Saab's Biopower 100 Concept to Debut at the Geneva Motor Show

General Motors’ Saab brand will unveil its latest BioPower development at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

The Saab BioPower 100 Concept will showcase the first-ever production based engine developed for pure bioethanol or E100 fuel. The BioPower 100 concept will showcase a level of performance that is never before seen from any road car utilizing this type of fuel.

The BioPower 100 is to be presented as the evolution of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi. The concept displays the enormous potential of bioethanol which is precisely the objective of General Motors in coming up with such car idea. And in keeping up with GM’s commitment to quality, the BioPower 100 is going to be equipped with only top-of-the-line auto parts that the automaker is popular for like its GM fender cover, GM fender flares and many more.

BioPower 100 combines Saab turbocharging expertise with high octane E100 fuel. The 2.0 liter engine from the 9-5 range revs up 300hp maximum power. Such potent power was made possible through the modifications done on the engine management system as well as on the internal components. These modifications tend to boost pressure which in turn raised compression ratio.

The remarkably high power output of 150 hp per liter produced by the BioPower 100 simply shows that smaller engines are also capable of high output and can proved to be fuel efficient as well. The peak power of the BioPower concept is balanced by a substantial 400Nm of potent torque which provides its engine with the power characteristics of a naturally aspirated 4.0 litres engine. The strong performance and capability of the Saab 9-5 BioPower 100 concept is displayed though its ability to reach 0 to 100 kph acceleration in a matter of 6.6 seconds and then achieving 80 to 120 kph in an even more astonishing 8.2 seconds.

The BioPower 100 Concept is to be unveiled at Geneva featuring exterior and interior styling elements supervised by Anthony Lo, GME Director of Advanced Designs the same person responsible for creating the award-winning Aero X Concept which was also launched at Geneva last year.

Saab has already started marketing Europe’s best selling flex-fuel vehicle, the Saab 9-5 BioPower. The introduction of the Saab BioPower 100 Concept will further strengthen the position of Saab in the industry in terms of bioethanol technology development.

According to Kjell ac Bergstrom, President and CEO at GM Powertrain, Sweden and leader of the Saab BioPower 100 engine development team, “Bioethanol is a potent, high quality fuel which opens up exciting possibilities in helping to meet the environmental challenges that face us. As the need to reduce energy consumption increases, we are exploring ways to run smaller engines that give relatively high power, with and without hybrid technology. This concept car shows that bioethanol can play a key role in this rightsizing process, while also minimizing fossil fuel emissions.”