The next-generation Saab 9-3 will be based on the current car’s Epsilon I platform, according to the firm’s boss Victor Muller.
The platform has been used to underpin the 9-3 since 2003 and it had been thought the new 9-3 would use General Motor’s new Delta platform, as seen on the Vauxhall Astra and Chevrolet Cruze.
Instead, Muller said the new 9-3 would rely on the current car’s underpinnings, albeit with major modifications to suite Saab’s tastes.
"It's a heavily modified Epsilon I platform, but [it belongs to] Saab now,” said Muller. “So that's the basis for the new 9-3; we have no further restraints so we don't have to share it with anyone else.
“This means we can knock ourselves out to make it the car we want it to be."
Saab intends to launch the new 9-3 in 2012 as part of its recovery plan.
Follow us on FacebookSee all the latest Saab reviews, news and video
