MotorAuthority

Saab looking to downsize next-generation models

Posted Wed Jul 23 2008 9:44 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Saab is one of a handful of carmakers looking to buck the trend of building bigger and heavier cars with each new model generation, the carmaker confirming at this week’s London Motor Show that future models will be more compact. Starting with the upcoming 9-1, due to arrive in 2012, engineers have decided to drop a lower-medium architecture planned for the car and replace it with General Motors’ global Gamma small car platform.



The information comes from the boss of General Motors Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, who explained to Automotive News that Saab doesn’t want its future models to grow in size.

The story is the same for the next-generation Saab 9-3, due in early 2010. Saab originally planned to use the new Ypsilon-2 architecture, used in cars like the Opel Insignia and upcoming production Buick Invicta, but has since decided to use the lower-medium Delta architecture.

Saab’s managing director Jan-Ake Jonsson confirmed Forster’s statements, telling reporters that Saab wants to break the industry trend that successors to existing models automatically get bigger. Another carmaker that’s been very active in downsizing its models and reducing vehicle weight is Mazda, which expects to replace its entire lineup with smaller and lighter vehicle architectures by 2011.

Pictured above is the Saab 9X BioHybrid Concept, which previews the upcoming 9-1 compact car.

2008 Saab 9X BioHybrid Concept

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• SAAB

Reader Comments

• Wed Jul 23 2008 10:08 AM

  stewie says

  Good. Some cars are getting way too big - Camry & Accord come to mind.

• Wed Jul 23 2008 10:09 AM

  Gunnar says

  Twenty-twelve is a painfully long time to wait for the car that could single handedly save the Swedish marque.

• Wed Jul 23 2008 5:32 PM

  NoNameDenton says

  Ypsilon-2 ? You guys do mean Epsilon 2 right.

• Wed Jul 23 2008 6:03 PM

  HECTOR says

  Can they make them small enough that they disappear completely? And a better question: would anyone notice?

• Wed Jul 23 2008 11:40 PM

  Michael D. says

  I posted this on another blog/site, and I'll post it here, too:
  
  This is indeed poor and depressing news regarding Saab, sounds like a
  step down-market and a throw-back to the malaise 70s. This is
  especially poor since rival Volvo is reported to step upmarket and
  some of the small (bet well executed) Volvo S30s are going back to
  Sweden due to not selling as highly expected in the USDM. I
  personally don't want to see the 9-3 shrink, be decontented, and only
  be powered by buzzy, lumpy four-bangers, turbo or not, i.e., not be a
  sell-out.
  
  On the positive side, the 9-4 appears promising and I'm hoping the
  ancient 9-5's successor becomes significant, sizable, V6 powered and
  well executed.

• Thu Jul 24 2008 9:30 AM

  VWInformant says

  I think it's great that Saab is turning toward smaller designs for their upcoming models; however I don't see this as an exclusive trend. With increases in gas prices, automakers across the board have been pursuing smaller vehicles.
  
  ---
  Working with VW to spread the word about the new Tiguan. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.

• Thu Jul 24 2008 3:35 PM

  NaBUru38 says

  Michael D, I think exactly the opposite: small cars are the future. Imagine this Saab 2011 lineup: 9-1 hatch / soft top, 4.00 meters; 9-3 hatch, 4.40 meters; 9-3 sedan / wagon / hardtop, 4.60 meters; 9-5 sedan / wagon, 4.80 meters.