With the arrival of the 1.8t BioPower engine across the Saab 9-3 range, Saab is to become the first, and only, car company in the UK to offer an alternative fuel engine choice in every single model in its line-up. Available in all three 9-3 bodystyles of Sport Saloon, SportWagon and Convertible, Saab’s BioPower flex-fuel engines are now available to a whole new audience of customers in the UK.

The 1.8t BioPower engine emits 50-70 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than its 1.8t petrol engine equivalent, yet produces 17 per cent more maximum power and ten per cent more torque when running on the eco-friendly yet potent fuel source bioethanol E85. It is the third Saab BioPower engine to be launched in the UK. Two Saab 9-5 BioPower variants are already for sale here, both offering significantly reduced fossil CO2 emissions and substantially increased power and performance.

“The success of the 9-5 BioPower has encouraged us to extend this concept to the 9-3 range,” says Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s Managing Director. “This means we can now offer BioPower variants throughout our core product line-up.”

Saab 9-3 BioPower models will be available with manual or automatic transmissions, and will go on sale with immediate effect in the UK and Ireland.