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Does anyone have this UK magazine, if so scan and post the pic!! Posted by Paul [Email] (#792) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Paul) on Tue, 24 Oct 2000 23:04:48 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The ageing Saab 9-3 range is being replaced by an all-new model – and Auto Express has seen it in the metal!
The car was spotted during a tour of the company's factory in Trollhattan, Sweden, while undergoing development in the recently opened £95million paint shop, but was quickly removed from view. It will begin full production early in 2002 and represents Saab's biggest investment ever in a new model. Both the 9-3 and the next generation 9-5 will be built on General Motors' Ipsilon front-wheel-drive platform, which will also be the foundation for the MkII Vauxhall Vectra due at the same time.
The 9-3, set for launch at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, will use a shortened version of the platform, but will be longer and wider than the current car, which still uses Vauxhall Cavalier underpinnings. Saab's new design chief Michael Mauer – the man responsible for the MCC Smart – is expected to oversee final development, but the model was signed off by GM top brass before his arrival from DaimlerChrysler.
Borrowing strong styling cues from the 9-5, the 9-3 will eventually receive the innovative SVC (Saab Variable Compression) engine which delivers 225bhp and 40mpg from 1.6 litres.
On a different note, Saab is recalling 18,000 9-5 cars built in the past two years after engineers discovered that some ECU components could become corroded.
The current issue of Auto Express magazine (issue 624) carries an exclusive photograph of the new Saab.
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