by: George Achorn, photos by author

Given the current state of economic affairs - ever-dropping stock tickers and hours of ‘Detroit 3’ CEOs testifying to congress on C-Span - you might have expected the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to be downbeat. However, if you ignored the occasional empty floor space at Motown’s Cobo Hall or the nearly empty lower level now cleverly used as a green car ‘test-drive area’, you would have been surprised to see some light at the end of this fiscal tunnel… even on the stands of brands like Saab who find themselves under ‘strategic review’.

Times are tough at GM, and yes that did make for one of the least extravagant Saab stands we’ve seen in a while. Still, the atmosphere was clean and Scandinavian with some news made in the form of the 9-5 Griffin.


The Griffin itself is a package – an existing drivetrain and body style with new wheels and upgraded trim. The satin silver accents around the headlights do a lot for this particular generation 9-5, dialing back the chrome and upping the techie feel one would expect from a Saab.

Inside the Griffin, accenting stitching on elements like the steering wheel and e-brake boot, piano black interior trim are combined with additional Aero spec trim make for a handsome cockpit that feels a bit more upscale than normal 9-5s.


Other cars on the Saab stand included the 9-X Air concept car, a 9-3 SportCombi Aero XWD, a 9-3 2.0t XWD Sport Sedan and the 9-3 Convertible special edition with an iPhone cradle from Saab Accessories.

Walking the rest of the GM show area, there were several other vehicles in-the-know Saab enthusiasts might want to check out. The Cadillac SRX crossover and Chevrolet Equinox are both chassis cousins of the upcoming 9-4x and thus both worth examination. Each of the two share engines and drivetrains with the 9-4x, something harder to get a feel for while sitting stationary on a show floor. However, getting inside and examining the material quality and seeing the proportions in the flesh are definitely worth it.


In this case, the Equinox was harder of the two to examine. Examples on the floor were locked. Two Cadillacs though were on hand and being closely examined by the visiting press. Inside, the touch and feel of the interior was on par with European rivals like BMW X3 and Volvo XC60. Seeing these two vehicles raises our anticipation in regards to the 9-4x.

In regards to the business side of things, Saab remains under strategic review. There has been no announcement as of yet regarding any potential sale or change in internal GM strategy if GM doesn’t sell the brand. However, we’ll take any light at the end of the tunnel that we can get given the current economic climate.