Saab set to unveil new convertible concept car

Saab has revealed it will be unveiling a brand new convertible concept vehicle at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Dubbed the 9-X Air, the new car shows what Saab's technicians and designers have in store for the company's future.

The model features a 'unique' canopy top, incorporating prominent rear pillars that curve upwards to mount the flat folding roof.

Instead of having a manually detachable roof section, the Saab canopy top is fully powered in operation and folds away in the storage trunk. Saab has already filed a patent for this design.

Anthony Lo, director of advanced design at General Motors Europe, said of the car: "Like her sister, the 9-X BioHybrid, this car is all about efficiency in design and performance.

"It offers important benefits in weight-saving and packaging as well as giving us the freedom to take convertible design forward."

Inside, the 9-X Air features developments in its driver-focused cockpit design and the provision of seamless connectivity for personal nomadic devices, both first seen in the 9-X BioHybrid.

The 'driver information zone' is a flat, arc-shaped surface, within which a row of five display screens is embedded and illuminated in green 3-D graphics, including an 'infotainment' screen and control panel in the driver's door.

In co-operation with Sony Ericsson, the 9-X Air and its hatchback sibling also showcase the potential for seamless, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth) with one or multiple nomadic devices (mobile phones, PDAs etc).

The in-car interface enables streaming of data, entertainment and satellite navigation functions, which are transferred automatically to the car while the device remains in the user's pocket.

The smarter the device, the more functions in the car. The same unit could also be programmed to remotely lock /unlock the car, raise or lower the canopy top, and even remotely change in-car pre-sets.