Saab To Drop the 9-3 Badge

It looks like Saab has made plans to drop the 9-3 badge with the upcoming generation of vehicles, which will debut in the first quarter of 2013. "There's a chance we might move away from that," explained Tim Colbeck, President of Saab Cars North America. Although no decisions have been taken yet the next 9-3 may adopt a name which points out the brand’s roots according to Colbeck.

He added that the next generation 9-3 is expected to hit the showrooms in the first quarter of 2013 and it will be a fresh reinterpretation of the actual design. He was reserved in giving more information. Saab also plans to revive a successor of the Saab 9-2 which was manufactured in the 1940s. The project was taken to consideration after the manufacturer managed to secure another founding from investors.

”It wasn’t in the business plan prior to the investment, and now it is,” the executive explains, adding that CEO Victor Mueller and Jason Castriota, Saab’s executive design director are considering five designs in order to be analyzed for conceiving the next model of 9-2. Furthermore, the manufacturer expects to finish the full makeover of its vehicles this fall.

Saab is on clear waters for the moment as it will resume production at its facility in Trolhattan, Sweden, on August 29th. The manufacturer had been forced to put its production on hold due to suppliers which have halted shipments awaiting payments since spring. Meanwhile, Saab managed to pay its workers in Sweden last week.