Saab

Well, it may not be able to fly, but it is nonetheless a car with wings ... or in this case, winglets. Unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Saab PhoeniX concept car pays homage to the automaker's roots in aviation with roof-mounted winglets designed to channel airflow from the sides of the car and across its rear deck, thereby reducing lift forces without increasing drag. Other notable features include butterfly opening doors, stalk-mounted rearward cameras, an electrically-driven rear axle and Saab's new upgradable Android-based IQon entertainment and communications system. Read More

In the 1970's, top of the line in-car entertainment systems consisted of a quadraphonic eight-track audio system pumping out music stored on cartridges – and maybe a strobe light. Since then, CD, DVD and Blu-ray players, touchscreens, integrated smartphone connectivity, GPS systems and more have all found their way into automobiles to provide increasingly powerful in-car infotainment systems. Saab is now looking to bring the versatility and personalization capabilities of Google's Android operating system to its vehicles with the development of its IQon infotainment concept that will allow users to download applications, online services and multi-media functions through a Saab IQon store. Read More

Following its purchase from General Motors by Dutch hand-built automobile manufacturer Spyker earlier this year, Saab working on its first all-electric vehicle . Taking its body from a conventional 9-3 SportCombi station wagon, the Saab 9-3 ePower has a 135kW electric motor, a projected range of 124 miles and makes zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). The wraps come off the prototype at the 2010 Paris Motor Show ahead of fleet trials in Sweden next year. Read More

In the world of military technology, new weapon capabilities quickly supersede the old. With the United States expenditure for the 2009 fiscal year at US$515.4 billion, it's rare to find a very old weapon still cutting it with the best on the battlefield, but the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle (CG) has proved the exception to this rule. First produced in 1946, the Carl Gustav remains in widespread use today. Read More

Just over a quarter century ago, Saab showed the first four-seater convertible to the world, creating a new class of luxury automobile. Now it’s set to do it all over again with the 9-X Air concept car and a visually-distinctive newly-designed Canopy Top designed to aerodynamically cocoon the passenger cell. The design incorporates prominent raked rear pillars that curve upwards to mount a flat folding roof – essentially a development of the Targo roof principle – with a separate rear screen located between them. Instead of having a manually detachable roof section, the Saab Canopy top is fully powered in operation and folds away in the storage trunk. With the top down motorists can enjoy open-top motoring free from buffeting, and with the top up the 9-X Air assumes the appearance of a true coupe. Saab has filed a patent on the convertible roof design and hence the 9-X Air provides a glimpse of what a future convertible from Saab could look like. Read More

March 4, 2008 Showcasing a range of technologies that will underpin the brand's future compact car offerings, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid combines the aircraft-inspired design of the Aero X coupé concept shown at Geneva two years ago with a 200 hp (147 kW), 1.4-litre BioPower turbo engine that employs GM’s next-generation Hybrid system. Shape-shifting aerodynamics, active safety measures - including automatic light dimming courtesy of a front-mounted camera that monitors light sources on the road ahead - touch-sensitive keyless entry and the use of a solar power to supplement charging of the hybrid battery pack are among the standout innovations presented in the three-door 9-X BioHybrid Concept as it makes its world debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Read More

January 14, 2008 Drawing on design elements showcased in the Aero X concept and hinting at the company's plans to enter the crossover vehicle segment, Saab unveiled its four-seat 9-4X BioPower Concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The Concept's key features include the use of a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter, 300 horsepower (221 kW) BioPower turbo engine coupled with the Saab XWD powertrain already available in the 9-3 range. Read More

February 20, 2007 Targeted promotional opportunities for premium brands often makes for some strange bedfellows, and resulted this week in premium aerospace and automotive brand Saab releasing ‘The Little White Purse.’ Created by Fashion designer Osman Yousefzada, the purse was designed as an innovative way to keep a woman’s keys stylishly at hand. It banishes those clumsy key-fumbling moments so you look fashionably efficient while stepping into your car, home or workplace. According to Saab, on average a woman wastes one day each year fumbling around for keys in the bottom of her handbag, which does seem a lamentable waste of time. The clever design means the purse can be worn as a necklace, attached inside a handbag, or around a wrist where it could no doubt double as a weapon should the need arise. Read More

In these pages we focus on design, breakthroughs, enabling technologies and concepts and it’s rare that we look at product that has been in the marketplace for some time, much less second-hand product. But when we saw what a UK automotive warranty company was up to, we know you'll agree that it’s worth a mention. As a privately owned insurance intermediary, the firm collects lots of data about warranty issues – something you’ll never find out from the only other people who have access to the information (the manufacturers). In a very clever move, it has taken this secondary data and produced a reliability index – an independent comparison of frequency of failure across the 55,000 vehicles it insures. Read on for a list of the 100 most reliable used cars over the past decade. And before you take a peek, have a guess at where the best Japanese, German, Swedish, British, Korean and French-built cars will rank. You won’t even come close! Read More