Saab will cease production of its 9-7X next year with just three years of sales under its belt because of the model’s lackluster sales performance. The 9-7X shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and is currently manufactured at a GM plant in Moraine, Ohio. The TrailBlazer is also being cut from GM’s lineup, and is expected to be replaced with a brand new crossover model based on the existing Saturn Outlook.

Meanwhile, the 9-7X will be replaced in Saab’s lineup with the upcoming 9-4X in 2009, which will be based on GM’s global Theta architecture.

An insider, who spoke with AutoTelegraaf, revealed that Saab was pleased with the 9-7X’s performance in North America but wass disappointed that no diesel version was ever developed for European markets. In fact, the SUV is only sold in Europe through third-party importers but with the approval of Saab, as the vehicle was never originally planned to be sold outside North America.