Overclocker

TROLLHĂTTAN, Sweden — Saab has been talking hybrids for some time, and now General Motors' Swedish subsidiary will give the world a glimpse of its hybrid system by showing a concept car at the Stockholm Motor Show, which opens on April 1.

Saab says its hybrid will be a lot cleaner than any current production hybrid. It will use a gasoline-ethanol blend called E85. Saab is claiming a cut in emissions down to 15-20 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer compared to the Toyota Prius' 104. It'll be able to run on pure ethanol, too, which cuts emissions to almost zero. The downside? It won't be in the showrooms until around 2010.

The Saab hybrid drivetrain is significantly different from the Toyota system in that it has not one but two electric motors: a 14-kilowatt motor integrated into the front-drive powertrain and a second 30-kW motor driving the rear wheels. And because it's a Saab, the gasoline engine will be turbocharged, so it's likely to be more exciting to drive than the Prius.

The concept car on show will be a 9-3 sedan. Saab has been testing the system in both the 9-3 sedan and convertible. But the first-series production Saab hybrid is believed to be part of the projected small Saab, to be called either 9-2 or 9-1, which will compete with the likes of the BMW 1 Series and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

What this means to you: Slowly but surely, GM is getting its act together on hybrids. It might just go on sale by the time Toyota launches a fuel-cell car.

Source: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=109776#2

XeroK00L

Now show me where I can find an ethanol pump and we can talk.

LexFather

HEy Saab, by 2010, a new Prius will be out

I am glad to see them working on hybrids though. Or GM.

Milla...

Better late than never, these folks just need to get on it and get these cars out and create some competiton so the blasted prices can come down. Nissan / Mazda where are you?