Saab flies plane-inspired car

Saab has drawn on its aviation heritage to design the Aero X concept car, being showcased at the Geneva Motor Show.

Like its 1950s aircraft-inspired predecessor, the bubble car, the Aero X dispenses with doors and windscreen pillars in favour of a cockpit-style wraparound canopy, which allows 180-degree visibility, lifting up and forward to allow access to the cabin.

The all-wheel drive car is powered by a 400 bhp, twin-turbo, BioPower V6 engine, fuelled entirely by bioethanol.

Inside the cockpit, the instruments display data on glass-like acrylic 'clear zones' in graphic 3-D images. All exterior and interior lighting is by LED.

Saab said it targeted performance with weight-saving carbon fibre bodywork, a lightweight powertrain and electronically controlled suspension. Computer simulations predict zero to 100 kph in just 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 250 kph.