Geneva Press invitation and JC concept peek

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I think 1 image is worth more than a thousand words.


If this is a first peek of what Jason Castriota tries to do with Saab, then I’m with him.

This is a 2-colour version of the picture above.

I think you can see some contours, but it is still quite confusing. I just don’t understand the horn.

96 thoughts on “Geneva Press invitation and JC concept peek”

  2. Very slick looking for such a small section of the car. I’m getting excited about the direction SAAB is heading!

  4. i studied all the cars that Jason Castriota designed, and in my opinion saab have the best person to do the new cars design. i trust him !!!

  5. After seeing what he did with the Lancia Stratos, I could not agree more with hashoo. JC is a designer that knows how to pay homage to a cars heritage while thrusting them forward into the future. Saab is in very capable hands.

  7. Arion, in my opinion this photo is taken from the passenger (right) side, left-botom in the photo it’s the wheel arch, the line that cut’s body in a half (whitch starts on the roof) – door line. I hope i explained it clearly, because i’m not native english speaker.

      • It seems too low to be rear view camera unless it is aimed through the windshield/windscreen out the rear window….but then it does not seem like it would give you as good a view as if it were mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

    • bk-aero, I think you are right. Didn’t they implement these on the 9-x and 9-x Air concepts, just lower on the A-pillar? These look like they are mounted closer to the roof-line on this concept as opposed to a normal belt-line orientation…

    • I believe thats the tip of a whale tail spoiler… imagine looking at a Porsche 911 from a wide angle at the front, so that you are seeing the lip protruding from behind the rear quarter and window 🙂

      That’s what I’m seeing.

    • On the front. Have a look at the curve on the right edge of the pic. That’s the end of the bonnet that curves around the windshield. And you can’t see A-pillars because they’re black. =)

      • But were does it end on the upper side?….if this were the 9-5 you would see a line before the roof starts, and there`s nothing there except the horn.

        • I could imagine that the roof (visible as a light colored stripen above the door) stretches down to the wing camera. It obviously can’t sit on the glass. Have a look at this truck (by Luigi Colani) and imagine the camera to be where the upper beam of the wing mirror is fixed.

  10. What if the horn is on the rear of the vehicle? Antenna?
    left side is the front?
    I can’t open it either, RedJ.

  11. I hope that is, in fact, a nice sharp crease along the top of the door and not just someone being playful with shadows. Also, the rear quarter has a bit of a 911 (or A-M Vantage) feel, no?

  12. The ” horn ” is a stylized rear view mirror. Like Kittciokas said, passenger side, the line going up is the window line, and you can see the door shut lines also.

  14. If I’m reading it right (2/3 rear right-side photo), it seems to have a 92 inspired share with a teardrop rear end… I would understand if it didn’t have a wraparound windscreen, if that’s so (it seems it doesn’t).

    I’m OK if Saab’s range has more than one inspiring shape: the 92 is as good as a 99/900 as a reference for Saab. 🙂

  15. Very interesting times… !
    Applause to Saab for their exciting way to gradually show and tell a little more, while building up the tension and excitement! 🙂 Very well and professional done! 🙂 And also the graphic design-line are in good shape – keeping the Saab-heritage by renewal!!

  16. Tiago, yes i think that is a picture of the side rear of the car and the “horn” is not a side mirror because this is not a wing shot. To All Saabers: look again! The “horn” is the rear hood antenna!

  19. OT: The 9-3X gets a rather unflattering review in this extensive comparison between six medium-sized combis by Vi Bilägare. They were especially critical of how it handles.

    With the X model, the 9-3 got a much needed design refresher, but we wonder if this wasn’t done at the expense of the driving characteristics.

    • Well, switch the badges between SAAB and Audi before next ViB test, and they will still tell you how bad the SAAB is compared to the competitor. The problem is not SAAB, but ViB.

    • What they tested is the 9-3X Diesel. And that one is front wheel drive. Perhaps having a bit trouble getting force down to the ground. Specially in snowy weather.
      There was another test of the 9-3X Gasoline XWD and that got extremely good reviews.
      Don´t remember in what magazine that was.
      I fortunately drive a 9-3X XWD Auto (consumes 1,5L in daily city traffic!!!!!) and can assure all of you the splendid grip it has on snow and ice. It´s absolutely ………hilarious, mind-blowing fun fun fun to drive in winter conditions. You can almost do anything with it without provoking it to let you down in any way.
      I love it. And its red…….:-)
      ESP disconnected. Always! Silly?

      • Perhaps one could add that fuel consumption usually is measured in litres per Scandinavian mile in Sweden, i.e. litres per 10 km. So “StefanH STHLM” probably means that his car consumes 1.5 l/10 km, which is very much.

        • Having driven in sthlm for a couple of days this week that figure says more about the terrible traffic in sthlm than the car, first gear, clutch up, clutch down…city is built on islands so routes are kind of limited. My 9-5 2,3 BP also went up to around 1,5 l/10 km (E85) during these days. Now down to usual 1,15 l/10km, and that´s at good pace.
          But Stefan is doing a good job showing his 9-3X in our capitol, there were far to few Saabs on the road if you ask me, I only spotted 2 new 9-5s, there are much more here in Gothenburg.

          About the invitation card pic, I don´t see a NG 9-5 SC there at all.

          • With E85 1.5 l/10 km in city traffic is quite reasonable. I haven’t seen many NG Saab 9-5s in Uppsala either. I guess it partly has to do with Uppsala being a university city with relatively few private employers offering employees leasing cars. I visited VästerÃ¥s, a much more industrialized city, a few weeks ago and my impression was that there were more NG Saab 9-5s there.

  20. Mmmm! I love SAAB and how they manage to build up tension with these teasers!
    My 10 cents: A view from behind the right side of the car towards the front. A 2-door teardrop coupé. The “horn” is kind of what volkswagen showed in a concept with the high mirrors but probably cameras, no mirrors. Aerodynamics people!

    • Oh sorry Tiago.. Wrote the above a couple of hours ago and just posted it. I´ll check what you have written.

      Cheers/Tom

      • Tiago, as always I´m impressed with your views. Good stuff, good good stuff.

        Now If you please Tiago.. Draw your own take on what you wrote and send it over to Steven, Pleeeease 🙂

        Cheers/Tom

        • Hehehe that would be a crazy exercise 🙂 There’s so little in the picture I’d never end close the real thing…

          But it would be an interesting exercise to do!! 🙂

  22. Yes. At first one thinks that you have the front in the right side of the picture. Left is rear.
    But after a while, considering the info ´bout the fin, and looking twice or trice at the picture, you´re left with the feeling that it´s the opposite.
    Left is front, right is rear. And the horn is the fin. Cool if that´s the case.

        • You know, a few hours more and I have changed my mind again… I am convinced this is a FRONT three quarter view of the concept car and that the horn is the rear fin/roof spoiler.

          I also think the lines at the lower edge of all the glass have been deliberately blurred to hide the fact that this is the windscreen and A pillar in the foreground and that the wheel arch we see is a front one.

  23. Gustaf, I agree with you its just something wrong with ViB!! I think SAAB actually should ignore lending cars to that so called paper! They love Volvo and always will!!

  24. StefanH,

    What I said all along – without having posted once of course – that horn could be a rear spoiler of sorts.

  25. I took a screen shot of the covered Concept Car at the web page and zoomed in to see it better. To me it looks like the horn can be seen as a small bump under the cover.

    We are living interesting times…

  26. Car companies have a certain design language. Certain designers have a design language of their own, too, and it’s not unusual to see common elements of their designs carry through from one place/car to another. Don’t dismiss Jason’s previous work carrying through a little into this concept.

    • With that in mind, everyone have a look at Jason’s SSC Ultimate Aero.

      Methinks that’s the style glass canopy we’re looking at here. If so, mmmmmmmmmmm sexy jetfighter badassery. Am I getting warmer steven?

  27. Haha we were a bit overexcited and i just lost my 10 cents. I agree with red J, its “just” the 9-5 wagon… Makes sense now!

    • I don’t think so. The “horn” and the curve on the right edge of the picture can’t be found at the rear end of the SC. The horn can’t be the antenna because there’s no way it could look like that from this angle.
      I’m sure it is the right side view with the right door, a part of the bonnet (curve) and the wing mirror camera.

      • I don’t think so either.

        Two reasons – whilst I can see why RedJ would suggest this, it looks more like the side of a car than the rear. The right side of the image doesn’t look symmetrical to the left to me.

        And second, they told me they were going to start with these sorts of teasers for the concept just like other companies have done recently, though I didn’t expect them to start doing so until around Feb 23.

        • Hey, Swade….any chance Djup Strupe can at least confirm what side/angle the view is on this teaser shot?

        • I cant figger this out, I admit. To say its a 9-5 SC doesen´t make sens, cant find that roundness in the back (It´s out of my sight anyway). And why should they do that on a car they allready shown pictures of?
          No this is new stuff, the horn is maybe a spoiler on the back (what els) but look at the so called wheel, its to straight to fit in some way and confuses me. What I see is a extreamly round back of a smaller car I think or?????????????????????not…..What is that! Look at the light that faling in, is there any clues there, maybe!

          Maybe I am “kejsaren utan kläder” stupid enough to think that I see something thats not there. But I can take that. JC have certainly confused me, mission completed Jason, well done!

  28. Red J,

    You were right! We’re currently up to 1,586 words on this post. 🙂 Drive safely and KEEP ON SAABING!!!

  30. A few years ago, many were complaining about the number of concept cars and lack of real new models. But it sure is nice to get excited about something new again. And some of you have waaaaay too much time on your hands. 🙂

  33. Has anyone thought that the “horn” is just the tip of a rear windscreen wiper, and we’re looking at the left rear quarter of the 9-5SC?

  34. The photo could be taken from the left rear corner towards the right front corner. The “horn” is the right side rear view mirror. The “door line” is actually the left side trunk line down low and a split line between sunroof panels(?) at the top. The “wheel opening” is actually the left side tail light.

    Just an opinion…….

  35. The “Horn” looks like a spoiler at the top of the rear window. I think everyone is thinking it the front for some reason.

  36. The Mantide, the Ferrari, and the SSC Ultimate Aero all have little side rear-view mirrors set up high near the roof line. Just saying.

  38. I´m curious as to the “special twist” for the 9-3 models. The drapes on the invite look like they are hiding a hatchback. Could they pull off something so dramatic as suddenly having a hatchback plus new nose job for the outgoing 9-3. Would that not be expensive to achieve, unless they had already done it on paper before GM sold, but it was never followed through on by the old management. Just a thought.

    • I wish you were right but I dont think it will be anything as dramatic. Jason looks like he has penned something very interesting though!

  39. Swade, what if this is a rear shot and we are vieeig trunknan back slope of the concept car? Then that could explain the line coming down- trunk. The line one the roof- maybe part of hardtop convertable. The horn would then be the right side mirror- very much a Castriota style.

  40. Or how about this and I promise I’m done. What if the line running down the middle of the roof represents the meeting point of doors that fling up?! As in the Mclaren and other exotic sports cars?!! This would be the ultimate JC signiture.

  41. Maybe it is too early in the morning for me.

    Or maybe puling a 180° on a 90 kph road in my 9000 the other evening caused me to finally loose the rest of my marbles… (Time to check my shock absorbers? Tips are welcome — my backend slips quite easily these days and I have fresh tyres)

    But I think the “horn” is a retort to Jeremy Clarksson’s “cockometer” remark. Saab is aiming high this time.

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