saab 9-x air

GM-owned Swedish automaker Saab was on hand in Paris to unveil its latest concept called the Saab 9-X Air. Essentially a drop-top version of the 9-X BioHybrid concept shown earlier this year in Geneva, the new concept features much the same styling, retaining a wraparound windscreen in its topless configuration. Aero-X styling cues are notable up front and Saab's "ice block" headlight and gauge cluster design is present. Powering the Saab 9-X Air concept is the same E85-burning 1.4L BioPower bioethanol turbo engine that formed the internal-combustion half of the original 9-X hybrid concept, which makes 197 hp and gets the car to 62 mph in 8.1 seconds. Up top, Saab has designed the 9-X Air to be cross between a targa top and a convertible. What they've created is a fabric top that automatically folds into three sections and stows beneath a tonneau cover at the rear of the car. A small rear window rolls down while the top is stowing and comes back up after to act as a wind deflector, which Saab says works better than the standard mesh screen used as a wind deflector in other convertibles. Combined with an active wind deflector on the top of the windshield, Saab claims they've greatly reduced the buffeting and backdrafts common to top-down driving. To make room for the hide-away top, the 9-X Air has no traditional trunk. Instead, a storage bin pops out from underneath the taillights that's big enough to hold two sets of golf clubs. Instead, Saab created an arc-shaped "zone" along the top of the driver's door that features five embedded screens with 3-D graphics that control the infotainment and other systems. The 9-X Air can also automatically connect with multiple cell phones or PDAs via Bluetooth and allows occupants to access data, entertainment and satellite navigation functions from the devices through the car's built-in systems without removing a phone or PDA from pocket. The more functions a device has, the more the 9-X Air can use, including turning a cell phone into a keyless entry remote.Saab is planning a production Saab 9-1 and 9-1X (AWD) small car for the European market that is said to borrow heavily from the 9-X in the size and styling departments. Expect to see that car hit cross-pond roads around 2012, but we wouldn't hold our breath waiting for a convertible version that keeps the same windscreen. The frameless, wraparound glass looks way too cool to be production-viable.
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