According to sources Saab is currently trying to bid to buy the rights to the outgoing Mini platform. Saab is trying to secure the rights to a small car platform that it can use to compete in the premium compact segment.

Saab has already secured a deal to buy Mini’s 1.6L turbocharged engine, but now Saab bosses want the old Mini platform. BMW is set to begin phasing out the current Mini platform at the end of 2012 when an all-new Mini, codenamed F56, launches. The next Mini is said to use a new front-wheel-drive platform that is being developed by BMW. The new platform will be the basis for the next Mini and a new small BMW that will go head to head with the Audi A1 .

Saab’s financial troubles have stopped production in Trollhattan, Sweden, for the past six weeks, but there is still one place where a Saab is being produced. GM is still under contract to build Saab’s crossover, the 9-4X, which shares its platform with the Cadillac SRX . Because of this, the Saab 9-4X is the only Saab that is currently being produced, in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

A Saab spokesperson stated that production of the 2012 Saab 9-4X recently kicked off at the GM plant in Mexico, despite Saab’s financial problems that led suppliers to stop parts deliveries to Saab’s plant in Sweden.

The 2012 9-4X starts at $33,380 and will be in showrooms sometime next month. The base 9-4X is powered by a GM sourced 265-hp 3.0L V6, while the top model is powered by a 300-hp turbocharged 2.8L V6 that was recently suspended from the Cadillac SRX and starts at $48,010.

Even though Saab has had a lot of financial troubles the past few months, which have severely effected production, Saab has announced plans for three new models. Saab has finalized its deals with China’s Youngman and Pang Da, which will help it produce the new models.

Saab’s new models in addition to the next 9-3, will be the Saab 9-1 , Saab 9-6X and Saab 9-7 . The Saab 9-1 will be a new entry level Saab, which may have been previewed by the 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept. The Saab 9-6X will be a new larger crossover that will go head to head with models like BMW’s X5. Lastly the Saab 9-7 will be a new flagship sedan.

If you think about continental cars, you’d think about luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi or Volvo. If you’re feeling rich, perhaps marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Zonda, Maserati, Bugatti or Aston Martin will interest you. If you’re feeling mainstream, be sure to check out Volkswagen, Peugeot, Citroen or Renault. If your taste runs a little more niche, you might even want to look at Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, MINI or Landrovers.

But what on earth can possibly compel someone to buy a… Saab?

Saab is the Swedish car-maker that hails from the land which gave us Volvo, Ikea and Abba. But unlike its more famous compatriots, many drivers never even heard of Saab.

We’re still scratching our head with Saab’s official picture of the new 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition adorned with sunflowers somewhere in the Alps but whatev. Fact is that Saab has released a yellow version of its 2008 9-3 Convertible for the US market. The Swedes believe that, like the first-ever yellow version of the Convertible issued in 1991, this one too will obtain a collectors status in the near future as production will be limited to a few hundred units.

Swedish car manufacturer Saab has announced the launch of a new Special Edition version of its 9-5 model for the UK market. Called the “9-5 Turbo Edition”, it features a number of added extras including 17 inch, five spoke alloy wheels, leather sport seats heated both front and rear, electric driver’s seat, and headlight washers.

For a brief time span, Saab’s official Chile website hosted a dedicated page on what appeared to be, the production version of the of the Swedish firm’s forthcoming compact SUV, the 2009 9-4X. We’re not sure if this was (we’re using past tense as the page has just been removed) a blooper from the behalf of the Chileans or if was originally intended to be seen only by company execs, but in any case, online visitors could color the 9-4X and view the SUV’s preliminary specifications that included the retail price which was set at U.S. $66,000.

Saab will enter the 2009 season of the Swedish Touring Car Championship with a new racing version of the 9-3 sedan that will compete in the S2000 class. The Swedish automaker’s racing car that is currently under development by the team Dealer Sport will be equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that runs of bio-fuel.

Saab has introduced a new sport version of the 2009 9-3 Convertible developed by Hirsch Performance for the German market. Based on the 9-3 with the 280HP 2.8 V6 engine, the range-topping model gets the full Hirsch treatment with a performance kit that boosts output to 300HP and torque to 400Nm resulting to a 0 - 100 km/h (62mph) time of 6.4 sec and a top speed of 260 km/h (162mph). Other mechanical enhancements include a lowered sport suspension and high performance 345mm brakes.