Spyker confirms new Saab 9-3 coming in 2012

Spyker, Saab’s new supercar-building owner, has outlined its plans for the brand – which include a new 9-3 range – ahead of an extraordinary general meeting on 12 February where it hopes its shareholders will ratify its purchase of the ailing Swedish car company.

If it gets the green light, Spyker and Saab will be renamed as Saab Spyker Automobiles NV – though each company will operate separately – and Saab will be positioned as 'an independent performance-oriented niche car company with an industry-leading environmental strategy'. 

Up first is the new 9-5 – which will be launched this summer – followed by an Estate version and an Audi Allroad-aping 9-5X. The new Cadillac SRX-based 9-4X SUV will arrive in early 2011, and Spyker is plotting the new 9-3 a year later.

The promise from Spyker is that the new 9-3 will be 'all Saab' and be built in saloon, hatchback, estate, X and convertible guises. The pair's collaboration with GM is ongoing, but the plan is for 'independent sourcing gradually increasing to reduce GM dependency and obtain improved access to other suppliers and the co-development of unique innovations'.

Spyker has also confirmed it will investigate a fourth and smaller model, the much-hyped 9-1. But there’s a catch – such a car isn’t currently included in Saab’s Business Plan so additional funding would be required to produce the A3/1-series competitor.

Of course, but over the past ten months Saab’s management team have drawn up the Saab Business Plan, which has now got Spyker’s backing after the Swedish government and the European Investment Bank (EIB) gave it the thumbs up – the EIB will provide a €400 million loan, guaranteed by the Swedish government

It’s Spyker plan for Saab to take on Audi and BMW and to produce 100k to 125k vehicles a year – most of these will built in Saab's Trollhättan plant, but the 9-4X rolls out of a GM factory in Mexico.

Spyker is also aiming to shake up Saab's sales and distribution network in some markets, and believes the two companies can share assets and technologies (Spyker has pinpointed Saab's 1100 dealers as one potential joint venture) as well as gain access to suppliers and resources that would have previously not been available to either company on an individual basis.

By Ben Pulman