The Saab PhoeniX is a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

produced by

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

which was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The concept car's name was chosen at a time when the troubled Saab company had just been sold to

Spyker Spyker or Spijker was a Dutch carriage, automobile and aircraft manufacturer, started in 1880 by blacksmiths Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker. Originally located in Hilversum, the company relocated to Trompenburg, Amsterdam in 1898. Notable produ ...

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

), ready to rise again, like the mythical bird the

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. However, at the time PhoeniX was unveiled, Saab went formally bankrupt, unable to cover their bills. SaabPhoeniX-rear

The PhoeniX was designed by

Jason Castriota Jason Castriota is an American automobile designer born in White Plains, New York, and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He graduated from Emerson College in Boston and attended but dropped out of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Af ...

as one of his first creations for Saab. The design was inspired by the

Saab 92001 Ursaab (lit. ''Proto-Saab''), also known as 92001 and X9248, was the first of four prototype cars made by Saab AB, which at that time was solely an aeroplane manufacturer, leading to production of the first Saab car, the Saab 92 in 1949. The car i ...

, but with design cues from nearly every Saab model made.. The car uses the platform that was intended for the planned 2013

Saab 9-3 The Saab 9-3 (pronounced ''nine-three'') is a compact executive car initially developed and manufactured by the Swedish automaker Saab. The first generation 9-3 (1998-2003) is based on the GM2900 platform, changing to the GM Epsilon platform ...

replacement, which was never realized. The front suspension is via HiPer Strut while the rear is a linked H-arm set-up. The car is equipped with the new hybrid all wheel drive systems that is being developed in cooperation with

American Axle American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (AAM), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is an American manufacturer of automobile driveline and drivetrain components and systems. History AAM was founded in 1994 when a private investor group, led by Ric ...

(AAM). The car is also fitted with IQon, an in-car

information system An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems are composed by four components: task, people ...

that runs a customized version of Google Android. The PhoeniX was awarded the 2011

Auto Express ''Auto Express'' is a weekly motoring magazine sold in the United Kingdom published by Autovia Limited. The editor-in-chief is Steve Fowler. History and profile Launched in September 1988, its 1,000th issue was published on 20 February 2008. ...

design award with a landslide victory receiving 30% of the votes, beating

Alfa Romeo 4C The Alfa Romeo 4C (Type 960) is a mid-engined sports car produced by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the 4C was initially only available as a coupé, with a spider body style coming a few years later i ...

(2nd) and

Jaguar C-X75 The Jaguar C-X75 is a hybrid-electric, 2-seat, concept car produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars in partnership with the derivative of the Formula One team, Williams Advanced Engineering which debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor ...

(3rd). The rights to the PhoeniX platform are 100% owned by Saab, but it uses some parts (less than 10%) that are bought from GM. .

References

External links

{{Saab Automobile All-wheel-drive vehicles

PhoeniX Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Cars introduced in 2011 Grand tourers Coupés