Saab 9-3: The Complete Story
May 2026 · The Crowood Press
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About this ebook
The story of the Saab 9-3 is full of twists and turns, from its origins before the 9-3 name even existed to its unexpected rebirth as an electric vehicle decades later. Bizarrely, the first-generation 9-3 was in essence the same car as the Saab 900 built between 1994 and 1998. Equally as bizarre, the second-generation 9-3 lived on well beyond the General Motors era, reappearing in 2013–14 and again from 2019 to 2022. In these later years its familiar Gen2 silhouette concealed an all-electric powertrain, now wearing the badge of new owner NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) in place of the hallowed Saab Griffin. From 1998 to 2011, the Saab 9-3 was manufactured at the Trollhättan factory in Sweden, carrying the brand's distinctive character into a new era. This book charts the 9-3's evolution under General Motors' stewardship, from the outgoing Saab 900 to the fundamentally similar first-generation 9-3, and on to the redesigned Gen2 model of 2002, this new model being built on GM's Epsilon platform and featuring far more GM-supplied componentry. The Gen1 9-3 came in three guises: four-door Saloon (sedan), two-door Cabriolet convertible and five-door Hatchback. Its Gen2 successor offered Saloon, Cabriolet and SportCombi estate car formats, powered by engines ranging from the 2.0-litre petrol Turbo and 1.9 TiD diesel to the 2.6-litre petrol V6 and the 1.9 TTiD twin-turbo diesel. Stunningly illustrated with over 250 images – many previously unseen – Saab 9-3 includes specially commissioned photography of the high-performance Viggen model, factory archive images, an interview with heroic rallycross legend Per Eklund and a Foreword by Saab insider and photojournalist Kenneth Olausson. It recounts Saab's final decade as a car manufacturer through the development of the 9-3 until its abandonment in 2011 by General Motors, and its brief rebirth as an electric vehicle under NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), which lingered intermittently until 2022.
The story of the Saab 9-3 is full of twists and turns, from its origins before the 9-3 name even existed to its unexpected rebirth as an electric vehicle decades later. Bizarrely, the first-generation 9-3 was in essence the same car as the Saab 900 built between 1994 and 1998. Equally as bizarre,...
About the author
Johnny Tipler is a motoring writer and historian based in north Norfolk. He has had more than forty books published on a variety of automotive topics, ranging from F1 racing cars and motorcycles to trucks and heavy equipment, plus driver biographies and legendary race histories. He writes regularly for a number of specialist car magazines, reviewing products old and new, interviewing famous drivers and industry figures, and reporting on international historic races and long-distance rallies.
Johnny Tipler is a motoring writer and historian based in north Norfolk. He has had more than forty books published on a variety of automotive topics, ranging from F1 racing cars and motorcycles to trucks and heavy equipment, plus driver biographies and legendary race histories. He writes regular...
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