The strange concept gives novel expression to automaker’s Scandinavian-inspired design ethos

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Just over a quarter century ago, Saab showed the first four-seater convertible to the world, creating a new class of luxury automobile. Now it’s located to do it all over again with the 9-X Air general car and a visually-distinctive newly-designed Canopy Top designed to aerodynamically cocoon the passenger enclosed space. The design incorporates prominent raked rear pillars that curve upwards to amount a flat folding roof—essentially a development of the Targo roof principle—with a separate rear screen located between them. Instead of having a manually detachable house section, the Saab Canopy top is completely powered in manipulation and folds away in the storage trunk. With the top down motorists have power to enjoy open-top motoring eager from buffeting, and with the top up the 9-X Air assumes the guise of a true coupe. Saab has filed a patent on the convertible vault outline and from this time forth the 9-X Air provides a transitory view of what a future convertible from Saab could look like.

The clean, sculpted body contours of the 9-X Air accord. fresh lively representation to Saab’s Scandinavian-inspired invention ethos and its aircraft heritage. The purposeful stance, with minimal overhangs front and rear, is complemented by a single, wraparound window graphic, regulate uncluttered body surfaces and ‘congeal block’ lighting themes.

Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Europe said of the car: "Like her sister the 9-X BioHybrid, this car is every part of about efficiency in design and performance. It offers important benefits in weight-saving and packaging as correctly as giving us the exemption from restraint. to take convertible design forward."

The 9-X Air and its hatchback sibling too showcase seamless, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth) with one or multiple vagrant devices (mobile phones, PDAs etc).

The 9-X Air has been created by a team under Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe, operating in co-operation by the Saab Brand Center in Sweden.

Designed in parallel through the Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept, the 9-X Air shares its distinctive brow-band styling, in the same place with its highly efficient powertrain. The small, 1.4-litre Saab BioPower engine combines a series of measures on this account that more responsible entertainment: engine rightsizing, turbocharging, the use of biofuels and hybrid technology.

Running adhering E85 fuel (85% bioethanol/ 15% petrol), the engine delivers a sporty 200 hp (147 kW), giving zero to 62 mph acceleration in 8.1 seconds and projected CO2 tailpipe emissions of just 107 g/km over the combined cycle. Compared to normal petrol, the overall environmental impact on a source-to-wheel basis of using E85 is even else beneficial.

The exterior appear of the 9-X Air is defined by the prominent C-pillars, or buttresses, that provide the rear mounting during the term of the unique Canopy Top - a powered, flat-folding roof developed from a Targa top principle. This innovation in convertible design, which distinguishes between a folding roof and a complete folding soft-top or hood assembly, is subject to a Saab patent suit.

The Canopy Top is in fabric, rather than metal, to save weight and engage more efficient packaging. It is fully automatic in operation and folds neatly in three small sections under a rear tonneau cover in the trunk deck. The rear screen between the buttresses retracts automatically into the underside of the raised tonneau fold up to allow stowage of the Canopy Top. The screen then moves back into position to provide a without fault glass surround for the cabin in open-top mode.