9X – The Future Saab
It’s hard to categorise the Saab 9X because it really is many types of cars in one. For those who can only afford one car, this may be the ultimate since, at the touch of a button, you can have a coupe, roadster, stationwagon or even a pick-up!
The Saab 9X, conceived at the Saab Advanced Concept Centre and presently making its rounds of the world motorshow venues, is a three-dimensional presentation of some of the ideas which Saab designers are now examining for the future. While there may not be a model that is going to look exactly like the 9X, you can be sure that many of the ideas it has will certainly be incorporated in some way for future products.
Nevertheless, this is not just a “looks only” prototype and is in fact, fully engineered. “We have designed and built the 9X as a fully working, entirely feasible prototype which can go into production with very little modification,” reveals Michael Mauer, Saab’s head of design.
The 9X shape is a sleek one, almost like the front end of a jet fighter from ‘Star Wars’ (but actually inspired by the front end of one of the older Saab aeroplanes). But that’s not surprising since Saab was originally and still is an aircraft manufacturer. In fact, it is said that the engineers who worked on its very first car had pilot’s licences but not driver’s licences!
The sleekness is functional, able to slip through the air with low resistance (no Cd figure is given). All body panels are smoothly interfaced and apart from the door mirrors, nothing projects into the airstream. Even the glass curves around what would normally be roof pillars to allow the airflow to move unruffled from front to rear.
One thing about designing a prototype which the stylists love is that anything is possible and the constraints of production engineering are not a major issue. Thus for the 9X, new innovations are being tried out. For example, the roof system comprises two separate, fully-powered glass panels that can be easily removed and stowed on board.
Another clever idea is the use of load-securing tracks to allow leisure items and other cargo to be stored safety and securely. This complements the variable bodystyle so that it is possible to carry anything from a pair of rollerblades to a mountain bike. To carry the latter, one has to make use of the most unusual feature of the 9X which extends the floor backwards by 20 cm – at the touch of a button. The roof and side elements also disappear at the same time and in all, Saab says it takes just 5 seconds to convert into a pick-up.
Of course, with our weather, a sudden downpour can occur as you are on the way to the beach. Not to worry with this Saab because the cargo area has non-slip silicon-treated felt which acts like a raincoat. Water is channelled through drainage slots rather than soaking in. It is also a tough material that won’t be easily damaged by metal gear.
In developing he 9X, the Saab engineers already knew what sort of powerplant could go into it. It is the company’s own all-aluminium 3.0-litre 24-valve V6 with turbocharger installed at the front and powering all four wheels. Saab has considerable experience with turbochargers, having been the first manufacturer to use this power-boosting device in mass-produced models in the mid-1980s.
In the 9X, the prototype engine is claimed to be able to produce 224 kW (300 bhp) of power and 410 Nm of torque. Considering that the 9X, which has a steel/aluminium bodyshell weighs around 1,330 kgs, that is plenty of power and computer simulations have indicated that it could achieve a top speed of over 250 km/h but by an unwritten understanding among manufacturers, the top speed is stated as 250 km/h. It’s also capable of joining the supercar category with a sub-6 second time for the 0 to 100 km/h sprint.
With a coupe configuration among its four options, high performance is also a strong point of the 9X. This is where a lot of effort has gone into chassis design and a carefully engineered multi-link arrangement is fitted for the rear axle. With this layout, Saab engineers are confident that the 9X can be firmly at the head of the compact sports coupe category.
“Though this is a multi-dynamic design, the design team was clear that there should be no compromises as a pure driver’s car,” explains Michael Mauer, Saab’s head of design. “Owners of such a car would want to get up early so they can drive to work half an hour earlier and be able to take the longer way – just for the sheer joy of driving the 9X!”
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