When in 1937 the Swedish “AB Svenska Järnvägsverktäderna” and “Svenska Flygmotor AB” merged into “Svenska Aeroplan Aktie Bolaget” (Swedish for Swedish Aeroplane Ltd), it was to manufacture airplanes for the Swedish Air Force.
After WW2 the company sought ways in which to diversify its business. In the late 1940s the automobile production started with the first car, the Saab 92001 in June 1947.
The cars were soon looked upon as safe and reliable cars that also had a notable competition history.
In 1969 Saab and Scania, the heavy vehicle manufacturer, became partners and the Saab 99 was presented. It was a larger model and the last one designed by Sixten Sason, the designer of the earlier models. This car looked totally different though and its design stood for the next 20 years. The Saab 99 also was the first turbocharged model. In 1970 the 1,000,000th Saab was built.
At the end of 1989 General Motors bought 50 % of Saab’s automobile division and the “Saab Automobile AB” was created. Not surprisingly the new Saab 900 produced in 1994 used the same platform as the Opel Vectra. A new crossover SUV that will share the platform with the platform with the new Cadillac SRX is expected to go on sale in 2010.
Innovations:
- 1958 – The Saab GT 75o was fitted with seatbelts as standard
- 1970 – Saab introduces headlamp wipers and washers
- 1971 – Heated front seats are fitted as standard
- 1981 – Saab introduces the split field side mirror
- 1982 – Asbestos-free brake pads
- 1983 – 16-valve turbocharged engine
These are of course only a few innovations made by Saab.
