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Saturday, October 25, 2008
The next-generation Saab 9-5 sports sedan has been an on-off project for quite a while now and even though the vehicle is supposed to be in showrooms by 2009, we have yet to see any decent prototype models on the road. Instead, for the past few years Saab's engineers have been fiddling around with Opel Vectra and now, Opel Insignia test mules. These latest scoop pictures were shot by a reader of Sweden's Auto Motor & Sport magazine who stumbled upon a camouflaged Opel Insignia in a ferry boat from Denmark. A closer look inside revealed that the test mule was equipped with a Saab-styled dashboard. -Continued
Despite the fact that there's a lot of reflection from the driver's window and even though the steering wheel is from the Insignia (see picture below), it's rather clear that the dashboard features all the typical Saab design elements such as the three-piece instrument panel and the green illumination on all the controls.
And now for a bit of Q&A: Could this vehicle be a 2010 Saab 9-5 test mule? The answer is yes as the next 9-5 will be based on the Insignia platform and mechanics. Are we 100% certain? Of course we aren't - what kind of a question is that? If it isn't a 9-5, then what could it be? Well, there's a possibility that Saab might be working on the 9-3's replacement, but if that's the case and judging from GM's lack of cash, then expect to see a 20th Anniversary edition of the current 9-5 in 2017...
