As the final questions remain unanswered about the future of Saab within the General Motors empire, the Swedish brand is well advanced on its replacement for the unbelievably ancient 9-5.
The big Saab came to Australia in 1997 and, apart from a few tweaks, has remained largely unchanged since then -- which must be some sort of automotive record.
Now a new 9-5 is on the way and, judging from these Carparazzi spy pics snapped on a frozen lake somewhere in Scandinavia, it will show a distinctively different profile to the current sedan with what appear to be significant increases in width and height. The Carparazzi team reckons the 9-5's wheelbase will be extended by a considerable 140mm.
A noticeable design cue identifying it as a Saab includes the beetle-browed windscreen that harks back to the 99 model on sale in the 1970s.
Everything else about the next 9-5 apart from the more menacing proportions remains fuzzy. The rear end of the heavily disguised photo car looks interesting and suggests a hatch-like sweep to the C-pillars -- but that's most likely a deception as the company ditched the idea of five-door bodies in favour of sedan configurations when the current 9-3 series was launched in 2002.
It is believed the next 9-5 will build on the GM Epsilon II platform that currently underpins the 9-3, and that Saab's long expertise with turbo engines will bring a smaller 1.6-litre powerplant capable of delivering -- VW Twincharger style, although it's turbo-only -- 2.0-litre-comparable performance. That said, there's every chance the big Saab will offer a similar range of engine options to the current series, including Holden-sourced V6s, as well as an ethanol-friendly four-cylinder.
Speculation remains whether the 9-5 will be built at the Trollhattan plant in Sweden, or at Opel's Russelsheim plant in Germany although, as it's understood both 9-5 and the next 9-3 will be based on variants of the same platform, Sweden may end up being the better choice.
The new 9-5 is aimed at a Frankfurt motor show introduction later in the year.
-- with Carparazzi