Archive for Saab

Saab will be displaying an open top version of the Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept unveiled earlier this year called the Saab 9-X Air Concept.

The Paris 2008 concept car will be powered by what is most probably GM’s future “non-Volt” hybrid powertrain combination - a 1.4 liter engine that supports E85 flex-fuel mated to a 6-speed twin clutch transmission and assisted by an electric motor powered by lithium ion batteries.

The existence of both a hatchback and open top version of the Saab 9-X concept cars point to the upcoming Saab 9-1 car emulating the likes of the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series in terms of model offering.

Look after the jump for a hi-res gallery of the concept car.

Click here to read the rest of Saab 9-X Air Concept open top at Paris 2008

Saab’s “Power When You Need It” advertisement shows us small things demonstrating great power - echoing the ability of of downsized turbocharged engines with relatively lower displacements to produce high amounts of power and torque. It’s nothing clever or witty, and maybe even cliche, but the nice background music gives the video a dramatic effect. Video after jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Saab 9-3 Turbo “Power When You Need It”

The Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept combines the design language from the Aero X in this revival of the old Saab 9X Concept, Saab’s earlier concept hatchback back at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. Read more on the concept after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept

Click to enlarge

This is a little late as it is a Detroit concept, but since the Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept will be one of the two concepts shown by the boys from Trollhattan at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and it will be the concept’s first public European debut.

On the outside you have a rather sleek SUV that carries all of Saab’s styling cues, especially the three section grille at the front, also seen on the new Saab 9-3 and the Saab Aero X Concept. On the interior, you have a typical Saab interior, with a black dash and driver-oriented instrumentation which lights up in a signature Saab green.

The all-wheel drive underpining the Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept is Saab’s Cross Wheel Drive system from Haldex, which features torque vectoring to channel power to the wheel with the most traction without cutting off engine power or applying the brakes. It also automatically adjusts torque bias to help the vehicle follow the course set by the driver. The chassis rides on MacPherson struts at the front couple with aluminium control arm and knuckle, and an anti-roll bar, while the rear suspension uses a multi-link setup with aluminium H-arm and knuckle, and an anti-roll bar.

Under the hood is a bioethanol capable engine, a Saab speciality since two thirds of all car sales in Saab’s home ground of Sweden come with flex fuel engines. The Saab 9-4X Biopower’s 2.0 liter turbocharged direct injection all-aluminium engine with variable valve timing is E85 bioethanol capable, and produces 300 horsepower at 5,400rpm and 400Nm of torque between 2,600rpm and 5,100rpm, if fueled with E85. Using regular gasoline, the BioPower engine puts out 245 horses at 5,300rpm and 353Nm of torque between 2,500rpm to 5,250rpm.

The turbocharger is a single twin-scroll unit, blowing a 1.2 bar boost pressure. Thanks to direct injection, this boost pressure can be used together with a high compression ratio of 10.5:1. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic with manual shifting via steering wheel controls.

Preliminary testing shows a 0 to 100km/h time of 8 seconds, and a top speed of 235km/h. Look at more photos of the Saab 9-4X BioPower Concept SUV after the jump.

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Saab to get new Saab 9-4X SUV

Click here to read the rest of Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept SUV

2001 Saab 9-X Concept - click to enlarge

Saab will display a Saab 9-1X Concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show next month, and it will preview the upcoming Saab 9-1 hatchback that will go against the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Volvo C30 and the BMW 1-Series.

You can expect the Saab 9-1X Concept to be a reworked version of the Saab 9-X Concept (image above) shown back in 2001 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, which was also a hatchback with a wheelbase of 2700mm. The 2001 concept car was powered by a 3.0 liter turbocharged V6 producing 300 horse and 410Nm of torque from a low 2,200rpm.

The Saab 9-4X SUV concept which was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show will also be displayed at the Geneva show. The Saab 9-4X Concept is an all-wheel drive crossover SUV powered by a 2.0-liter BioPower turbo engine that runs on E85 bioethanol fuel. It produces 300 horsepower and 400Nm of torque.

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Saab 9-1 Concept to debut earlier at Geneva 2008
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Saab to get new Saab 9-4X SUV

The modern automobile engine has fixed compression ratios, that currently usually hover at about 10.0:1 or 10.5:1 for normally aspirated engines and much lower for turbocharged engines. Cars with direct injection can go higher, but we’re quite limited because compression ratios are fixed. A turbocharged engine running off boost makes less power than a normally aspirated engine of similiar cubic capacity because of the reduced compression ratio. While this has been minimized with very fast spooling turbos these days, it is still not ideal.

The answer is a variable compression ratio engine. Saab showcased a concept version of a variable compression ratio engine back in the year 2000, and it was called the SVC, or Saab Variable Compression. The project never did go anywhere. The SVC was a turbocharged 1.6 liter engine that used a pivoting cylinder head to change compression ratios from 8.0:1 all the way up to a high 14.0:1 according to engine operating status. The pivoting head adjusted the slope of the upper part in relation to the lower part of the engine, thus changing the combustion chamber volume at piston top dead center. Because of this, the top and bottom parts of the engine were separated and each required its own cooling system. Thanks to turbocharging and SVC, the 1.6 liter inline-5 engine produced 225hp and 300Nm of torque using 2.8 bars of boost.

In 2003, Nissan took a different approach to implementing a variable compression ratio system. Nissan showcased its Variable Compression Ratio Piston-Crank System, or VCR for short. It uses a multi-link piston and crank mechanism to vary the compression ratio. Like the Saab SVC, it is also based on a turbocharged engine concept. Compression ratio varies from 8.0:1 to 14.0:1, and the highest compression ratio is used during slow and steady city driving when the car runs mostly off-boost. During hard acceleration when the turbocharger kicks in, the compression ratio is reduced up to 8.0:1. During medium engine loads and low to medium levels of boost, a middle ground such as 11.0:1 is used.

The conventional conrod is replaced by a multilink system that consists of three links An upper link is connected to the piston pin, a lower link revolves freely while connected to a crank pin, and a control link connects the lower link to a control shaft. The control shaft has bearing that has a certain amount of eccentricity to it. When the control shaft rotates, the fulcrum of the control link bearing changes, and this causes the top dead center position of the piston to be either moved up or down vertically. This modifies the combustion chamber volume at piston top dead center, this altering the cylinder’s compression ratio. Basically, the system is designed in such a way that the angle of the control shaft causes the top dead center position to move, so to vary the compression ratio you adjust the angle of the control shaft.

Nissan is also developing a similiar VCR system concept for diesel engines. I’m not sure if a production engine using this technology is in the works or not. VCR has probably been made outdated by direct injection - the Volkswagen Golf GTI’s 2.0 liter TFSI engine is turbocharged yet has a high compression ratio of 10.5:1!

Related Links:
Nissan Variable Compression Ratio Engine
Saab Variable Compression

While it was previously reported that we would see the first glimpse of a Saab 9-1 Concept at the 2008 London Motor Show in mid-2008, Saab designer Anthony Lo now confirms that the Saab 9-1 Concept will make its public debut earlier in March instead, at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

The new Saab 9-1 will be a small hatch based on GM’s new and upcoming front wheel drive Delta II platform. It will go head to head against competitors like the Volkswagen Golf and the BMW 1-Series.

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Saab 9-1 Concept due for 2008 London Motor Show
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Saab will unveil a concept version of its upcoming Saab 9-1 at the 2008 London Motor Show in July next year. It will be built on the new second generation GM Delta II platform, which will also underpin the next generation Astra and the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

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Saab plans new small car for next decade

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Two new SUVs from General Motors will be revealed sometime in 2009 - one from Saab and the other from Cadillac. They will be styled differently but will share a common platform and share engine options, which will include the new 250 horsepower 2.9 liter VM Motori twin turbodiesel V6. The Saab SUV will be called the Saab 9-4X, while the Cadillac will most likely be the new Cadillac BRX crossover SUV. The vehicles will be built at GM’s plant in Mexico for the world market.

“It is a growing segment and our vehicle will fit, size wise, between BMW’s X3 and X5. It has become important in the premium sector to have an SUV crossover, almost an emblem or a range standard-bearer, a qualifier for brand credibility. Although they will benefit from shared architecture, the Saab and Cadillac will be two very different vehicles in terms of looks and driving dynamics with no chance of brand confusion,” says Jan-Ake Jonsson, Saab’s managing director.

There will also be a yet to be named Buick crossover SUV to be based off this same platform and engine combination. The platform will essentially be a stretched GM Theta platform and will be able to be configured in either front wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The new Saab 9-4X will likely be shown as either as a concept or as a production car preview at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show.

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Once again word has surfaced on a small Saab to be positioned under the Saab 9-3 sedan. Saab’s last attempt at a sub-9-3 car was the Saab 9-2X or more fondly known as the “Saabaru”, which was a rebadge of the Subaru Impreza station wagon. Saab only sold that for 2 years - 2005 and 2006. Saab wants to try again.

“It might be the most dramatically styled. The idea is to have an iconic shape. It wouldn’t be a toy. This is not a two-seat exotic roadster. It would have a level of functionality. It could be a hatchback. We don’t know yet,” says Steve Shannon, Saab’s general manager in the US. He further added that the new small Saab would target active 20 to 30 year olds. A target release date is sometime in the next decade.

Early 2006, there was word of a Saab 9-1, a small car to take on the likes of the BMW 1-Series and the Audi A3. The Saab 9-1 was to be based on the upcoming GM Delta II platform, which will also underpin new cars like the Chevrolet Volt. You will find an artist’s impression of the new small Saab at the beginning of this post.

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