The Geneva Motor Show is undoubtedly the biggest on the planet for concept vehicles, debuts, and blond Swedish models. This year GM took the wraps off of the Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept, showcasing the latest in the theme that Saab has been evolving over the last couple of years.

Saab tends to be the forgotten horse in the GM stable of brands, yet it may have an identity that rivals Cadillac in strength… especially with the 9-X.

Watch the video of GM’s Design Chief Ed Welburn talk about the 9-X and read on for our full crit.

Exterior

“Born From Jets” — Saab’s tag line has never been more accurate. The 9-X has the lines and form of a fighter jet taking off from an aircraft carrier. Design school instructors preach to us about the K.I.S.S. method of design, and it sure looks like Saab’s design team made it to class that day. The 9-X’s simplicity and sexiness might rival anything that VW and Audi have put forth recently.The vehicle’s stance is accentuated by the sloping roof line and the rear wheels precisely at the corners. Minimal overhang in the back allowed Saab to do much more with the front. The front end is clean and purposeful, and the now-standard horizontal grille-meets-headlamp line has become one of the more recognizable features of Saab vehicles.

The side view of the 9-X may be its most striking thematic cue. It is, quite frankly, an utterly beautiful design. This is the concept that we designers have had floating in our heads since college: graphic break-up on a simple canvas with clean, yet defined, wheel arches. The tapering glass creates a stark contrast against an already fashionable clean slate. The taut door lines are almost symmetrically balanced. Even the details are fantastic: the wheel designs mimic jet engine turbines. This car is ready to move… and FAST!

That wing on the back? Although it won’t lift you off of the ground, it WILL make your vehicle appear as though you are about to. In fact, they remind us of what we commonly referred in school to as “floaties” (ie. miscellaneous floating parts of a car). Although these may be functional, the wing is designed well and appears to levitate behind the vehicle.

Interior

The concept’s interior focuses on the pod-like aspect of a jet’s controls. Everything is laid out around the driver, with the focus on electronic input instead of haptic. The emphasis is on buttons and lights (bright blue on a black background). The asymmetric color break-up highlights the driver (pilot?) focus with a contrasting white-on-black color scheme. Saab isn’t known for their wild colors. Once again, form and lines are extremely simplified and taut, like the exterior. What doesn’t need to be there, isn’t. The seating is elegant and clean, and relies on some simple graphic breakups on concave surfaces to portray the forms it needs to.

Overall Impression

This vehicle is beautiful. Although it may not be the world’s greatest design for everyone out there, it certainly may affect many of us. This could very well be the Saab’s TT: vaulting the company into the design hearts of the consumer much in the way that Audi’s coupe did. The one-box design is definitely back.

For more on the direction Saab is headed, watch the video below of GM’s VP of European Design Mark Adams.