autos sport

Saab's newly appointed design boss, Jason Castriota of former Bertone and Pininfarina fame, wasn't around when the Swedish automaker crafted the all-new 2010 9-5 saloon, so it's interesting to see what he has to say about the styling of the premium sedan. In this video, as well as sharing his insight on the 9-5's design, Castriota also took the car for a quick spin.

The first official assignment at Saab for the 36-year-old Italian-American who is known for his work on the Ferrari P4/5 one-off special, Bertone Mantide and Maserati GranTurismo, will be the redesign of the Swedish firm's 9-3 range, which is expected for release in 2012.

Not even 24 hours before the Geneva Motor Show opens up its gates, Saab gave journalists an exclusive preview of its 9-X BioHybrid Concept (pics and details here) that foretells the upcoming 9-1 premium hatch. The concept is equipped with a 200hp1.4-liter BioPower turbo engine that can run on bioethanol E85 fuel. With a solar cell panel on its roof, the 3-door sporty hatch also runs on energy extracted from sun and used to charge the hybrid’s battery pack both when the vehicle is in motion and when it is stationary. –Video after the jump