Saab sets sights on Germans

The new 9-5 is an homage to traditional Saab styling traits. In distilling the luxury sedan's looks, the 9-5's designer, Simon Padian, has developed a car that hints at things known about the Swedish brand, rather than slavishly copying cues from the past.

The new car has a wrap-around windscreen, just as earlier Saab models have, but the new model's windscreen has been toned down as a concession to aerodynamics and packaging.

From different angles, the bonnet and shut lines of the new 9-5 resemble the clamshell look of earlier Saabs, but the resemblance is an illusion formed by the prominence of the bonnet pressing above the grille and headlights.

In conversation with Padian during the local launch of the 9-5, the question arose: How did he choose the line between homage and caricature for the new 9-5? The wraparound windscreen received a tick of approval, but not the clamshell...

"There was a lot of discussion about the clamshell, but we haven't had it consistently," Padian admitted, citing the 9-3 as a case in point.

What was the message he wanted to convey in the design of the new 9-5? It's a cleaner look than some recent German designs and it's sufficiently removed from the aging 9-3 to escape the accusation that it's just a different length of sausage. In response, Padian offers a mild rebuke for the German companies.

"You don't add decoration just for the sake of it," he said, but in the same breath: "It doesn't have to be boring."

"There's an overall family identity..." Padian explained, "[but] we don't follow the Russian doll philosophy."

In fact, even if Saab wanted to head down that route, it would be difficult to do, because "historically, you could say that [Saab hasn't] had enough products" in the model range.

The 9-5's style draws inspiration from the company's aviation heritage, but also from iconic Swedish furniture maker, Ikea. In common with Ikea's furniture, the 9-5's style is "stark, simple, dramatic..." as Padian describes it. It's different from the Bauhaus ideals of the past; form and function "have to be in harmony," Padian explained.

But just because the large, luxury sedan has gone for clean, uncluttered and distinctive looks doesn't mean that Padian and Saab are locked into that style for the future. The company's Phoenix concept (pictured), unveiled at the Paris motor show last year, is built on the platform for the next generation of 9-3, but introduces some bold styling flourishes that may make it to production.

Phoenix is clearly a design flowing from aviation and Saab's 'two-stroke' heritage more than Ikea. How much of that mix will make it into the production 9-3 is the big question, but one that will be answered in the third quarter of 2012. That's when the next-gen 9-3 is due to be unveiled in Europe, where new pedestrian safety regulations have compelled Saab to specify an active bonnet for the new car. That alone justifies the shape of the concept car's bonnet...

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