Saab 9-5 History

Introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year (1999 in the US), the Saab 9-5 replaced the 9000 as the marque's executive car. Built on a dedicated platform developed under GM partnership, it was offered as a four-door sedan and a five-door wagon (SportCombi) — the wagon proving especially popular in European markets. The turbocharged 2.0- and 2.3-litre four-cylinder engines, and later a V6, powered the range, with the Aero trim providing up to 260 bhp. Over its 13-year first-generation run, 252,236 sedans and 231,357 wagons were produced.

A completely redesigned second-generation 9-5 was revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show on a new GM platform. It entered production in March 2010 — becoming the first Saab launched under Spyker's ownership — as a five-door hatchback-style sedan with a turbocharged V6 and available all-wheel drive. The timing was catastrophic: Saab's financial collapse halted production in Trollhättan in March 2011 after only 11,280 second-generation cars had been built, and the 9-5 nameplate died with the company.