First Saab 9-4X Rolls Off Assembly Line in Mexico

It's been a rough ride for Saab's 9-4X, but the very first production model has now rolled off the assembly line at General Motors' Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, just three months after the compact crossover was unveiled last November at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

“This is a great day for Saab,” said Jonsson. “The arrival of the 9-4X is another important step in the fulfillment of our business plan. This sporty and distinctive product will significantly broaden the appeal of our brand and give us access to an important new vehicle segment that is still growing, particularly in the United States.”

The first vehicle bearing the chassis number 00001, is a 9-4X Aero model finished in an Ice Pearl metallic and powered by a 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine. According to Saab, it bound for a media test drive event in the United States before being shipped to Sweden for display at the Saab car museum.

Based on the Cadillac SRX, the new Saab 9-4X is will arrive in U.S. showrooms in May 2011, with sales in Europe and other global markets due to begin from August.

Saab 9-4X coming by 2010

Saab’s split from General Motors and pending sale to supercar company Koenigsegg will apparently have no major affect on the Swedish automaker’s future model launches, such as that of the upcoming 9-4X crossover.

According to GM's executive director of product and marketing for Cadillac, Hummer and Saab, Steve Shannon, the 2011 Saab 9-4X crossover will launch next yea. Speaking with Automotive News, Shannon explained that the 9-4X will be positioned as the replacement for the poor selling 9-7X. The 9-4X will be similar in size to BMW’s X5 but pricing should be closer to that of the X3 and Volvo XC60 – two of the Saab crossover’s prime targets.

The new crossover will share much in common with the recently-revealed Cadillac SRX and is to be manufactured by GM at the same Ramos Arizpe facility in Mexico as the Cadillac later this year.

These spy photos of the 9-4X testing in Europe show an almost completely undisguised look of the new crossover. No specific details have been offered. But it’s reported that the 9-4X will run a 284hp (209kW) petrol V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It will also get 18in alloys shod with 255mm tires and a Haldex-sourced AWD system with an electronic differential. A diesel version is expected to be offered in Europe, developing 185kW and 550Nm of torque.

While development work on the 9-4X appears to be almost complete, Saab will be introducing two models before the arrival of the new crossover - the smaller 9-3X crossover and the all-important 2010 9-5.