Saab is not understating the case when it refers to its 9-3 convertible model as "playing a leading role in growing what was once a small market niche."
Since the original model's introduction in 1986, the soft-top Saab has become an almost-iconic presence in the prestige convertible segment with its combination of street credibility and affordable pricing.
In fact, the model became an indispensable part of the Australian Saab lineup and was largely responsible for propping up sales as the company sank into a decline that has lasted for at least 10 years.
But Saab is in a re-emergent phase and this year celebrates its 25th year of soft-top models, recognising not just the significance of the convertible in the prestige new-car landscape, but also its importance to the company itself.
For a long time, until 2010 when the company had diminished almost to irrelevance in Australia, the popular convertible accounted for better than one third of Saab's annual sales. While Saab's position on the Australian car market shrank, the convertible's position tended to shrink less and it was still managing close to 600 sales per annum until 2007.
The first Saab convertible was based on the original 900 two-door model and made its appearance as a concept car at the 1983 Frankfurt motor show before appearing in road-going form in Europe in 1986.
As a prestige convertible able to seat four passengers and featuring an electrically powered roof, the Saab 900 convertible differed from other soft-tops in that it originated from a cold, northern European climate and was thus a true all-seasons car. Right from the beginning it used a heated glass rear window to provide clear rear vision in winter, while Saab claimed the heating was good enough to allow top-down motoring in cold weather.
The second version came in 1993, developed in conjunction with hatchback versions of the new, GM-derived 900 model. This morphed into the re-named and re-engineered 9-3 model, adopting a hydraulic roof mechanism to replace the previous electrically operated system. Refinement of the roof folding mechanism included a solid "tonneau" cover that closed flat to conceal and protect the soft-top roof when folded.
The third generation came with the also GM-derived 9-3 in 2003 and boasted, according to Saab, the fastest soft-top operation (20 seconds to raise or lower) in its segment.
The third generation 9-3 convertible was the first car, Saab says, to gain a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating and its top could be raised at speeds up to 30km/h.
In all, Saab has built 99,535 current generation 9-3 convertibles since introduction in 2003. Between 1994 and 2002 the company built 149,415 second-generation 900 and 9-3 convertibles, and from 1986 to 1993 it built 48,894 of the original, first generation 900 convertible.
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