2008 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi and Convertible

DETROIT — The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi and Convertible have earned the 2008 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick Award in the midsize category.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the 9-3 Sport Sedan has brought home IIHS top honors, an unique achievement in the luxury segment. For 2007 the 9-3 earned the Top Safety Pick Award, in 2006 the 9-3 earned the Top Safety Pick – Gold Award and received a Double Best Pick crash-test rating for 2005.

The institute began testing convertibles in 2007. In the inaugural year, the 9-3 Convertible earned a top spot. This is the second year running that the Saab 9-3 Convertible earns the Top Safety Pick Award – one of two convertibles and the only soft-top convertible to earn a top spot.

The Institute rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side-impact crash tests plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries. Winning vehicles must earn good ratings in all three tests and offer electronic stability control.

“The Saab 9-3 performed well in front and side crash tests and the Saab Active Head Restraints provide state-of-the-art protection against neck injuries,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund. "The addition of electronic stability control as standard equipment confirms Saab’s commitment to vehicle safety.”

IIHS is a nonprofit research and communications organization funded by auto insurers. The Institute's research focuses on countermeasures aimed at all three factors in motor vehicle crashes (human, vehicular, and environmental) and on interventions that can occur before, during, and after crashes to reduce losses.

• 9-3 Sedan: IIHS “Top Safety Pick”, 2008
• 9-3 Convertible: IIHS “Top Safety Pick”, 2008
• 9-3 Convertible: IIHS “Top Safety Pick”, 2007
• 9-3 Sedan: IIHS “Top Safety Pick”, 2007
• 9-3 Sedan: IIHS “Top Safety Pick – Gold Award”, 2006
• 9-3 SportCombi: Activelifestyle.com “Active Lifestyle Award”, 2006
• 9-3 Range : “Wards top-10 best engine”, Wards, 2006
• 9-3 SportCombi: SmartMoney "Best mispriced wagon" awards, SmartMoney magazine, 2006
• 9-3 SportCombi: "Top sport wagon", buyacar.suite101.com, 2006
• 9-3 SportCombi: Intellichoice Award - Lowest Maintenance Costs in Class, 2006
• 9-3 Sedan: IIHS “Double Best Pick” crash test rating, 2005
• 9-3 SportCombi: “Good” rating (the maximum rating) for Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR), from Britain’s Thatcham Insurance Research Center crash tests, 2005
• 9-3 Convertible: “Good” rating (the maximum rating) for Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR), from Britain’s Thatcham Insurance Research Center crash tests, 2005
• 9-3 Sedan: “Good” rating (the maximum rating) for Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR), from Britain’s Thatcham Insurance Research Center crash tests, 2004
• 9-3 Convertible: Five stars, top rating from European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) crash tests, 2004
• 9-3 Sedan: “Green”, top rating for Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR), from Swedish Insurance Company Folksam’s crash tests, 2003
• 9-3 Sedan: Five stars, top rating from European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) crash tests, 2002

World's First Application of the Innovative Haldex 4.0 All-Wheel Drive System



Intelligent Saab XWD “Cross Wheel Drive” offers new levels of vehicle handling and stability under all driving conditions

• New Haldex 4.0 system offers class-leading performance, up to 100% rear torque transfer
• Innovative all-wheel drive technology: pre-emptive engagement and active rear Limited Slip Differential
• New rear sub-frame and suspension geometry
• Available in the Saab Turbo X and 9-3 Aero XWD as of early 2008 calendar year

DETROIT – Developed in Sweden with Haldex of Stockholm, the Saab XWD “Cross Wheel Drive” system is designed to optimize vehicle handling and stability in all driving conditions. It is offered in the 2008 Saab Turbo X and Aero versions of the 9-3 Sport Sedan and SportCombi, in combination with an uprated 280 hp (206 kW), 2.8 V6 turbo engine which now delivers almost 15% more maximum torque (400 Nm/295 lbs/ft) to exploit the greater traction available. It comes with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

This state-of-the-art all-wheel drive system includes two innovative features: pre-emptive engagement of the rear wheels to optimize traction at take-off; and an active rear limited-slip differential (eLSD), allowing variable torque transfer between the rear wheels.

Saab XWD is a fully automatic, on-demand system capable of sending up to 100% of engine torque to the front or rear wheels whenever necessary. While offering new Saab Turbo X and 9-3 Aero XWD owners sure-footed handling in low-grip conditions, its sophisticated operation also adds a further sporty dimension to the driving experience in all road conditions. Fine balancing of the drive torque between the front and rear axles raises the threshold at which ESP throttle and braking interventions are triggered, providing more scope for closer driver involvement.

The system is governed by its own electronic control unit, which functions in harness with the engine, transmission and ABS/ESP control modules. The hardware consists of a Power Take-off Unit (PTU) in the front final-drive that transmits engine torque through a prop-shaft to the Rear Drive Module (RDM). This incorporates a Torque Transfer Device (TTD) and an electronically-controlled Limited Slip Differential (eLSD). Both are wet, multi-plate clutch units from Haldex.

At take-off from rest, the TTD is initially activated when the clutch plates are forced together under hydraulic pressure, thereby engaging the RDM. This pre-emptive function is a valuable improvement in current technology, which requires the detection of wheel slip before the TTD is activated. For the driver, the enhanced functionality gives maximum traction immediately for smooth, strong acceleration from rest without the possibility of any initial hesitation.

On the open road, drive torque is seamlessly and continuously varied between the axles by the control of a valve in the TTD, which increases or reduces the pressure on the wet clutch plates. When cornering, Saab XWD rewards the driver by providing enhanced, more finely balanced chassis dynamics. Data from the vehicle’s ABS/ESP sensors - measuring wheel speed, yaw rate and steering angle – is utilized, and careful programming of Saab XWD enables the application of rear drive to balance oversteer and understeer characteristics, improving stability and roadholding.

In highway cruising conditions, when traction or optimum grip is not an issue, only 5% to 10% of engine torque is typically transmitted to the rear wheels. This helps provide the driver with a measure of greater stability, while helping to save fuel.

The ultimate ‘icing on the cake’ with Saab XWD is the eLSD. This is the first application of an electronically-controlled, rear limited slip differential in this segment of the market. The eLSD is installed alongside the RDM and operates via pressurized clutch plates on a principle similar to the larger TTD. In icy or wet split-friction conditions, for example, it uses inputs from the rear wheel speed sensors and can transfer up to 40% of torque between the drive shafts, to whichever wheel has more grip.

The eLSD also gives the driver enhanced control when cornering hard or completing a high speed maneuver, such as a lane change, by momentarily applying more or less torque to either of the wheels to help the rear of the car more closely follow the direction of the front wheels. This yaw damping effect can keep the car better balanced and more tightly controlled, without requiring ‘outside’ intervention from electronic stability aides.

Installation of Saab XWD includes the fitment of a new rear sub-frame to carry the RDM, revised rear suspension geometry and new wheel hubs for the drive shafts. The three piece prop-shaft runs through two bearings with constant velocity joints for smooth running with minimal ‘wind-up’. Wheelbase and rear track dimensions are unaltered. All Saab Turbo X and 9-3 Aero XWD Sport Sedan and SportCombi models will have 18-inch alloy wheels as standard equipment.

Trollhättan, Sweden – Saab’s Driver Attention Warning System is a development project designed to counter two of the most common causes of road accidents: driver drowsiness and inattention at the wheel. It alerts the driver by using a combination of text and voice messages, or vibrations in the seat cushion, as soon as the risk of drowsiness or inattention is detected.

Unlike other similar systems, the Driver Attention Warning System does not rely on measuring an erratic change in the steered direction of the vehicle. It is designed to detect the onset of drowsiness or inattention, rather than the immediate consequences.

It utilizes two miniature infra-red cameras, one installed at the base of the driver’s A-pillar and the other in the center of the main fascia, which are focused on the driver’s eyes. The image from the cameras is analyzed by software that deploys a series of alerts when the pattern of eye-lid movement indicates the onset of drowsiness, or when the driver is not looking at the road ahead.

Infra-red imaging is used to ensure good performance in all day and night light conditions, and even if the driver is wearing dark glasses.

Drowsiness Detection
The system uses a sophisticated algorithm, against which the driver’s rate of eye blinking is measured. When the cameras detect a pattern of long duration eye-lid closures, indicating the potential onset of drowsiness, a series of three warnings is initiated.

In the first instance, a chime sounds and a text warning message “Tired?” is displayed in the main instrument panel. If the driver’s eye-lid movement does not immediately revert to a normal ‘wide awake’ pattern, a speech message “You are tired” is then delivered through the car’s audio system. If there is still no response, a stronger warning tone and the message, “You are dangerously tired – stop as soon as it is safe to do so!” will come over the audio. This can only be cancelled when the driver presses a reset button in the fascia. The system is then immediately reactivated.

Inattention Detection
The cameras are also able to monitor the driver’s eye-ball and head movement. As soon as the driver's gaze moves away from what is defined as the 'primary attention zone' - the central part of the windshield in front of the driver - a timer starts counting.

If the driver's eyes and head do not return to the 'straight ahead' position within about two seconds, the driver’s seat cushion will vibrate. This will stop once the position of driver’s eyes and head are consistent with the vehicle’s direction of travel.

The processing of the infra-red image is sufficiently accurate to detect when the driver retains some peripheral vision of the road ahead - such as while looking in the rear-view mirror, the door mirror or turning a corner - and will consequently allow a slightly longer time to elapse before activating the seat vibration.

Real-life Safety
The Driver Attention Warning System is a logical extension of Saab’s real-life safety philosophy. It takes account of what the driver actually does behind the wheel, rather than what he or she should be doing.

The system, installed in a Saab 9-3 SportCombi, is the work of the Human Vehicle Integration team at GME Engineering in Trollhättan, Sweden. It is part of a development program, Intelligent Vehicle Safety Systems (IVSS), supported by the Swedish government and involving the national Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI).

"It is a fact that many drivers do not stop and get out of the car if they are feeling drowsy. So we are now trying to help drivers to help themselves,” says Arne Nåbo, head of the Human Vehicle Integration team, which specializes in driver ergonomics and managing the interface with in-car ‘infotainment’ systems for Saab cars.

"This system also helps prevent a dangerous habit we call 'cognitive capturing’. For example, the driver can become too absorbed in searching for a favorite CD, programming pre-sets into the radio or trying pick up a screaming baby's dummy from the floor."

Testing
The Saab 9-3 Sport Combi development car will now participate in an eight-month field trial program supervised by the Road and Transport Research Institute.

The car is fitted with a wireless GPRS 3G modem that will download data every minute to a web server at Linköping University, where the performance of the system will be analyzed. A group of volunteers will each drive the car for a month, the first week with the Driver Attention Warning System switched off for comparison purposes

The trial is part of a development and validation process that could see the system become available in future Saab cars. In commercial production, only a single camera is likely to be required and this would be completely concealed behind the car’s main fascia.

Saab’s TV advertising campaign for its new 9-3 model gives yet another unknown but promising female Swedish singer the opportunity to reach a worldwide audience. 23-year-old Nina Kinert, from Stockholm, sings the acoustic soundtrack ‘Through Your Eyes’, specially written for the campaign, with a distinctive, brittle timbre.

The Swedish automaker’s latest ad retains the raw, self-assured tonality of last spring´s successful ‘Release Me’ BioPower campaign, using a soundtrack and imagery designed to communicate quality, safety and ‘cool’ Scandinavian design.

“Our creative strategy is to present an authentic film atmosphere with a distinctive sound quality that is very Saabish,” says Saab´s Marketing Manager Kristian Jörgensen. “We like to offer something ‘extra’, an emotional take-out that will stick in people´s minds. Naturally, this depends on the viewer, but if people like the music, they will hopefully like the film.”

The ‘Release Me’ song reinforced the serious and emotional environmental message of the last campaign, while ‘Through Your Eyes’ enhances the story of the film and presents the new Saab 9-3 car in an alluringly ‘cool’ manner.

“We took an immediate liking to the tune, and above all, to Nina’s voice,” says Lena Olander, Saab Project Manager for Advertising and Internet. “We wanted to keep the soft imagery of the BioPower film and at the same time create an ‘on the road’ feeling, something which Nina´s interesting voice expresses perfectly.”

“Repeating the success of ‘Release Me’ will be difficult, but the first indications have been very encouraging. In a week, ‘Through Your Eyes’ climbed into the Top Three of Swedish Itunes,” adds Kristian Jörgensen.

Nina is enjoying her association with Saab. “It is great fun with Itunes going so well,” she says. “The song works and that´s why I have decided to add it to my new album.”

For the past year, Nina has been a full-time professional singer. Her debut album, ‘Heartbreak Town’, was released two years ago, followed last year by ‘Let There Be Love’. The new release of this album, now including Through Your Eyes’, comes out next month.

“I heard the tune today, standing in my kitchen,” she says. “It felt good, but I don’t think it sounds very much like me,” she adds jokingly. “My buddies have sent me a bunch of text messages since the film was first shown on Swedish TV.”

The new campaign is to be released globally by Saab with the strap-line ‘Designed to Perform’. It emphasizes the new 9-3’s bold design and exciting driving qualities, which are achieved by adopting the same approach that has put Scandinavian design on the world map – letting function and looks go hand in hand.

The ’Through Your Eyes’ song can be accessed by entering the international campaign site at http://saab.com.

30 Years of Saab Turbocharging



The idea that ‘less is more’ is intrinsic to the minimalist tradition of good Scandinavian design. Decoration and ornate detail can sometimes distract from an appreciation of form, line or shape. While this Scandinavian perspective is very much part of Saab car design, the ‘less is more’ philosophy can be even more closely identified with Saab’s mastery of the art of turbocharging.

It was Saab who put turbocharging on the automotive map. It all began exactly 30 years ago when the first Saab turbo model was revealed at the Frankfurt Show. At that time Saab was alone in pursuing turbocharging as a reliable and realistic means of extracting more power and efficiency from a production engine. Saab’s success over the next three decades shows that imitation is, indeed. the sincerest form of flattery, because there are few manufacturers who do not now offer turbocharged models.

That’s because the attractions of turbocharging are even more seductive today than they were three decades ago. It is the key to what Saab calls ‘rightsizing’. Less is more. A turbocharged engine is lighter, smaller and more fuel efficient than a non-turbo, ‘naturally-aspirated’ engine capable of producing similar power. Not only that. A turbocharger develops more power by harnessing the energy from an engine’s exhaust gas flow. The idea of, in effect, recycling energy that’s otherwise wasted is even more compelling.

Something for Nothing
While engineers will tell you that ‘getting something for nothing’ is not a realistic expectation in engine design, most will agree that about 30 per cent of the energy released when an engine burns fuel goes down the tube, or, in this case, the exhaust pipe. A turbocharger uses that energy to force more air into the engine. Of course, some more fuel has to be added when extra air is pumped in, but a turbo gives the driver a choice in the matter.

As Saab’s leading expert, Dr Per Gillbrand, often known as the ‘father of the production turbo’, used to say: a turbocharged powerplant is really ‘two engines in one.’ There is a ‘small’ engine for driving in everyday traffic conditions and then a ‘large’ one, giving more power and performance, when the turbocharger joins the party at higher throttle openings.

Today, Saab remains at the forefront of turbocharging technology. In a world seeking to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, Saab BioPower engines bring together turbocharging and bioethanol (E85) fuel to drastically reduce those emissions - while also producing more power than is possible with gasoline. A smart, win/win solution.

Back at Frankfurt in 1977, the sceptics were more concerned about turbocharging being a winning solution in terms of just power. Early attempts at controlling boost pressure had produced severe reliability issues that discouraged other manufacturers from further development for road-going production cars.

But Saab, driven forward by the independent mind-set of its engineers and executives, remained convinced that it could be done. The company was able to draw on experience from aircraft design, where turbochargers were commonly used in aero engines to compensate for the effects of thin air at altitude. It also shared knowledge with colleagues in what was then the company’s truck division, who were using turbochargers with large, heavy-duty diesel engines.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom
Saab developed technology to ‘tame the turbo’ by using a by-pass valve to control the build-up of boost pressure. It did not take long for the world to appreciate what had been achieved. Fitting a turbocharger to the 2-liter engine of a Saab 99 gave 23 per cent more maximum horse power and a massive 45 per cent increase in torque, the engine’s pulling power under acceleration. To produce similar power ratings, a naturally-aspirated engine of the time would have been up to 50 per cent larger in capacity and about 50 kilos heavier, with overall fuel consumption 30 per cent worse. Saab has changed conventional wisdom that equated engine power with engine size.
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An early Saab 99 Turbo road test in the UK’s influential Autocar magazine concluded: “It is not just its performance, but the way it delivers it. Its acceleration pattern is unique. Like a roller coaster running downhill, the Saab just gets faster as the turbocharger boost increases. It’s uncanny.” The age of the turbo had arrived and, during the next decade, black Saab 99 and 900 Turbo models were to become defining image for the Saab brand.

Over the years, Saab has continued to refine the art of turbocharging. The roller coaster is still there, but the ride is a bit more comfortable. Advances in engine management systems and turbocharger design have given today's Saab turbo engines a much smoother and more progressive power delivery. The new Turbo X, for example, delivers exceptionally strong pulling power of 400 Nm from very low engine revs, the characteristics of a far larger engine.

Rightsizing
Turbocharging has led Saab 2,650 meters (8,700 ft) up in the American Rockies to demonstrate how its turbo cars can still perform in the thin air of altitude. And down at sea level, it has given the 9000 Aero model faster in-gear acceleration than a Ferrari Testarossa. There is even a satisfied Saab 900 Turbo owner who has clocked up more than one million miles.

As long ago as 1992, Saab was able to demonstrate the abilities of its Trionic engine management system (Generation 8 is used today) by arranging an independent car test in City of London traffic. It showed that levels of regulated pollutants in the Saab’s exhaust were actually lower than found in the surrounding atmosphere. The car was ‘cleaning’ the urban air!

Today, in an era when the desire to save energy and achieve greater efficiency has never been greater, the future of Saab turbocharging has never been brighter.

‘Rightsizing’ is how Saab describes the process of making engines more efficient, of reducing their size, weight and environmental impact without losing performance .. showing that less is more. Turbocharging is a key component, combined with sophisticated engine management, ‘lean burn’ technologies and the potential use of bio-fuel, such as Saab BioPower and E85 bioethanol.

Back to Saab turbo pioneer Dr Per Gillbrand. He shared a similar philosophy when it came to efficient engine design. “All engines have an oil pump, a fuel pump and a water pump”, he used to say. “So why not an air pump, which is all a turbo really is. I think it's odd that all engines don’t have one!” Nowadays, thanks to the power of such independent thinking, an increasing number do.