. At the same time the width may be increased by 5 cm and axle distance from 267 to 270 cm.
“If we take fuel economy and carbon dioxide seriously, we can not make cars bigger for each new generation”, has Jan-Ake Jonsson said earlier.
In the case of Saab’s continued production, Jonsson is careful. He believes that the volume should be between 150,000 and 175,000 cars per year. However, the distribution between the models will change. Today, the 9-3 comprises two-thirds of Saab Sales and the 9-5 makes up the remaining third.
The change starts next year, when the new compact SUV 9-4X commences construction in Mexico. Jan-Ake Jonsson explains that the SUV is expected to take just over 22% of Saab’s total volume, while the new luxurious 9-5 takes about the same proportion. Thus the proportion for the 9-3 will drop to about 55% of the entire Saab cake, according to Jan-Ake Jonsson.
–
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/trollhattansaab/ceTX?i=NeGYv0</img> (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/trollhattansaab/ceTX?a=NeGYv0)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/trollhattansaab/ceTX/~4/408086594