All versions feature a grey cast iron block and an aluminum head with a single or double overhead chain driven camshafts.

It was introduced in 1981 and unlike the B engine it did not have the central shaft which used to power the distributor, oil- and coolant pump.

Instead the distributor is located at the front of the cylinder head and directly driven by the camshaft, while the integrated waterpump was replaced with a separate unit to the rear of the engine.

Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki also planned a downsized 1.6 liter version of B201, to better suit Finnish vehicle tax laws.

The prototype engine produced 92 PS (68 kW; 91 hp) at 5400 rpm, fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection.

Another notable addition to the B202 was hydraulic valve lifters and Ecopower ("ep" in Italy, "(900)S" elsewhere), with a pre-heated catalytic converter for reduced emissions.

In 1991, Saab introduced a 140 hp (103 kW) 2.1-litre naturally aspirated 16 valve version of this engine, with an increased displacement of (2.1 L; 129.3 cu in (2,119 cc)) and a resulting name of B212.

[1] This version one of the first to use Saab's direct ignition system (SDI) and produced 165 PS (121 kW) at 5600 rpm.

Its other strength was high power in an unusually broad powerband for a naturally aspirated racing engine.

The later motors had a revised oil sump system, head, timing cover, and different bell housing pattern.

It was only offered as a naturally aspirated engine B206I producing 133 hp (99 kW), seemingly a Europe-and-Australia-only option in 1994 non-turbo 900 NGs.

They were introduced in the 1998 Saab 9-5 giving reduced fuel consumption and emissions with improved refinement.

Another development was the introduction of the Trionic 7 torque demand type engine management system.

The B201R and B231R models do not use Saab's Trionic engine management system and direct ignition cassette.

There were some technologies carried over into the Ecotec line from the Saab H-engine, but for the most part there is very little similarity between the two engine families.