21/06/2008 02:28. NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. -Introducing a turbocharged sedan to the media on a Friday the 13th and encouraging autojournalists to drive it as hard as they like on a closed track would be tempting fate for some automakers. Not so for Saab, the Swedish company that builds some of the safest and most practical cars in the world. With the new 2008 Turbo X 9-3, a limited-edition production vehicle that churns out 280 horsepower and holds the road using Saab's new all-wheel-drive system, Saab engineers prove that even those who tempt fate can be saved from themselves on the track and the road.

Emphasizing function has been a mainstay of Swedish industrial design for nearly 80 years. It drives brands such as Ikea, the low-cost furniture store that sells design to the masses, Absolut Vodka, the... // National Post