Starting with the new Saab 9-3, the Swedish automaker will use engines sourced from BMW. BMW has agreed to let Saab purchase the engines for the new 9-3, and a final agreement will be signed and announced on Wednesday, according to a source who spoke to AutoWeek.

The 2010 Saab 9-3 will be replaced soon by an all-new 9-3 model, powered by a BMW engine.

Saab is also in talks with BMW about the possibility of purchasing diesel engines from the German automaker and using the Mini Countryman’s platform for a new 9-2 model. Saab’s Chairman, Victor Muller, wants the company to build a 9-2, which would be inspired by the Saab 9-2 from the early 1950s.

Saab was bought from GM by Spyker Cars NV, a company that builds supercars in Saab’s home country of Sweden, in February.

Saab has a long history of coloring outside the lines with its cars. The most famous Saab quirk is the position of the ignition. Drivers put the key into the center console rather than the dashboard. Saab was also one of the first companies to embrace turbocharging, which has now become the industry standard for the combination of power and economy it delivers on a large scale.

The new Saab 9-3 will be the first model released after the company was sold by GM, and will also be the first designed by Jason Castroita, who also designed the Maserati Granturismo and Ferrari P4/5.

Using BMW engines will give Saab a huge boost in the eyes of luxury buyers, who might balk at the idea of driving something like the 9-7X, which was a re-skinned Chevy Trailblazer. Hopefully, for Saab’s sake and the sake of anyone who’d like to see some variety in the luxury segment, Saab’s old ways of adventurous designs will have a revival under Spyker.