Saab SUV submarined.(General Motors cancels sport/utility vehicle deal)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Saab's hopes for a third vehicle line now rest squarely on something based on the 9X concept shown first in Frankfurt last year. That's because General Motors has canceled plans to build the Saab 9-7, a Sigma platform-based, seven-passenger sport/utility vehicle for the corporation's Swedish carmaker. Instead, all resources for Sigma-based niche vehicles are going into the 2004 Cadillac SRX ``luxury activity vehicle'' that will slot in beneath the Escalade.

The decision to kill the 9-7 is due, in part, to GM Europe's continued inability to gain market share and GM Europe president Mike Burns' focus on fixing Opel. But there's another reason: An inside source ...