Saab 9-3, 9-5 Reincarnated In China

Chinese carmaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) has unveiled the fruits of its 2009 purchase of Saab technology.

The haul included the rights to the 9-3 and 9-5 platforms, spun off from architecture developed with former parent General Motors.

The heavily-revised and redesigned cars, developed specifically for the Chinese market, are known as the C70G and C60F.

The 9-5 based C70G will be released by year's end, and is already in production to meet expected demand. Power will be provided by a 2.0 litre turbo four cylinder, and an electric model is expected to follow.

The smaller C60F, still a concept, is based on the 9-3 first introduced in 1998. Thanks to a positive reception at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, a production launch is expected to occur in mid-2013.

There are some Saab echoes in the styling of both cars, most obviously from the base of the windscreen back. The C70G gets a new Mercedes-like face, while the C60F features echoes of the Hyundai Genesis.

Mechanically, there's not a lot of Sweden left in the two cars, with the platforms already long in the tooth when BAIC picked them up - and their GM roots had already been virtually eradicated by the engineers in Trollhatten.

BAIC says it has modified the C70G's platform to such an extent that it has given the architecture a new name: M-trix. The platform will also underpin a new crossover.

The unveiling of both cars follows the reveal of the larger Bentley-inspired and more luxury-focused C80K concept, designed by Italian studio Fioravanti.

While relatively new to foreign eyes, BAIC has been around since 1958 and is, naturally, owned by the Chinese government.

Its 2011 production of almost 1.4 million cars made it the fifth largest car manufacturer in China by unit production. In addition to its Hyundai production, BAIC also produces Mercedes-badged cars and trucks, again largely for the domestic market.

[Images via yiche.com]