The world has known about a possible compact-sized Saab since early September. Since then, there has been talk of the compact car getting a hybrid drivetrain. No official word is out yet on the matter, but Swedish publication NyTeknik is reporting that the compact will go on sale after 2010 and will be available with a hybrid drivetrain from day one. If the article is correct, the new Saab will be the 9-1 and will use the same platform as the Opel and Saturn Astra. That's the Delta platform, which is the same platform which is expected to underpin the Chevy Volt.

While we've already reported that the Volt -- if it is indeed produced -- will be made in Detroit, but maybe other Delta hybrid models will be built elsewhere, like in Saab's plant in Trollhättan, Sweden. In fact, Saab would like to built all of the hybrid models based on the Delta platform at their plant. Other interesting tidbits from the article are that the Saab team of engineers want the platform to support gasoline, E85 and diesel engines. They also have developed a second motor to power the rear axle (maybe like what they've already shown here), potentially offering all-wheel-drive. Take a look over at Trollhättan Saab to read a translated version of the article. Could we see a turbocharged, Biopower ethanol capable, all-wheel-drive Saab 9-1 hybrid in America? We'll just have to sit back and wait. Feel free to speculate away in the meantime!

[Source: Trollhättan Saab]

Saab pride! Even if you own a Ford or Chevy, you tend to have a sense of pride in the brand, or at least would flat-out refuse to set your left cheek in the driver's seat of your competitor's brand. Therefore, as a Saab owner, I get excited to hear any nifty tidbit of information about the brand, and here's some good news.

With the 9-3 and 9-5 BioPower models being sold in 2006 and 2007, Saab now has a 38 percent market share in the alternative fuel vehicle segment. Last year they sold 11,000 BioPower models, and have sold over 7,000 so far this year in Sweden alone.

Saab is playing a leadership role in promoting E85 and increasing its availability. They have low CO2 emissions across the range, and in fact, according to this video, Richard Hammond ("The Hamster" of Top Gear) says the catalytic converter in the 9-3 is so advanced, that the air coming out of the tailpipe is cleaner than that going in the intake in an urban environment. How about them apples?

[Source: Saab]

Not content with a major flex-fuel push, Saab is joining in on the two-mode hybrid party at General Motors. At the Geneva Motor Show today, Saab Managing Director Jan Ake Jonsson indicated that future Saabs will be even more closely based on other GM vehicles and includes plans for a full hybrid system. So far there is no indication of which vehicle would get the hybrid system or when, although it would not be a surprise to see it mated up with a BioPower flex-fuel engine. Let's just hope it's not a variant of the GMT900 since another full size SUV is the last thing Saab needs. More likely it will be a variant of the Theta CUVs which already has an Opel variant in the form of the Antera.

[Source: Automotive News - Subscription required]

We have reported on Saab's BioPower vehicles before, but not this one is particular. It is a new concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. The vehicle uses no fossil fuels at all during operation. It runs on 100 percent ethanol, and because of that it gets more power than its gasoline powered equivalent. However, the trade off, of course, is that because it uses ethanol only, the engine alone provides less fuel efficiency.

In addition to the biofuel engine making 260 horsepower, the vehicle has three electric motors for an additional 148 kilowatts. The engine is a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder - not the 2.3 used in their production BioPower vehicles. The hybrid technology comes from General Motors. The powertrain also makes use of a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, for additional fuel saving capabilities. Apparently, it also can run solely on electric power in city conditions, making it a full hybrid system.

The new-tech powertrain is wrapped in a Saab 9-3 convertible body, and is quicker to 60 mph by almost 3 seconds than the standard car. Saab introduced a BioPower concept at the British International Motor Show which ran on E85 and did not include the hybrid drivetrain.

EDIT: A reader of this site and a Saab message board posted a link in the comments that the only change to this vehicle since it was shown last April may be in the description Saab was allowed to use. The car may or may not be changed, but if it was not, GM may not have allowed Saab to reveal that this was a plug-in hybrid model until the Detroit show. Does anyone else have any information that may lead to cracking this case?

Related:

• Saab 2.3t BioFuel engine on sale Monday, Saab asks UK for biofuel boost

[Source: The Car Connection]