2010 Saab 9-5 redesign leaked onto the net

The “big” car magazines usually get hold of official photos and info about brand new vehicles well before launch, straight from the trusting car manufacturers themselves. The excuse is usually that it helps the rags prepare next month’s tree-killing issue in ample time before the launch date. However, these magazines occasionally jump the gun and publish their advance info a bit early, with no real consequences. The latest perpetrator is Germany’s trashy Autozeitung, as scans from the magazine have hit the web, depicting the all-new 2010 Saab 9-5 in its full glory.

The replacement for the Saab 9-5 has been a long time coming. The existing model is so old that Bill Clinton was still in office when it was launched, and parent company General Motors was actually posting record profits back then.

The new model is hardly Swedish any more, based on the car that underpins the Opel Insignia. Not much more is known at this point, and this front-wheel-drive midsize sedan’s GM roots may make it harder to hand off Saab to new owners Koenigsegg.

Design features of interest include the retaining of the outdated dashboard design, while bringing back the wraparound aeroplane-canopy styling of the windshield that was last seen in 1980s Saab models, and introducing unique new ideas such as flush-fitting foldaway rear DVD screens.

Petrol power will likely be provided by three turbocharged engines including a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder with 160 hp, a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder with 210 hp, and a 2.8-litre V6 with 300 hp.

Expect the 2010 Saab 9-5 to hit GCC showrooms by the winter of 2009. We believe there are at least nine people in the UAE who are anxiously awaiting this new Saab, although it is rumoured that five of them have already lost their jobs and got deported.

For more information about the existing model, visit the Saab 9-5 buyer guide.