Maybe they've still got it at Saab. The first hint of a post-GM Saab can be seen now on the floor of the Frankfurt Auto Show, and the automotive press seems to think it's promising. It's a new 9-5, due out next year.

Once known for quirky cars that had some indescribable appeal to a certain type of shopper, the Swedish automaker was bought by General Motors in the early ‘90's. Rather than design its own cars, Saab began churning out cars built on GM-designed platforms under GM supervision.  The resulting cars lacked the distinctive Saab personality, and never sold well.

But, the Los Angeles Times reports, "The deal has been struck that the company be purchased from GM by a consortium led by Swede Christian Koenigsegg - maker of blindingly fast sports cars - but the future is anything but certain." The new 2011 9-5, though, "should help." The car isn't a pure Saab-designed Saab. It's built on GM's newest midsize car platform. But, the Times says, "The styling is attractively Saab-like (wraparound greenhouse, blacked-out roof pillars, distinctive grille and headlamp design)."

Can Saab recover its funk?

"After sitting in the car today at the Frankfurt Motor Show and talking extensively with members of Saab's team, we're actually rather optimistic that the perennially underweight automaker may yet emerge," writes Autoblog. The key to the 9-5 design's success, they write, is the famous Saab quirkiness. "Like Scandinavian furniture, the design won't be to everyone's tastes."

Mechanically, Canadian Driver reports, "The all-turbocharged powertrain lineup starts at 1.6 litres and carries forward Saab's ‘right-sizing' engine strategy, which focuses on responsible performance through the development of small, highly efficient turbocharged engines." Output will range from 160 hp to 300 horsepower, never using more than six cylinders.

Inside, Autoblog says, "the design has been tastefully updated in a driver-centric way that honors the marque's quirkiness (Night Panel button, eggcrate grid air vents, etc.) without becoming a caricature of Saabs past. Reinforcing the aeronautically-minded ‘Born From Jets' theme that had become something of a punchline with distractions like the 9-7x SUV, Saab has adopted new features like an optional heads-up display and a novel altimeter-like digital speedometer readout in case you aren't interested making use of the clear analogue gauges."

Of course, until we get the chance to drive it, we can't be sure. But on the show floor, the first post-GM Saab looks like it might recapture some of the eccentricity of pre-GM Saabs.

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