The Saab 9-5 is an executive car prouced by the Swedish automobile maker Saab. It was introduced in 1997 as the replacement to the Saab 9000. The 9-5 replaced the 9000 in the spring of 1997 for the 1998 model year. At the time, the car represented a great leap forward for Saab. In the US, the 9-5 was introduced in the spring of 1998, for the 1999 model year.