Saab plans to distribute in China and Russia

Saab Automobile is laying out their plans to sell their cars in China by 2011. According to its CEO Jan Jonsson, the initial roll out will involve a few thousand vehicles every year with the supply line depending on importing the units. It will be a wait and see situation until the company launches the new 9-3 before the end of 2012, and when they will manufacture the car locally.

The top priority of Saab is to outline their first web of dealerships in the Chinese market. They are looking setup initially in six cities and have around 15 dealerships. If ever Saab will produce the vehicles in China, the next gen 9-3 will be the starting point followed by the 9-5 and the 9-4X crossover. The car manufacturer is aiming to sell around 10,000 units per year before considering the local production of its vehicles. The 9-4X will hit the US market by April while non-US consumers can expect it by August.

The Saab 9-4X comes with two V6 powerplant options. Both of the engines are coupled with a six-speed automatic gearbox. There is a 3.0L engine that produces 265 horsepower which speeds up the 9-4X from 0 to 60 miles per hours in just 7.9 seconds with the FWD version while the XWD version comes in at 8.4 seconds. The 2.8L variant of the V6 produces 300 horsepower and a torque of 295 lb-ft. This version on an XWD configuration blasts from 0 to 60 in 7.7 seconds. The tag price for the 9-4X begins at $34,205.