Automotive News reports that Colbeck could reveal that the next Saab 9-3 replacement will debut in the US in the first quarter of 2013. And the car might get a different model name than 9-3.
"There's a chance we might move away from that," Colbeck said and continued saying that Saab may adopt a name for the 9-3's successor that draws from the brand's heritage, although no decisions about the name have been made.
According to Automotive News Colbeck added that the next-generation 9-3 is scheduled to go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 and will be an "edgy" reinterpretation of design cues used by the automaker in the past. He declined to be more specific.
Colbeck also had some comments about a Saab 9-2, a new entry level car once the Chinese deals are approved and finalized:
"It wasn't in the business plan prior to the new investment, and now it is."
He adding that CEO Victor Muller and design chief Jason Castriota are reviewing about five designs for a small Saab.
But a Saab 9-2 will of course need a few years to be developed.
This autumn Saab will be on the market with the newly launched Saab 9-4X crossover, model-year 2012 to debut in October, the Saab 9-5 Sedan, the new Saab 9-5 SportCombi and the Saab 9-3, also likely to debut model-year 2012 in October.
