2009 will forever be known as a sad year for Saab. In late December, Saab became history as the fourth brand that General Motors (GM) decided to shut down as part of their bankruptcy restructuring.
While there seemed to be hope for the Swedish brand, in late December, GM announced that talks to bailout Saab had fallen through.
Although Saab was never the number one selling car in America, it had a loyal following and was known by many Americans for their quirky station wagons.
So in memory of an iconic brand, I’ve created a timeline of the highlights of Saab’s history—a last look at a great car that will no longer be produced.
1937 – Saab was founded as Svenska Aeroplane Aktiebolaget (SAAB) in Trollhattan, Sweden to produce high-performance aircrafts before WWII. After the end of World War II, Saab began using their aerospace technology to develop vehicles.
1949 – Saab produced its first car – the Saab 92. With their background in aerospace, Saab’s two-stroke engine, front-wheel drive car had less drag than most of today’s cars. More than 20,000 Saab 92s were built between 1949 and 1956.
1958 – Saab introduced its first sports car, the Saab 93 750 Gran Turismo.
1978 – Saab became the first manufacturer to offer cabin air filters, a relief for those with allergies. In 1978, Saab partnered with Fiat to develop a series of products like the Saab 600 also known as the Lancia Delta.
1990 – GM purchased a 50 percent stake in Saab’s car division, Saab Automobile AB, which was restructured into an independent company.
1997 – Saab introduced its first premium four-door sedan, the Saab 9-5. This car was also the world’s first car with Saab Active Head Restraints and ventilated seats.
2009 – In December, GM announced that it would shut down Saab after last-minute talks with small Dutch sports car builder, Spyker, fall through. GM eliminated 3,400 jobs in Sweden and dropped 1,100 Saab dealers as part of this move.
2010 – GM began offering Saabs at deep discounts to get rid of their inventory of Saab vehicles.
[Source] Saab Official Website
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Perhaps you should get your facts BEFORE writing your articles!
Saab was bought by Spyker Cars this week 23rd Feb 2010 !!!
For someone purporting to cover the car industry, you sure don’t keep up. On February 23, GM sold Saab to Spyker Cars, and production of new Saabs is ramping up in March. This post is dated February 25, but I guess it takes a while for news to reach Allstate.
Working around auto movers for many years I have seen just about every type of car and seen how their owns are towards them. While it is unfortunate for the employees of Saab it is simply a matter of restructuring and I am sure a lot of them will get hired by the new owners of Saab.
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