Saab 9-5 lives on in China’s Volvo-inspired BAIC C70G sedan
Saab may no longer be in business and the final Saab 9-3 may have been sold, but pieces of the brand's DNA continue to live on.
The C70G sedan from Chinese manufacturer BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.) is the new first vehicle to be produced on the platform of the first-generation Saab 9-5.
BAIC purchased the rights to the old 9-5 platform – as well as the platform and some engine and transmission technology from the 9-3 – in 2009 from Saab’s then-owner General Motors as the Detroit-based company struggled to keep the embattled Swedish manufacturer afloat.
The ageing platform was used to underpin the 9-5 between 1997 and 2010, although the mid-sized front-wheel-drive GM2900 architecture can actually be traced back to 1988 when it debuted beneath the Vauxhall Vectra and Cavalier.
BAIC has reportedly upgraded the platform significantly, renaming it ‘M-trix’, and has plans to use it to underpin a new SUV.
Unveiled at the 2012 Beijing motor show, the C70G has entered production and is set to reach Chinese showrooms in the second half of 2012.
At 4860mm long, 1820mm wide and 1641mm tall, the C70G is wider and taller than the first-generation Saab 9-5, and has an exterior design and colour palette that borrows from Saab’s compatriot, Volvo. The production model will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
Image courtesy of BitAuto website.
0
