The Saab Aero X is a radical demonstration of the power of the Saab brand to inspire design themes and features that could appear in the Saab cars of tomorrow. It is the latest in a series of concepts from Saab.
The Aero X was created as a graphic answer to a simple question: What would happen if an entire car was dedicated to expressing Saab's heritage in a new way? The question was posed just over a year ago by Bryan Nesbitt, Executive Director of Design for GME. He wanted to explore the potential for developing a bolder, more distinctive design language for Saab products.
Saab designers in Sweden drew up a number of outline proposals. An exciting sports concept that would bring Saab's aviation and Scandinavian roots into sharper focus was quickly chosen.
The Aero X shows how deep roots can inspire new design directions that remain faithful to the brand's core values. It is the latest step in a series of concepts that have each highlighted different facets of the brand.
The Saab 9X, exhibited at the IAA Frankfurt Show in 2001, demonstrated the multi-dynamic, versatile qualities of the Saab brand. Its innovative, 'four dimensional' format incorporated features typical of a coupe, roadster, wagon and even a pick-up. It was followed at the 2002 Detroit Show by the 9-3X 'cross-over coupe' concept, which combined four-wheel-drive, off-road capabilities with a sporty, three-door body format.
At the 2003 Frankfurt show, Saab then revealed the 9-3 Sport-Hatch concept, previewing its move last year into the medium-size, premium wagon segment with the 9-3 SportCombi.
Now, with the Aero X, Saab has turned the dial marked 'performance' right up for the first time. And it does so in a way only Saab can - by leveraging the potential of a turbocharged BioPower engine and its own aviation heritage.
By using BioPower, the Saab Aero X gives an environmental dimension to the phrase 'performance with responsibility' and expresses a strong Scandinavian tradition of respect for the environment. And it would not be a Saab without using turbocharging to maximize the performance potential of bio-ethanol fuel.
In looks, the Aero X is focused outside and inside on echoing the performance-driven character of a jet aircraft. In being devoted to expressing this theme, it is the most visually committed design to be shown by Saab.
"The Aero X is an extreme brand statement," says Knut Simonsson, Saab's Executive Director of Global Brand and Sales Operations. "It puts a clear emphasis on using Saab's aviation heritage to express sporty design.
"All our concept cars share the core values of the brand: progressive design, sporty driving and surprising functionality. These are the results of Saab's heritage, its story, which is about roots in aviation, Scandinavian culture and innovative thinking.
"The Aero X clearly emphasizes sportiness more than previous concepts, but it does so in a Saabish way, drawing on the potential of the brand's story. However, even in such a focused car as this, there is an element of surprising functionality with the twin storage facility.
"The Aero name itself, which we also use for our high performance production cars, shows how much we value the brand's aviation roots in expressing sporty performance. The Aero X opens up new possibilities for doing this with future products in an even more exciting way."
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