As part of their big Saab special this week, Auto Motor and Sport commissioned a photoshop artist to draw what they could describe as being the next generation of the Saab 9-3.
Victor Muller has told us that it’s due in 2012, though it’s unclear if that means as a 2012 model (late 2011) or as a 2013 model (late 2012).
The front takes the design language introduced in the new Saab 9-5 to a sharper level and all up, the proportions of this vehicle look very nice indeed.
At the back, you can see the all-important hatchback that’s been longed for by so many Saab fans for so long. Nice rear lights, too.
AMS have pretty good contacts in Trollhattan so hopefully this sketch is based on some really good intel.
Thanks to my Saabs United Historic Rally Team mate, J
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Interesting.
I sure hope to God that front grille “breastplate” (afflicted by all Acuras these days) will never see the light of day:
http://www.clevelandautoshow.com/uploads/Acura%20TL.jpg
Exactamente. The design is so nice but that plate… Nooo
Agree on the grille plate… I hjope they skip it.
And what about the convertible?
Where do I sign ?
Hmmmm, not sure it says SAAB to me. That front it too busy for my liking – bling does not belong on a SAAB. Saw 47 SAABs in a two hour period here yesterday. Alot of them were 9-5SC which bodes well for the new model.
)
I kind of like the design, I would like to see something like that but without the awful grille-plate thingy.
/Christofer
100% agree….
The back looks to me like Audi A3… sorry…
just hope it will look more like a hatch from 900II/9-3 I…
Please make it based on genuine intel. It’s fabulous! Except for…
The front grille cover! It could definitely be executed in a more tasteful manner. That’s just fugly! To be honest I’d rather see they dropped the idea entirely because it makes the car look GMesque.
Except for that the design is absolutely stunning. It looks sporty, aggressive and exclusive. Very Saabish in a new interesting way that I’m sure would attract lots of people. Especially the age group 25-45. I just hope they’d be willing to pay the number on the price tag too.
hmmm…
to be honest, don’t think that this hatch is the hatch I expected to see.
the back looks like a Chevrolet (Daewoo) Lacetti.
no common lines with the 900OG..
The grill looks like an angry Honda. Saab has never looked this mean, and I dont think that is a good thing. Whenever these magazines do saab, they make them look agressive I wonder why, does ‘mean’ cars sell better. I would not buy this badboy!
This one looks great. Never mind the grille plate, if they really keep that idea Hirsch will find a solution…
I’d sign a letter of intent…
If SAAB don’t built the 9X-Bio Hybrid and 9X-Air as a 9-3, I’ll be disappointed.
The front grill of the 9-3 above is a bit reminiscent of the Honda Civic. Not that the Civic is a bad looking car, it’s just not a SAAB. The grey backing plate suggests this is an EV version, where extra cooling isn’t required. I’d expect it to be black in the production version however this image wouldn’t be able to differentiate between a black covered grill or an open grill hence why it’s grey.
Personally I’d like to see the 3 port grill made much larger and extend down as far as possible. Maybe even a contemporary version of the 99-Turbo grill.
I do like Hatchbacks and the SAAB community have been calling out long enough to see it’s return. I own a hatch coupe and despite the versatility it’s supposed to offer it still cannot compete with my other car, a Mercedes A-Class, which it effectively a notchback. This is why I prefer the 9x-Bio hybrid concept. It’s still a hatch but offers even more loading capacity.
The images above show the right SAAB cues but there’s something missing. At the IAA in Frankfurt last year Simon Padian told me that the next cars to come from SAAB will be much bolder. The design language will symbolise that they are SAABs and that they have overcome the odds to still be standing proud.
For the next 9-3, we should expect something far more spectacular in 2012.
In my opinion, this pattern is like the Honda-Accord too much, at least at the front. However in reality it may look better. ???
Oh Lord
I doo believe that the 9-3 will look alot like the 9-X concept. I can also agree that the rendering has got a bit of Honda over it.. But then again I think Honda is the best looking Japs car. Tom
To me, the front looks terrible but it was the same with the first drawings of the 9-5 and when the proper images came out, better looking, I fell in love with the car. I suppose we’re about to see the same thing now. Looking forward to the hatchback…
OT…. The debt office has to come out with a statement today sance they have said that they are aware of the timetable for the SAAB sale. AND the EIB also knows of the timetable… I realy hope that we will see pressreleases today. Don
I disagree mostly the back (too much Audi A3)
and front plate.
They can do much better.
It says Saab to me….ok with the fron
The back looks similar to the one on the new Impreza.
For all those who espect a retro….i’m sorry but hust don’t think it’s time yet….
The headlamps looks like Chevrolet Volt, and the whole front looks like Honda Civic. I do like back, but front must be changed.
…and what abot this?
http://espaciocoches.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/saab-9-3-rendering.jpg
Things could go immensely better if they add the small window on “C” pillar that 1st gen 5 doors 900 had.
I like it….except for the obvious front end style. Lets incorparate inspiration from Saab 900\93′S of old there please??
Do love the Hatch tho…the Hatchback is a Legend..The Hatchback IS SAAB!!
I could live with that – after all i will be sitting inside, so the looks are just nice-to-have
There does seem to be a problem with rear vision, though…
It looks like a light, strong car – so give it a good engine and a good cockpit, then Saab has another winner. The wheels in the corners should give it good handling.
But I do agree, the front end looks like a hammer – we don’t need that.
Wouldn’t it be a nice gimmick to offer it with seats in elk-leather?
Awful. Sure the next 93 needs be that little bit more bold and agile compared with current 93 and NG95 but there is no ways Saab will produce anything like this. Tacky!
The front end is fairly good (except for the hideous “breastplate”, obviously), but in my taste overly aggressive. Saab is a friendly car at heart, and it should show. And I hear the “face” aspect of a car’s front end is important in some markets, so care should be taken to not lose that entirely. The back end is hugely disappointing; bland, generic and uninspired. Surely, Saab can do a much better hatchback than this? I’d like to see much more of the old 900, in that the slope should continue further down the back instead of leaving a big flat butt beneath. The angle of the slope should probably be lessened a bit too, to make for a bigger trunk. (Or would that make the car too long?)
The front end is fairly good (except for the hideous “breastplate”, obviously), but in my taste overly aggressive. Saab is a friendly car at heart, and it should show. And I hear the “face” aspect of a car’s front end is important in some markets, so care should be taken to not lose that entirely. The back end is hugely disappointing; bland, generic and uninspired. Surely, Saab can do a much better hatchback than this? I’d like to see much more of the old 900, in that the slope should continue further down the back instead of leaving a big flat butt beneath. The angle of the slope should probably be lessened a bit too, to make for a bigger trunk. (Or would that make the car too long?)
Ok, get rid of the grill plate, and I will sign up for one…
For me, perfect size and some kinda hatch – great!
Amusing, but I find it all a bit too confused for my tastes. Let’s have a few more Saab styling clues like a curved windscreen and a clamshell, and then let’s see what a 3 door might look like?
Hopefully there won’t be too much 9-X BH, because that car’s a bit too much Skoda Joyster, as someone pointed out recently. Let’s have a clean new ‘post GM’ look to start a new decade and put a miserable one behind us. Saabs need to start looking like real Saabs again.
http://www.netcarshow.com/skoda/2006-joyster_concept/1024×768/wallpaper_05.htm
Front end good – de-blinged a bot of course, but strong new-Saab face, like it. 8/10
Now, the rear – very poor, generic small hatchback, as someone else said above, like a Daewoo. If Saab is going to do a hatch, it needs to slope more, not just because the 99/900 did, but because it looks better than a blunt butt! 3/10 (and that’s for hte lights).
Great to be talking cars and design again though, isn;t it?!?!?
I can only see GM designs in this photoshop. Sorry, not Saab at all.
Like others, front to aggressive and Acura/Volt like and the rear, besides hints of A3 (non GM), to me, it looks like a modernized 2005 Chevy Malibu, completely ugly and no Saab at all.
I vote for anything that looks like the 9-X Air and or Biohybrid. Those were true Saab designs to me.
The front end reminds me of a mix of Ford/Acura.. which I do not like. Take off the SAAB logo in the Grille and put a Ford Blue Oval logo and I think you’ll agree…
The hood (a.k.a. bonnet) is way too long. It looks like there’s space for an inline six under there, which means less space for passengers and cargo. I would much rather see a shorter hood and longer body, sort of like the 99/90 (but not exactly like those, because that’s already been done).
The rear is nothing special. The hatch door should go all the way down to the bumper.
I’m almost 100% confident that the real 9-3 Mark III will be much more stunning and less conventional than this.
Dang my typing / mental skills in the morning without coffee…
Grille = Where you get a burger and beer
Either way, I still dont like it.
The whole thing looks like an uncomfortable blend of 9-4x and NG9-5 with some 9-X BH thrown in for good measure. Let’s have something more original and more Saab please, and no damned 22″ wheels either!
I personally love this car minus the Acura grill! Now please a diesel in the US! Hint Hint!
So you’re not a huge fan of big gaudy wheels either?
No, it makes cars look like Tonka toys! And when you have to buy new tyres/tires, it’s like having to take out a second mortgage! Let’s have wheels ranging from 17″ to 19″ only please, or those stylists can buy my tyres!
BTW, I thought the new 9-3 (or 900?) on Delta II was meant to be a little smaller, lighter and more chuckable than the 9-3SS? This thing looks as heavy as the 9-4x.
Agreed- I can do without the Acura beak. Otherwise, looks like a scaled down 9-5… which isn’t a bad thing.
I quite like it, tho I agree with most here about the front breastplate. it doesn’t look so hot on acuras either.
I think a less sloped windscreen could do a lot for conveying more saabness as well as friendliness. I like the front end shape a lot, but think a more upright and more curved windscreen would go well with the aero-x-inspired black a-pillars. Could give it that forward-leaning appearance of the old saabs, instead of the reclining look of so many cars today.
I’ll just add a resounding negative to the front grille plate. Acura’s love affair with the front grille plate has really hurt its image and sales, IMHO. It is hideously, outrageously, insanely ugly.
Saab is about clean, Scandinavian design. Not ugly cosmetic modifications with no functional purpose.
I like the overall design, but they need to ditch that hideous grille plate.
This being the first Saab Spyker, they should really come out with a super sharp car that puts Saab back on the map. This is a hugely important model for Saab.
Maybe we should start a petition against too big wheels?
I agree with everyone else that the Acura style grill plate has to go. The front is ok but the grill needs to extend further into the bumber to minimize the bumper’s visual height. The back is a Suburu Impreza, I would think the real deal will be sharper and less round.
This rendering clearly takes its front design cues from the Aero-X:
http://www4.rcf.bnl.gov/~nieuwhzs/Saab-Aero-X_1.jpg
I like the Aero-X front (including the long hood) but the slanted headlight slights just make it look too aggressive.
The hatch seems to be an afterthought. Please look at the old Saab hatches and try to stick to those dimensions, they have proven to be very pleasing to the eye and practical.
I don’t like this at all. And it’s not that it doesn’t look Saab, it’s just not progressive enough of a design to warrant a must have instinctive buy feeling.
The front is aggressive/saabish enough……..
The back is to ordinary, it could be Hyunday….. needs to be sportier…………..
I like it. It seems a logical extension of the GM900/OG93 design.
Though you wouldn’t know it to read around here, but some people (yes, me) actually like the GM900 styling.
I respectfully disagree. The GM900/OG93 was a more wedge shaped design, which is most apparent in the Viggen. The photoshopped 9-3 has a high prominent front (mostly because of the damn oversized wheels) and a roofline that slopes to the back. This results in not enough head space in the back and much less hatch. We end up with a teardrop design. Although this worked as a design exercise for the UrSaab I just don’t like it in a modern sedan/hatchback. Strangely enough the Aero-X design works for me.
boring, overall shape seems bland like an Audi, I like Saabs because of the definite wedge look. This isn’t a wedge, its a big piece of blubber. Also see way too much A3 there, the return of the Saab hatch shouldn’t be confused with a wagon. I like that they pulled details from the gorgeous Air concept but it’s not nearly as interesting. The future of the brand lies on this model, Saab has to take some chances.
Are we lucky that the design department of Saab is not at AMS!
The front plate: yuk. Do like ther rest of the front though.
The side: why would we want the NG900/OG9-3 side back? It’s already on the 9-4X, so make a new interpretation.
The back: too short. In order to fit in the tradition of the 900′s the back window should be less steep
Hey everyone this is a concept of what the 9-3 might look like right? I just don’t like that grill. It looks too Acura.
Agreed. Petition to Saab: No ridiculously large wheels please!
How about a petition for to stop that grill?
From the technical point of view, that front plate is, at least in Europe(high output diesel), a no go.
And that wide lower opening is firstly boring and secondly not of use.
They’ve taken some picture of the NG9-5 and changed some details to make it look different.
And if SAAB wants to use that long front lights, please do also make a clamshell bonnet.
BTW, I’m still wondering if a backwards opening bonnet, like on the OG900, is better or worse for pedestrian protection.
SAAB has to rethink everything, in order to introduce innovative solutions.
Let the others be the “me-too” brands.
Brad, this is not a concept of the 3rd gen 9-3.
This is what AMS thinks the next 9-3 could look like.
Yes they also have some Djup Strupe, but I don’t think it will look like this.
I think someone saw the earlier 9-3 design that was said to be very ordinary, they mixed in some NG9-5, 9-4x, 9-X BH and then sharpened up the grill a bit, and gave us this. It’s a bit of a confusing hotchpotch, and also quite a mess.
The back needs to be long (utilitarian) and tapered to a low bumper. That low rear end is what made the 900 beautiful. I’m sure they can figure out a way to make it crumple up safely. The windshield needs to be upright and curved. There needs to be a little grill in just the right place on the rear quarter panel. It needs hot wheels, like the turbo x. It needs a spoiler. It needs massive turbo power. In short, it needs to look like an updated version of the 900, but not in a goofy way like the vw bug, and it needs the power handling credibility to compete with the germans.
A quick note:
The front lights remind me of a civic. The Acura grille is ugly… And the back reminds me of a chevy-Daewoo
When I mentioned above I wasn’t overly impressed with AMS’ take on what could be the next 9-3, I hope I didn’t give the impression that I disliked it.
The car has a good design, However I’d still change a few things.
I’ve read comments that the car is still a GM design. This is such a ridiculous comment to make as all SAAB’s have been designed by SAAB. Even under Brian Nesbitt who signed the design off.
I don’t know what some of you want. Well actually I do. You want a SAAB 900.
Rear opening hoods, little air vents on 3rd quarter, upright windows, yet when ever a retro SAAB should be produced the answer is a resounding no. However; here we are wanting exactly than.
So I put it to you.
How about Swade opens a post for people to put down what they consider a SAAB is and see what we come up with.
It can be wrap around windshield, clamshell hood, read vent, Notch-bach, hatchback, fastback… classic hockey stick, reverse hockey stick design.
Most important what type of 3 port grill people want to see and what shape the rear lights should be. Be as descriptive as possible. Should the grill be typical black plastic or some other material (clear plastic resembling ice)
Once we’ve got all the info maybe someone here would like to have a go at creating a few pictures featuring the most popular comments.
Let’s se if Saabsunited can come up with a design for the next 9-3?
I think there is a subtle difference between retro and iconic. A Porsche 911 is iconic, but never referred to a retro. Saab had it’s iconic C900, but by the time it realized that, the idea got substantially diluted. I’d like to see a modern day take on a car somewhere between a 99 and a C900. Yes lets have a curved windscreen, but a little more angled and bigger than the one on a C900 vert. Lets have a clamshell bonnet that opens the right way. Hell, lets even have sill less doors too, and a proper hatchback instead of some (less practical) stumpy arrangement. I’d like to see a car that’s real tribute to those old cars, but not just made to look like them, like the modern day VW Beetle. That car’s almost a parody of the original beetle.
By the same token, I’d prefer not to see a retro Saab 92 clone as a 9-1. That design might polarize buyers and could also prove to be a less than practical shape for a hatchback, with even more compromises than a Volvo C30. That’s something Saab certainly doesn’t need. If Saab is going to do anything retro at all, lets confine it to an iconic new 900. And like Porsche has always done with the 911, lets keep that icon going.
I agree with you Markac.
I am becoming tired of saying it…I wish they would move away from the Audi templates they “seem” to be using and stop messing around with minor detail to make it appear different. The saab face is fine without the blanking plate-you may as well put back the sun glasses if that is “originality of design.”
I am not a stuck in the past purist I am a moderate and open to new ideas but SAAB has to use its own history and style and provenance to go forward, I do not believe without looking very hard indeed this looks like a SAAB unles you read the badge. SAAB needs to figure out why so many people bang on and on so much about the old 900 hatches (fastback I guess you’d call it today, long & sloping) eg not like an estate box with a short rake, and drag that design into the future somehow, using modern technology and original design elements.
Without doing that it will look like Audi (as this does look like the next A3 and the 9-5, whilst I think its pretty looks like the next A6)
I know the ng9-5 was already designed so as a transition model I would not expect that to be a true SAAB original since GM were still involved but I am not happy with this rendering of the 9-3 becasue it was SAAbs first chance to show what they can do without being lead by GM-this does not look like an original design and SAAB will loose the battle as it will compete with an extablished brand already making those shapes-it will be 2nd best to the Original Audi styling and negate its own style to be lead by the market and its major manufacturers. This is not how SAAB is or was. It needs to carve out its niche again. This is where GM made their biggest error.
Do something we do not see every day on the roads already and if you have not inspiration or SAAB spirit in you to do this then look at what made SAAB special to begin with and work it out from there.
I still like SAAB alot because they have such potential I would even by an interim model like the 9-5 to help SAAB stay afloat and see what they do next but I do want them to be original and I am dissappointed with the ng9-3 design so far-it needs to be better if it is true to SAAB.
Toby
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