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Future Classic: 1999-2002 Saab 9-3 Viggen

Given the company’s now-defunct status, you could argue that all Saabs are future classics. Even the final round of cars from the era of General Motors ownership deserve their place in history. Seriously, how hot was the last 9-5? Handsome design and quirky features were hallmarks of the Saab brand, and its cars felt every bit as premium as its primary European competitors. But while other luxury carmakers put great effort into full lineups of performance cars, Sweden only produced the odd sporty Saab every once in a while. One of our favorites was the 9-3 Viggen from the turn of the century, and itÂ’s a car that still makes us swoon today. Why is the Saab 9-3 Viggen a future classic? Saab's whole "born from jets" tagline never really made much sense, but at least the 9-3 Viggen's name was a nod to the company's aerospace roots. The Swedish word "Viggen" translates to "thunderbolt" in English, and this name was used on the Saab 37 Viggen aircraft that entered service in the early 1970s. MotorWeek | Retro Review: '99 Saab Viggen The 9-3 Viggen used a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four engine, most notably remembered for its eyebrow-raising 20 psi of boost pressure. Rated at 225 horsepower – which was later bumped up to 230 hp – and 252 pound-feet of torque, this engine was paired exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. Stiffer suspension components, firmer dampers, stronger driveshafts, a heavy-duty clutch and a revised exhaust were also part of the package. The Viggen was relatively quick, with Saab quoting a 0-to-60-mph time of around 6.5 seconds. However, the 9-3 Viggen is largely remembered for things like its ridiculous turbo lag and torque steer – characteristics that kind of made this car hilarious to drive, even if they took away from overall sharpness and composure. What is the ideal example of the Saab 9-3 Viggen? Saab offered the 9-3 Viggen as a three-door hatchback, five-door hatchback and two-door convertible. And while this car is most commonly remembered in its launch shade, Lightning Blue, Saab offered the Viggen in black, gray, red, silver and yellow. You could even spec the interior with blue, orange or tan leather accents. Arguably the most iconic 9-3 Viggen spec is a Lightning Blue three-door hatch, but the other colors are far more rare. WeÂ’ve got a major soft spot for a Monte Carlo Yellow five-door, but really, you canÂ’t go wrong.

Look familiar? NEVS 9-3, 9-3X are Saab-derived EVs for China

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) have been working on creating EVs based on its Saab assets for years. We heard back in 2015 that we'd have an EV based on the 9-3 this year, and now we're finally getting to see the results. NEVS has unveiled its 9-3 and 9-3X EV concepts, which it will use in a mobility project in Tianjin, China. NEVS is showing the 9-3 EVs at CES Asia in Shanghai on June 7-9, where it will also provide more details about the cars, its Tianjin project, and future plans for the brand. As for Tianjin, NEVS will provide the cars and the services for carsharing and ride-hailing programs in the city. For that project, NEVS is collaborating with Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area (THT), which is the industrial park where its shared factory (with joint venture partner Dongfeng) and R&D center are located. NEVS President Mattias Bergman says, "We are excited by this great opportunity to develop smart, sustainable mobility solutions together with a progressive city as Tianjin, and develop them in full scale with real people in real life situations, with the vision to create a future integrated urban mobility solution." As for the 9-3 EVs, they're not much different in appearance from the GM-era Saabs, but they have NEVS badging (NEVS doesn't have rights to the Saab trademark). They have a driving range of about 186 miles, offer in-car Wi-Fi, smartphone connectivity, and can get over-the-air software updates. NEVS says the cars are equipped with a "world-class" cabin air filter, which helps keep harmful particulates out of the car (important in the polluted urban centers China is working to improve). They're being built in China, and are expected to hit the roads there in 2018. Related Video:

Saab to reintroduce 9-3 SportCombi as Phoenix development continues

The saga of Saab goes to show that you can't keep a good automaker down. Founded back in 1947 (the same year, incidentally, as Ferrari, TVR and Maserati defector OSCA), Saab split off from its aerospace division, merged with Scania trucks, was subsequently picked up by General Motors, then pawned off onto Spyker before its current Chinese owners brought it back out of bankruptcy. Now under the auspices of National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), Saab has official restarted production of the 9-3 sedan, but what are its plans for the future?
In correspondence with Autoblog, NEVS communications director Mikael Ostlund gave us an idea of what to expect. First of all, NEVS is living up to its name by launching an electric version of the 9-3. As we reported a couple of weeks ago, the 9-3 EV currently is undergoing a pilot launch in the Chinese city of Qingdao (which owns part of NEVS) before being rolled out in other markets around the world. But that's not all NEVS has planned for Saab.
The reborn Swedish automaker also plans to relaunch the 9-3 SportCombi to supplement the 9-3 sedan. The wagon version was part of the second-gen 9-3's rollout in the early 2000s, offering increased cargo space and versatility - particularly vital since GM had seen it fit to replace the previous hatchback bodystyle favored by the brand faithful with a more traditional trunked form to lure new buyers into the fold. Although Ostlund confirmed that NEVS has "the option of adding the convertible" back into the lineup, nut has yet to decide on if and when it will do so.