Geneva 2011: Saab PhoeniX Rises From The Ashes

What an obvious name for a concept car. OK saab, we get it.  You're being reborn under leadership that gives a hoot after 20 years of oppressive GM neglect.  Still, naming your first concept car after your messy divorce the "PhoeniX" is maybe a bit obvious?

Let's not judge this book by it's cover (title), though.  The PhoeniX is a rolling example of what Saab can do when they don't have stingy GM bean-counters telling them "no, stop that, keep making 15 year old cars and shut up" every 5 minutes.  The styling was done by none other than Jason Castriota, who penned James Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5 as well as the gorgeous (and absurd) Bertone Mantide.

It's a sleek 2-door hatchback with butterfly doors (think McLaren F1) and a 2+2 seating arrangement.  I'm curious about the function of those winglets on the side, but the contrasting tapered rear glass is absolutely amazing.  Interesting design details practically infest the Phoenix, like the ZR-1 style "engine window" atop the Saab valve cover, the scattered LED taillight clusters (Trans Am!), the complex rear diffuser, the rear-view mirrors mounted high up on the A-pillars, the original Saab logo (the front profile of an airplane) integrated in the rear brakelights, etc.

The concept car uses a tweaked version of Saab's newest 1.6L gas turbo engine, boosted up to a solid 200bhp.  Power is transferred through Saab's Haldex IV XWD all wheel drive system, naturally.  But what's most exciting about the PhoeniX concept is the on-board infotainment system, which Saab calls IQon, which will find its way into production Saabs pretty soon.

While most on-board infotainment systems are based around Microsoft architecture (Ford SYNC, Kia UVO, Fiat Blue & Me), Saab's new system is based off of the Linux-derived, Microsoft-sourced Android OS.  While most of you know me as a car geek, in my spare time I'm also an Android geek, and this system is something that really gets me excited for the future of automobiles.  Whereas Ford's system is pretty much closed - although functional and well-integrated - the IQon system opens up all sorts of new potential for systems like these.

While the IQon system will do all the stuff you'd expect of one of these systems - integrated navigation, HVAC controls, Audio, WiFi network connection, etc - what's really cool is that Saab will be offering the API (application programming interface) to developers who want to play with it.  The API will give access to over 500 parameters from the car's OBD (on-board diagnostics) system, including stuff like vehicle speed, location and direction of travel, driver workload, yaw rate, steering wheel angle, engine speed and torque, inside and outside temperature, barometric pressure and the sun's position.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOd9oX1p4s

With access to all this data, plus the extremely developed Android base, potential apps for Saab IQon are mind-blowing.  With access to OBD settings, it's not hard to imagine Saab tuner Nordic Tuning offering a "boost my Saab" app where you could pick between different engine tunes.  I think they should have a "smoke Hondas" button, a "smoke BMW's" button, and a "smoke Audi S-models" button.  Maybe I'm a weirdo.

The Phoenix itself isn't headed for production, but a lot of the styling traits -as well as the technical goodies - should trickle down to future Saabs pretty soon.  For a company that was not that long ago on the brink of extinction, it sure seems like Saab is rising from the ashes... much like a PhoeniX.  Sigh.

Live photo via Autoblog.