Unofficial Picture: 2012 Saab 9-4x

Although Saab’s first foray into the people-hauler segment—a Saab-badged Chevy TrailBlazer SUV called the 9-7X—is most memorable for being a punchline, the embattled company is finally ready to launch a far more serious product as its second salvo, the 9-4X crossover. This picture—posted on SaabsUnited.com, where you’ll also find a rear shot—shows a pre-production 9-4x in advance of its official reveal at the L.A. auto show in November.

As expected, aside from the usual show-car-to-production tweaks, little has changed in the 9-4X’s final design from the 2008 9-4X BioPower concept. The characteristic and attractive blacked-out A-, B-, and C-pillars have been retained, giving the 9-4X some design cohesion with the recently introduced 9-5 sedan. The 9-4X’s underpinnings are the same as those of the Cadillac SRX, and the 9-4X will in fact be built alongside that model at a GM plant in Mexico; the General will sell fully finished vehicles to Spyker-owned Saab. Powerplants for the 9-4X most likely will include the 2.8-liter turbocharged six found in both the SRX and 9-5, and the Caddy’s naturally aspirated 3.0-liter V-6 is a possibility, too.

Even though it’s still weeks away from its L.A. reveal—and months from its April on-sale date—the 9-4X is perhaps the most important Saab product we’ll see for the foreseeable future. This isn’t just because it may be several years until we begin to see Spyker-helmed Saabs (although that’s a good reason on its own), but because the crossover segment is where the action and profits are: the best-selling vehicle last month for Saab’s fellow Swedish brand, Volvo, was the XC60 crossover.

Thanks to: Car and Driver