Saab introduced the last generation of the 900 in 1994 and offered it in various shapes and sizes, including a coupe, but it was short-lived.
Saab was not a great asset in terms of profitability for its owner, which was General Motors. But it was a brand with a great heritage and was seen on the European market as a premium brand. GM struggled to get into that segment, and Opel couldn't do that. So, in 1994, Saab introduced a successor for the aging 900 series that was introduced in 1978. It was based on the same platform as the first generation of the Opel Vectra.
The aerodynamic look of the car had something with the carmaker's heritage in the aircraft industry. That led to a slim front fascia with a grille that resembled an aircraft with its two side intakes for the engines. For the coupe version, the 900 featured an ascending beltline ending in a raked-forward C-pillar and no rear deck. At the back, the taillights were visually linked together with a red plastic mold that crossed the tailgate from side to side.
Inside the cabin, Saab installed a pair of bucket seats at the front with high-bolstered areas that kept their occupants in place during high-speed cornering. In the back, the bench was fit for two, although the carmaker suggested that it was wide enough for three.
Under the hood, Saab installed a choice of three inline-four engines developed by the Swedish brand and a 2.5-liter V-6 carried over from General Motors. The carmaker offered a unique option for the transmission, named Sensonic. It was, in short, a manual gearbox with an electronically controlled clutch, which was needed only when starting but not while driving.