Those of you who have been here since the early days would recognise a very strong similarity between these images and the Saab 9-6x that was being proposed back around 2005.
These were the days of the 9-2x, when General Motors still owned part of Fuji Heavy Industries. The proposal was for a second Saab-Subaru collaboration, one that would provide Saab with a midsize SUV largely based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca.
The vehicle in the patent is a five-door vehicle and the one in the spyshots is a three door vehicle but the similarities are obvious and undeniable.
It’s an interesting development and one can’t help but be curious about why they’re lodging a design patent in 2008 on a vehicle that was canned back in 2005/2006.
The other interesting angle is to pause and reflect on a vehicle that was widely regarded with a tinge of caution (to say the least) a few years ago. As you know, the 9-2x was critically panned because it was way too much Subaru and too little Saab. Enthusiasts viewed these photos with a certain amount of cautious optimism, fearing that the 9-6x would be more of the same - too much Tribeca and not enough Saab.
The sale of GM’s interest in FHI took care of everyone’s concerns as the plans were cancelled. We’ve still got the 9-7x as we wait for the 9-4x to come to market.
Again - why register the design now, in November 2008?
*trollhattansaab