"McCormack said the challenge is to find the right balance of size, fuel economy, price — and body style."
Yeah, let's totally bypass build quality, performance/power, handling, and overall driving dynamics when developing a 1-Series competitor.
If Saab wants to be taken seriously as a player in the premium compact segment, they need to expand their scope. And are they really a legit premium marque anyway? They seem to be really lacking in performance & luxury models, with a considerable reliance on GM platform sharing. It will be no surprise if they undercut the "competition" by thousands of dollars.