Saab 9-X Bio-Hybrid Concept Wins Another Award

The Saab 9-X BioHybrid has been voted “Specialty Concept Car of the Year” by a jury of 25 professional automotive journalists. The award ceremony took place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

It's the second award for this great future drive, a streamlined, environmentally-friendly design. The 9-X was named “Best Concept” by AutoWeek Magazine at its world debut at the Geneva Auto Show recently.

The annual Concept Car of the Year Awards recognize vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry. The Saab was voted the best of 40 concept cars and 12 production preview vehicles that debuted during the 2008 auto show season, which includes the Los Angeles Auto Show, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and the New York Auto.

The 9-X BioHybrid is a vivid vision of what a future compact car from Saab could look like. It is designed to reflect the priorities of youthful customers who seek progressive looks, responsible performance and high-tech communications, all in a sporty, fun-to-drive package.

And it also has a pretty sensational power plant, too -- an ultra-efficient, 200 hp (147 kW), 1.4-liter BioPower turbo engine backed by GM’s next-generation hybrid system, with projected combined cycle CO2 emissions of just 105 g/km. That's low enough to qualify for one of the coveted SULEV ratings.

It's a sleek design, with ‘turbine’ wheels placed at all four corners. Minimal bodywork overhangs add to its sleek shape and reduce aerodynamic drag, too. The Saab designers know something about aero-dynamic. They design and build airplanes, too.

Saab 9-X Bio Hybrid is an Award Winner

The Saab 9-X BioHybrid has been voted “Best Concept” by the editors of AutoWeek. It's a hybrid that runs on E85 bio-fuel.

The revolutionary design was introduced at the auto show in Geneva earlier this month, and it's the latest in a series of bio-power concept vehicles from the Swedish auto manufacturer, which is a division of General Motors.

Clean, uncluttered lines wrap a package that features an ultra-efficient 200hp 1.4-liter BioPower turbo engine, mated to GM’s next-generation hybrid system.

The outside echoes Saab's roots as an aircraft designer. This is a truly aerodynamic design. No door handles or visible door mirrors stick out and break the flow. But, unlike those windows the size of postage stamps at 30,000 feet, this aero-design has a sweep of glass for unobstructed views of the great scenery of your great drives.

Inside, the traditional floor-mounted console, with its angled controls and displays, is gone. Instead, controls sweep out from the top of the door moulding, arching across the driver. Displays are visible as 3-D graphics which seem to be ‘frozen’ in ice, entirely appropriate for a company which also operates an ice driving school in Sweden.

There is a wireless hook-up for what Saab calls "nomadic" devices -- things like your iPod, BlackBerry, iPhone and Treo. Also new is that the wireless function lets passengers in the back use a different device than what's operating in the front. True multi-media on four wheels.

And heavier nomadic devices such as luggage, infant strollers, skis, kayaks and surfboards, slide in and out of the cargo area easily thanks to an electrically-powered slide-out floor, which is activated when the bottom half of the split tailgate drops down.

There's mood lighting, too. This concept lets you change the cabin light from bright and cold to warm and soft. The feature can even be programmed, for example, to reflect the pattern of the changing seasons, or if you want to set the scene for a hot date.