WI: Fiat buys SAAB instead of General Motors

This was already discussed at SAAB Automobile AB not sold to General Motors in the 1980s - Outcomes ?

Here, I'm focusing on one particular situation suggested there - FIAT buying them.

The POD is the 1990s (assuming FIAT has acquired SAAB around 1989, as suggested in the discussion linked to above).

A hypothetical line-up could be:

240px-Lancia_Delta_II_front_20120322.jpg
Saab 600 -
Recycling the name from the Saab-Lancia 600, this would be based on the Fiat Type Two platform underpinning the Lancia Delta and FIAT Tipo but would not be a badge-engineered model. Same platform, but no Lancia 1.3 or 1.6 petrol engines - only the higher-end 1.8 and 2.0 petrols.

240px-Saab_900_five-door_--_06-16-2011.jpg
Saab 900 -
Retains the same body style as the OTL version launched in late 1993 for 1994 model year, but uses FIAT Type 3 platform shared with FIAT Tempra, Lancia Dedra and Alfa Romeo 155. Unlike in OTL, there is a sedan version, which looks similar to the Lancia Dedra.

The 1979-1993 Saab 900 had a sedan version which looked like this:
400px-1985-SAAB900CD-rear.jpg


Unlike in OTL, where GM supplied a 2.5-liter/168hp V6 petrol engine (the GM 54-Degree V6 engine), here, it would use the Alfa Romeo 2.5-liter/164hp V6 engine as used in the Alfa Romeo 155 and 164 sedans.

Saab 9000 - No change from OTL version in terms of design or specs, except there would be no GM 44-Degree V6 in 3.0-liter/210hp form due to FIAT ownership, so Alfa Romeo V6 instead would be used. Unlike in OTL, this would be the first-ever diesel SAAB, using the 2.5-liter/114hp 4-cylinder turbodiesel (2500 TD) - in OTL, Saab did not have a diesel-engined model until 1998 (the 2.2 TiD).

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In this discussion, I'm looking at what the potential ramifications of FIAT ownership of SAAB could have meant in the 1990s for the company, and how SAAB would have fitted in with FIAT, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.

The original discussion said that FIAT was only really influential in Italy, although I do remember their cars being popular here in the United Kingdom and in Spain (as rental cars).

This discussion is an attempt to expand on possible outcomes for SAAB during the 1990s and 2000s.

I'm interested to see what you think could happen next.
 
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