If you were a journalist turning up for the 9-5 estate launch in 2000, the event would have no doubt been something of a surprise to you compared with some of the usual fare – it took place at an airstrip in New Mexico in the US at an elevation of 2,650 metres (two Ben Nevises) in order to show off the benefits of the car’s turbocharged engine at altitude (turbos are less affected by the lower air pressure the higher you go. Very handy if you live up two Ben Nevises).
Another 9-5-shaped surprise was the arrival of the second generation of the saloon in 2009 – for a company that was in the very visible process of trying to rinse as much cash as it could out of an aging lineup, it was actually a decent enough car. But was it sufficient to save the company? Well let’s not go crazy here (and the results are long evident), but it was a hopeful sign that the company could’ve flourished in an alternate universe.