Over 25 years after unveiling the first four-seater convertible, Saab’s design classic takes on a new form in the shape of the 9-X Air concept car.  The 9-X Air concept provides a tantalising glimpse of what a future convertible from Saab could look like.

Featuring a unique Canopy Top, the 9-X Air breaks the mould of conventional convertibles by incorporating prominent rear pillars which curve upwards to mount the flat folding roof.   With the top down motorists can enjoy open-top motoring free from buffeting, and with the top up the 9-X Air assumes the appearance of a true coupe.

The 9-X Air’s raked rear pillars support the Canopy Top – itself a development of the Targa roof principle – with a separate rear screen located between them. Instead of having a manually detachable roof section, the Saab Canopy top is fully powered in operation and folds away in the storage trunk.  Saab has already filed a patent for this radical design of convertible roof.

Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe said of the car: “Like her sister the 9-X BioHybrid, this car is all about efficiency in design and performance.  It offers important benefits in weight-saving and packaging as well as giving us the freedom to take convertible design forward.” 

Designed in parallel with the Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept, the 9-X Air shares its distinctive frontal styling, together with its highly efficient powertrain. The small, 1.4-litre Saab BioPower engine combines a series of measures for more responsible performance: engine rightsizing, turbocharging, the use of biofuels and hybrid technology.

Running on E85 fuel (85% bioethanol/15% petrol), the engine delivers a sporty 200 hp, 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 more beneficial.