Saab (Saab, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget) is a Swedish company specializing in the production of cars and trucks. The headquarters is in Trollhättan. Belongs to the concern "General Motors".
The company was founded in April 1937 for the production of military aircraft. The idea to produce cars was born after the war, when a small team of aeronautical engineers led by Gunnar Ljungström was attached to the laboratory. technical design Sixten Sason, one of the subdivisions of Saab. The concept of G. Linstrem formed the basis of the first prototype of the car (Saab 92.001), released by the end of 1946 and belonging to the small class. Here immediately appeared hallmarks"Saabs" - a magnificent aerodynamic body (affinity with aircraft affected), independent suspension wheels. The first cars were equipped with two-piston engines of the DKW type, which were later replaced by more powerful engines.
Three years later, the first the lineup large sports Saabs, consisting of two modifications: Saab Standart 92 and 92 DeLuxe.
In 1955, the new Saab 93 model has tubeless tires and a new 3-cylinder engine.
From the following year, 1956, the Saab Sonett sports car appeared in the Saab range, which was designed as an open two-seat car of the highest class. Its body was made of fiberglass.
The successful 1959 Saab 95 station wagon marked the beginning of the company's resounding commercial success, and the 1960 Saab 96 sold well throughout the 60s. The fame of the company at that time was also brought by victories in international competitions: Eric Carlsson (Carlsson) three years in a row - in 1960, 1961 and 1962 - won the Saab 96 model in the British round of the World Rally Championship, and in 1962 and 1963 - in the rally in Monte Carlo.
The company was a pioneer in many endeavors relating to car safety: here appeared seat belts (1962), ventilated brake discs, high impact door beams. Caring for all kinds of comfort for drivers and passengers is also a top priority for the company: the 99 model is equipped with headlight wipers, heated seats and self-healing bumpers.
Since 1968, Saab has merged with the truck manufacturer Scania-Vabis (Scania-Vabis).
After 1971, when Stig Blomqvist won two World Rally Championships in the same Saab 99, the company's interest in producing sports cars vanished, and with the exception of the Saab Sonett II, a two-seater modification designed exclusively for American market, the company has not released a single sports car. The company focused its efforts on improving the 99th model, which, starting with the 900 model introduced in 1978, is now among the prestigious and highly expensive cars. Since 1979, Saab has been collaborating with the designers of the Lancia company.
The Saab 9000, whose concept development ended in 1984, marked a new, third milestone change in the company's history.
In 1989, General Motors acquires a controlling (50%) stake in Saab, giving the corporation another entry into the European market.
In 1997 at the North American international motor show In Detroit, a new version of the Saab 9000 model, the Saab 9-3, was presented. Also in 1997, the company introduced a completely new Saab 9-5, work on which began in 1993. Modern cars"Saab" is an example of "Scandinavian design" with its elegant simplicity. The aerodynamic lines make the company's cars recognizable in the modern "crowd". Other distinguishing feature these "smart" machines - maximum convenience and ease of operation. Although each time it seems that there are more amenities in mass car it is impossible to come up with, the company's designers stun the consumer every time.
The history of Saab as an automaker began in 1947, before that the Swedish company was engaged in the development and production of aircraft and aircraft engines.
First Saab 92, resembling an airplane inside with a fenced off driver's seat and numerous devices, toggle switches and buttons, was released in 1949. In addition, the car had a very decent aerodynamics, which even on modern level looks good. The body of the 92nd Saab was made from a single sheet of metal, openings for doors and windows in which were cut out. Under the hood is a 2-cylinder 794 cc engine that could develop up to 25 Horse power. The first generation was painted exclusively in dark green color, and only in 1953, when it came out second generation, Saab brand cars also received green, black, gray or blue-gray coloring at the choice of the buyer. Saab 92 turned out very decent car- Since the beginning of production, the model has regularly participated in racing races, taking prizes (often first) places.
In 1978, the company released Saab 900, which has become the most successful model stamps. The first generation was in production until 1993, and became a classic of the brand, and since 1994 the second generation has appeared on sale. The car received many titles and awards, and was produced in many variations - sedan, 3 and 5-door hatchback, convertible, and others. This model also used whole line original developments of the company, which gave the cars an unusual character in driving and became a kind of chip " saaba". One of them was the use of turbocharging in the engine in mass production, other manufacturers began to use it much later. An excellent view to the driver was provided by a concave Windshield- this was inherited by the model from aircraft of the same brand. And since 1987, it became possible to buy a Saab 900 in a sports configuration with a rigid suspension and shock absorbers, leather-upholstered seats, an audio system and air conditioning were installed in the cabin.
In 1990 " general motor» bought back 50% of the shares « Saab". This was perceived by fans as the end of the uniqueness of the brand's cars, however, these expectations concern " GM” did not justify, retaining the original style of the brand.
In 1994 the company Saab" governed by " General Motors» released new version his best model on the base Opel Vectra . Despite the new chassis, the car retained its distinctiveness and the firm's sales grew, allowing it to finally turn a profit after 7 years of losses. Machine safety has also been improved by new system protect passengers from side impacts.
Released in 1997 new model Saab-9-3, designed for the 50th anniversary of the company. She got turbocharged diesel engine and improved air suspension. And the most successful car the brand was renamed from 900 to 9-5 and acquired a sedan-type body.
In 2000 " Saab»completely becomes the property of « General Motors". The following year was a landmark for the brand, at the Frankfurt Motor Show the company demonstrated a new concept car, in the design of which there were features of a coupe, pickup truck, roadster and station wagon at the same time. Technical filling The car consisted of an all-wheel drive chassis with an aluminum 3-liter turbo engine capable of delivering 300 horsepower. However, things did not go further than the concept, and the project was curtailed before reaching production.
With the onset of the economic crisis, the concern GM"decided to sell the company" Saab”, as there was practically no profit from it. Despite the start of production quite perspective model crossover 9-4X, first introduced in 2010 in Los Angeles. In 2011, the company went bankrupt and stopped car production. And a year later, the brand Saab"was bought out by the consortium" National Electric Vehicle Sweden", which decided to use already famous brand for the production of electric cars under this name.
Saab is a Swedish car manufacturer of passenger cars and trucks. However, history brands Saab, like many others, did not start with cars at all.
In 1937, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Airplane Company, SAAB for short) was formed to produce bombers and fighters. The memory of this was preserved in the history of Saab for a long time: when the company switched to the production of cars, the aircraft became the first symbol of the brand. Only in 1968 did he give way to the crowned griffin.
The first Saab car entered production under the name 92, as the last aircraft swedish brand had index 91
At the beginning of 2013, Saab, following global trends, changed the logo to a simpler, text-based one. There are 2 options - gray and multi-colored. In the second version, each letter symbolizes one of the seasons, emphasizing the versatility of Swedish cars. It is noteworthy that for trucks and buses the logo remained the same.
Milestones in the history of Saab
At the end of the Second World War, Saab's developments in the field of aircraft construction turned out to be unclaimed, so it was decided to direct the freed up resources to the production of cars. The first prototype was presented in 1946, later, in 1949, it was launched in mass production under the name Saab 92 (the last Saab aircraft had the index 91).
Of the 16 people who built the first Saab, none had ever worked on cars before. Moreover, only two of this group had a driver's license!
However, the real commercial success did not come to the brand immediately, but only 10 years later, with the appearance on the market of the Saab 95 station wagon. In the 60s, the Saab 96 model only consolidated this success.
In 1968, the company merged with the manufacturer Scania trucks– Vabis. This merger resulted in new logo Saab (the griffin on the Scania nameplate has existed since 1900), as well as increased production facilities.
No less significant for Saab was 1989, when a controlling stake in the company passed to the American concern General Motors. In 2000, Saab Automobile AB became wholly owned by GM. At the beginning of the 21st century, the General Motors concern, which is experiencing serious financial difficulties, gets rid of the least profitable divisions. As a result, the new owner of the Saab brand is the Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.
However, under the wing of Spyker, the automaker also failed to succeed: in 2011, the Swedish court officially declared Saab bankrupt. Another "lifeline" for the brand was the company National Electric Vehicle Sweden, half of the shares in which belong to the Sino-Japanese energy consortium.
Saab achievements and victories
Saab brand cars have always stood out from their "brothers". The aviation past left its mark on the first projects of Saab: the cars were not very pretty, but with excellent aerodynamics. The first Saab 92 model with a rear-engine layout looked like a frog, but it had a very good coefficient drag - 0,35.
Author Kurt Vonnegut believed that Saab cars were the reason why he was never awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
It is interesting, by the way, that of the 16 specialists who created the Saab 92 model, no one had ever dealt with cars before. Moreover, only two of this group had a driver's license!
Later, it was in the depths of the Swedish company that the idea was born to "squeeze" out of the engine more power. As a result, in 1976, turbocharging technology appeared, which then spread throughout the world. In addition, in 1978, the Swedes were the first to come up with the idea of filtering the air entering the car interior.
The biography of the famous writer Kurt Vonnegut is associated with the Saab brand. In the 1950s, he was a sales representative for the brand in the US state of Massachusetts. However, his success as a salesman was not great, and he later joked: "My failure with car sales explains why the Swedes never awarded me the Nobel Prize in Literature!"
If speak about sports achievements brand, the first victory of Saab was very unexpected: in 1949, as part of the testing of a new model with an index of 92, the Swedes decided to send a novelty to local winter sports competitions. A complete triumph came as a surprise to everyone, and Saab specialists thought about the release of sports cars. The series of the most high-profile victories of the brand is associated with the name of Eric Carlson, who won the British stage of the World Rally Championship three times (in 1960, 1961 and 1962), and also became the champion of the Monte Carlo Rally twice (1962 and 1963).
Key models in the history of the Saab brand
The first model to appear on foreign markets, became the Saab 93, introduced in 1954. Subsequently, it was on its basis that the sports Sonett was created - a roadster with plastic body and a 57-horsepower engine, which, in fact, opened the way for Saab to the world of motorsport.
Another one legendary model- Saab 96 - appeared in 1960. For 20 years, this car has been a real bestseller and has sold about 550,000 copies.
In 1968, the "big brother" Saab 96 entered the market - model 99. Then it did not exist yet, but the novelty, in fact, belonged to it. The English magazine Car called her a model of solidity and the most safe car in Europe.
Even stronger to gain a foothold in business class. She appeared in 1984 and received the title of "Best big car" in USA.
The first joint project between Saab and General Motors. The machine was built with the most modern requirements security.
In 1997, Saab decided to go back to double-digit "names". , .
In 2011, under the index 9-4, a mid-size crossover was introduced. From 2005 to 2008, an SUV was produced under the name Saab 9-7x, which was nicknamed "Trollblazer".
Another example of successful badge engineering is the 9-2X, which was produced from 2003 to 2006 and was a slightly modified Subaru Impreza.
By the way, the aviation history of Saab also continues to this day: the Saab AB division has been producing fighters and civil aircraft for many years.
History of Saab in Russia
It would seem that Saab cars created in Scandinavia should be close Russian buyers, because they were developed for the same climatic conditions, which is what we have. However, in the Russian market, Saab has always been considered a "privileged" niche brand - the level of sales of Swedish cars in our country was low.
And if before the crisis of 2009 the demand for this brand was still growing (from 383 copies in 2006 to 1,269 in 2008), then sales declined sharply. In 2009, Saab sales were only 268 units. In September 2010, the sale of Saab brand cars in Russia was officially terminated.
In 2011, after getting out of the control of General Motors, Saab began to reorganize its dealer networks and decided to return to Russian market. Models 9-3 (Sport Sedan, Sport Combi and Convertible) and 9-5 (Sport Sedan and Sport Combi) were officially presented in our country. Saab has set itself the goal of improving the pre-crisis level of sales, but experts immediately said that at the current price level, it will continue to be an "image" brand.
By the way, in 2010, when Dutch company Spyker bought Saab, there was a possibility that the production of Swedish cars would be established in Russia. Banker Vladimir Antonov, who at that time owned a 29% stake in Spyker, announced his desire to create a "Saab at a price Ford Focus"and to establish its production in our country. However, then one of the terms of the deal was the "exit from the game" of the Russian shareholder.
Two years ago the world automotive market left a prominent player - a car manufacturer from Sweden, Saab. IN last years the company experienced a number of problems, especially financial ones, everything ended with a declaration of bankruptcy, which even skeptics among market analysts could not imagine.
In the memory of motorists, Saab is imprinted in the image of a manufacturer of fast, comfortable and well driven cars. Behind the scenes, many famous brands were equal to this brand. This remarkable auto corporation is also interesting for its history.
The world first learned about Saab more than 70 years ago, in 1937. Company name is an abbreviation full name — Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, which translates to "Swedish Aircraft Company".
Already from the name it is clear that the company was engaged in the construction of military aircraft at that time. Aviation specialists and historians believe that Saab bombers not only performed well in World War II, but were also among the fastest in their class.
After the end of the Second World War, Saab, like many enterprises working on weapons, faced the problem of repurposing. It took several years for Saab to release its first child, already in 1949 the first car with the unusual name “92” rolled off the assembly line. At the same time, the company continued to produce aircraft - military and civil aircraft.
First successes
Experience in the production of aircraft found application in the production of cars. The firstborn Saab had a very original design body, because the technologies used in the design aircraft. The Saab "92" quickly gained popularity throughout Europe and was produced until 1956.
Over the next twenty years, the company developed and produced several more models of cars, with each model providing the highest comfort, elegance and high class technical execution.
Among the new products of the company was a sports car named Sonett, which accelerated to a speed of 160 km / h. Its light weight (slightly more than half a ton) allowed it to outperform rivals without much effort.
12 years after the release of the first sports car, Saab merged with the truck company Scania-Vabis. Joint activities continued until 1989 and during this period, a lot has been achieved. By releasing cars with advanced filling, the Swedes are ahead of many competitors. Specialists noted the first turbocharger in the history of the automotive industry, installed in 1977 on the engine of a family-class car.
Two year Saab pleased with the world's first filter system that purifies the air entering the cabin.
In 1989, a division was spun off from the company Saab Automobile AB, which received the status of an independent car company. Other divisions of Saab continued to produce aircraft.
Shortly thereafter, Saab Automobile AB ceased joint work with Scania-Vabis and began cooperation with the GM concern from the USA, which bought out a controlling stake. In return for these 50% shares, the Swedes received a wide entry into the European automotive market.
The result of Swedish-American cooperation was released in 1993 luxury sedan Saab 900, which took pride of place among the most safe cars in the world.
Sunset of the Swedish car industry
Later, GM bought out all 100% of the shares, and this led many experts to accuse him of wanting to become a monopoly on the European car market. In 2008, experiencing huge financial difficulties, GM announced the sale of Saab. Among the contenders for the purchase were 27 major automakers from Germany, Korea, India.
Automakers from China, who have long been looking for an entry into the European market, did not stand aside either. Geely also negotiated.
The new owner of Saab is the sports car manufacturer Spyker.
A series of proceedings had a bad effect on both the image and the results of the company.
Attempts to cooperate with automakers from China followed. But the deals were forbidden by General Motors, which owned many patents and licenses. At the end of 2011, the company was declared bankrupt, then completely abolished.
History often brings surprises, so it is possible that a powerful automaker will acquire the assets and technologies of a once famous company, and we will see new cars with the Saab logo on the roads.
Saab Automobile AB is a Swedish car manufacturer. Saab is the exclusive car supplier for the royal court, appointed by the King of Sweden. The entire range of Saab.
Story
The company was formed in 1945 when Saab AB started designing its first car. In 1949, the first industrial model, the Saab 92, was shown.
1960 saw the third major revision of the 92nd platform in the Saab 96. It was milestone in the development of the company - the first car that was widely exported. It proved to be very popular and sold nearly 550,000 copies.
Even more significant in the history of the company was the Saab 99, launched in 1968, the first completely new model in 19 years, which lost all links with the 92 model. The 99 had many innovations and features that come to define Saab for decades: a panoramic windshield, energy-absorbing bumpers, headlight and door washers, and side-impact energy-absorbing doors. Sixten Sasone's design was no less revolutionary.
In 1968, the parent company merged with Scania-Vabis to form Saab-Scania AB. The 99 range was expanded in 1973 with the addition of the combi coupe body style, a body style that became the company's hallmark.
The millionth production car was produced in 1976. 1978 was the year the 99 was replaced by the Saab 900. Nearly one million 900s were produced, making it the most legendary car brand.
In the same year, the company entered into an agreement with Fiat to sell under the Lancia Delta brand (Saab 600) and, in addition, to jointly develop new platform. The agreement led to the appearance in the mid-80s of the Saab 9000, which has much in common with such cars as Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema. 9000 was the first real luxury car Saab, but failed to achieve the planned sales volume.
In 1989 automotive division Saab-Scania was restructured into an independent company, Saab Automobile AB and General Motors Corporation acquired half of the company's shares. Eleven years later, the remaining 50% was bought out, turning the Swedish automaker into a GM subsidiary.
The involvement of General Motors spawned the launch of the updated 900 in 1994. New car shared a platform with the Opel Vectra. Due in large part to his success, the company turned a profit for the first time in seven years in 1995. Saab celebrated its 50th anniversary by replacing the aging 9000 with the Saab 9-5. The 900 was also redesigned and renamed the Saab 9-3. And the 9-5 was the first non-combi coupe Saab in 20 years.
Bankruptcy
In 2010, GM sold Saab Automobile AB to Dutch automaker Spyker Cars NV. However, this did not solve the financial difficulties of the brand. At the beginning of 2011, the company lost the ability to pay bills, and suppliers refused to continue deliveries.
On June 13, 2012, it was announced that a newly formed company called National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) had bought the bankruptcy estate of Saab Automobile. The first Nevs Saab 9-3 rolled off the assembly line on September 19, 2013, and full power production started December 2nd. It was the same 9-3 Aero sedan with gasoline engine, which was produced by Saab before bankruptcy.
However, on August 28, 2014, NEVS itself filed for bankruptcy. Saab announced the recall the next day. license agreement, which allows NEVS to own Saab brand. Nevs' financial problems were cited as the reason. A spokesman for NEVS said the company plans to renew the agreement once the company's financial problems are resolved.
