Saab Phoenix Platform To Underpin Next 9-3: Report

New details on Saab's upcoming Phoenix platform - previewed at Geneva earlier this month by a concept bearing the same name - have come to light this week.

A report by British magazine Autocar suggests that the Phoenix architecture, is being developed in cooperation with former partner Scania, the truck-maker now owned by Volkswagen.

The adoption of the new architecture will see the end of the GM-developed Epsilon platform at Saab.

Because of Saab's comparatively small size, the Phoenix platform is reportedly being developed as a 'future-proof' system that can be not only upgraded and modified well into the future, but also stretched to suit vehicles up to 5.5 long.

The report adds that while a light car would need a separate platform, the Phoenix architecture will allow for models ranging in size from the planned 9-2 small car, to an executive-sized 9-7 car.

Sources at Saab's Trollhattan headquarters have reportedly confirmed that the platform will use a unique MacPherson strut arrangement up front, along with a five-link rear axle produced by ZF.

Fans of the brand may also be in for a treat, with the source adding that while the Phoenix concept is a "deliberately wild interpretation" of the next-generation 9-3, its front-end styling is reportedly very close to its final appearance.