Saab History

Day of Remembrance – 1985 Saab 9000 MPV

Saab 9000 MPVMinivan Project - Saab 9000 MPV

For the 30th anniversary of the Saab 9000, the former project manager Gunnar Larsson revealed that Saab secretly explored a Minivan project.

Here’s a quick recap: from 1983 to 1984, the American supplier ASC was in competition to design a 900 Convertible against Saab’s own design studio. After winning, ASC was involved in its development and, during a visit, Gunnar Larsson discovered there the final development of the future best-seller, Chrysler’s K-Car (Voyager, Caravan, Town & Country).

Back in Sweden, Larsson asked Saab’s head of coachbuilding Dick Ohlsson if something similar was possible based on the final 9000 model. Ohlsson agreed it would be.

Saab 9000 MPV
Saab 9000 MPV

A small team of 7 people was secretly created and the design studio headed by Björn Envall proposed this 7-seat mock-up based on the 9000 Turbo 16 in May 1985.

In his presentation, Gunnar Larsson explained this design development probably lasted around 2 months before being stopped

And, and here’s design vision, how a designer imagines a modern Saab minivan:


Source: Calle Carlquist from Vi Bilägare  & Car Design Archives

1 Comment

  • I have Saab 2002 9 3 140,0000 miles nd I m looking Maintenance Repair manual. My Saab cuts off after running for a while.

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