Saab Turnaround

Following its acquisition from General Motors by Spyker, Saab has been on the move with a number of notable projects:

• Introduction of the new 9-5 for 2011.  Much of the development was done by GM prior to the transition.  The results look promising.
• Saab recently signed Jason Castriota, formerly of Bertone and Pininfarina, as design director.  Some of his works include the Ferrari 4/5 one-off and the Maserati GranTurismo.
• Beginning in 2012 BMW will be supplying turbocharged 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engines.
• The 9-3 will be updated for 2012, presumably with the BMW engine as one of the engine choices.
• There is a smaller 9-2 model now under development. 
• And Saab also began researching a fully electric 9-3 project with a Swedish coalition, with batteries coming from Boston-Power.  The EV is expected to reach the market mid-decade (2016).

With all of these changes, it looks like the venerable brand may have a future yet.