Saab

History

Saab began as Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, an aircraft manufacturer founded in 1937 in Linköping, Sweden. When the end of the Second World War threatened its military orders, the company turned to cars, and in 1947 its first prototype, the Saab 92, appeared with a shape driven heavily by aerodynamics rather than styling fashion.

Saab cars developed a distinct identity built on safety, practicality and turbocharging. The 99 introduced the company's turbocharged engine in 1977, making affordable performance accessible from a small, efficient four-cylinder, and the 900 that followed became the brand's most recognisable model. Saab interiors were designed around the driver, and features that were unusual at the time, such as headlamp washers, side-impact protection and the later Night Panel instrument dimming, reflected the company's aeronautical engineering culture.

The company restructured repeatedly through the 1990s and 2000s. General Motors took full ownership in 2000, and after a period of losses Saab Automobile was sold to Spyker in 2010. It filed for bankruptcy in December 2011, and its assets were later purchased by a consortium named National Electric Vehicle Sweden. Production of Saab-badged cars ceased, and the brand remains dormant with a dedicated enthusiast following.

Innovations

Saab's most influential automotive contribution was the popularisation of turbocharging for everyday cars, following the 99 Turbo of 1977. Saab was also an early advocate of the head restraint and the safer, energy-absorbing seat, and it combined turbocharging with intercooling and electronic boost control to improve both performance and efficiency.

With a background in aerospace, Saab introduced features well ahead of their time in its segment, including the curved windscreen and the Night Panel cockpit that blanked non-essential instruments to reduce distraction. In the 2000s the company also offered a biofuel BioPower range, one of the earliest mainstream attempts to run cars on renewable fuel.