The rapidly approaching Geneva Motor Show is turning out to be a birthing room for Saab as the Swedish company is planning to launch two world premieres including the 9-5 SportCombi along with the unveiling of the modestly updated 9-3 Griffin range and the limited production 9-3 Convertible Independence Edition.
First teased on the Swedish firm's website last week, Saab today confirmed that one of the world premieres will be a never-before seen concept model conceived by a team under new design director, Jason Castriota, who is best known for his work at Pininfarina and for a short stint at Bertone where he penned the Corvette-based Mantide.
The Swedish automaker said the concept car will showcase design features and technologies to be seen in the next generation of products from Saab, adding that it introduces styling themes drawn from the company's Scandinavian and aircraft-inspired design heritage. Saab also noted that the design study will feature an all wheel drive system with an electrically powered rear axle, which most likely points to a hybrid model.
Along with the announcement on the concept car, Saab released a new gallery of photos of the all-important 9-5 SportCombi, which the company expect to sell in greater volumes than its four-door counterpart in many European markets. The more practical variant of the 9-5 series will be offered with a similar mix of turbocharged diesel and gasoline motors with sales scheduled to start in the Fall of 2011.
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