2011 Saab 9-4X Now In Production, Good Omen for Saab Survival?

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2010 Saab 9-4X

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Well here's a surprise that may bode well for the uncertain future of Swedish carmaker Saab: The company's 2011 Saab 9-4X crossover quietly resumed production last week.

You may recall that General Motors has been trying for months to sell Saab in an on-again, off-again drama of epic proportions. This morning, it seems that a sale to Spyker may be imminent. But we've heard that before.

saab 9 4 x main630

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Saab 9-4X production data, week of Jan 23, 2010, from Automotive News screenshot

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After a holiday production shutdown in December, Saab resumed building cars this month. The company said that production was only to fill existing orders on the books. Indeed, the news came at roughly the same time that GM hired a liquidator to begin winding down Saab.

With the company's brand-new 2011 Saab 9-5 luxury sports sedan now in low-volume production, the next of the not-yet-seen new cars from the Swedish maker was to be the 9-4X crossover that shares an architecture with the well-received 2010 Cadillac SRX.

Now the eagle eyes over at GM Inside News have pointed out an interesting fact: Last week, according to Automotive News, Saab built 49 copies of the 9-4X, bringing total production to 147. We don't think GM would have done that if it didn't feel Saab had a viable future.

The new 9-5 sedan has been featured at many car shows, most recently the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December. The 9-4X, however, has been much less visible and mostly seen only in spy shots.

Stay tuned to TheCarConnection for the very latest in the ongoing Saab drama.

[GM Inside News]