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Patent filed for DOA Tribeca-based Saab 9-6X
Filed under: Euro, Crossovers/CUVs, Saab, Subaru, Rendered Speculation 
Click above for high-res gallery of Saab 9-6X patent pics
It takes no stretch of the imagination to look at the freshened Subaru Tribeca and see a stillborn Saab 9-6x. The grille and the headlamps may be slightly different from what a Saab version of Subaru's biggest crossover would wear, but if you park your Tribeca next to a 9-5, you'll notice the resemblance immediately. All the work had been done to morph the Tribeca into a Saab variant, and then General Motors decided to sell its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, and so broke the ties that bound the two automakers.
The tidy little story doesn't end there, though. Just this month a patent was filed for a Saab vehicle that can be nothing but the 9-6x that we all thought was dead. Why now? Well, the folks at TurboNines posit that we may yet see the Saabaru crossover for a couple of solid reasons. Right now, Saab has the 9-7x, which is a variant of the Trailblazer. It's in fact the best Trailblazer ever, but it's headed for extinction when General Motors shutters its Moraine, OH plant. That leaves an opening in Saab's lineup, and dealers would love to have something to sell. Enter the 9-6x; all the work has been done, so it can be pulled off the shelf and pressed into service without the cost of development or even styling. Of course, it might just be that we're talking ourselves into something, but the fact that the patent was just applied for makes us think that we could soon see a Saab 9-6x based on one of our favorite larger crossovers.
[Source: TurboNines]
Patent filed for DOA Tribeca-based Saab 9-6X originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Leave it at home: Subaru Dex
Filed under: Japan, Scion, Subaru, Toyota 
The JDM market is apparently enamored with vehicles that look like they're stuck in the shipping crate. We saw the first generation Toyota bB here as the Scion xB before it went on an eating binge and lost all its charm. That original bB went on to another generation, and has its own scions in form of some Daihatsu models. Subaru inked a deal back in April to share models between Toyota and Daihatsu, and this hideous little box with the star-motif badges is the result. There are three trim levels, and the Dex will relieve you of $15,000-$20,000. And here we thought even Subaru had relinquished its weird years ago. Turns out it was there all along, and the Dex is the ballcap-shaped box of contrived quirk that proves it.
[Source: Inside Line]Leave it at home: Subaru Dex originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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VIDEO: Ken Block Gymkhana practice, or one hoon to rule them all
Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Subaru 
Click above to watch Ken Block, master hoon
There are a remarkable number of crap car videos floating around the intertubes, so it takes a special breed of driving deity to make something that catches our attention. Card-carrying member of the automotive master race, Ken Block, did just that by setting up an utterly insane Gymkhana course around El Toro and then proceeds to flog the life out of his Crawford-prepped Subaru Impreza STI through countless turns, drifts and 360s to create over four minutes of pure motoring bliss. The video speaks for itself, so hit the jump to check it out. And if you want to get inside the mind of the man, head over to 0-60 to read a brief interview of Block and his madcap run.
[Source: 0-60]Continue reading VIDEO: Ken Block Gymkhana practice, or one hoon to rule them all VIDEO: Ken Block Gymkhana practice, or one hoon to rule them all originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Rumormill: Next-gen Scion tC will be Subaru-co-developed RWD coupe
Filed under: Coupes, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Rumormill  Carscoop is reporting that Toyota has finally confirmed what many have long suspected: The next Scion tC will be a variant of the upcoming Subaru-Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe project. At a press conference back in April, Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe had confirmed that his company was jointly developing a pair of rear-wheel-drive sports cars with Subaru. Each brand would get its own version of the car, which would each be powered by one of Subaru's boxer engines.
It looks like that powerplant will be around 2.0L in size and put out around 200 horsepower. Based on an all-new RWD platform, the affordable coupe should show up Stateside by the end of 2010, or possibly early 2011. That new tC will probably be joined by a version of the iQ minicar in Scion dealerships as well, also according to Carscoop's Toyota insiders. A reborn, rebadged Celica and a Smart-fighter could be a compelling pair for Toyota's youth brand. As always, we'll keep you posted.
[Source: Carscoop]Rumormill: Next-gen Scion tC will be Subaru-co-developed RWD coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2008: Subaru trots out Forester XTI concept and tweaked WRX
Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Tuners, Wagons/Estates, Hatchbacks, Subaru 
Click any image for a high-res gallery
Even though our lust for Japan's forbidden fruit has been sated by three generations of the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi EVO - and now, the Nissan GT-R - one guilty pleasure is still out of reach. The Subaru Forester STI has always held a special place in our hearts, combining a healthy dose of practicality with a dash of rally-bred performance, and that's carried over to the Forester XTI concept. Packing the WRX STI's turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder putting out 315 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, a cat-back exhaust, reworked suspension, STI wheels and a deep red/black paint job, the Forester XTI is begging to go into production. Here's hoping Subaru wises up and gives it the green light.
 
Joining the Forester on the show stand is a five-door 2009 WRX tweaked by Subaru Performance Tuning (left) with a cat-back exhaust, short-throw shifter, OZ Botticelli III 19-inch wheels, a lower chassis brace and strut tower brace. The 2.5-liter four has gotten a 10-hp boost in output (from 265 to 275 hp) and an additional seven lb-ft of torque, and sitting beside that guy is the STI that's making its big screen debut in the next installment of the Fast and Furious franchise.
SEMA 2008: Subaru trots out Forester XTI concept and tweaked WRX originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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