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For the defence and aerospace company or for other meanings, see Saab and Saab (disambiguation).
Saab Automobile AB, better known as Saab, is a Swedish car manufacturer owned by General Motors. It was the exclusive automobile royal warrant holder as appointed by H.M., the King of Sweden. Since its inception, Saab had been known for its innovation; as it evolved and adopted ever more advancements to its turbocharging, safety, and green technology. On December 18, 2009, GM announced it intends to wind down the Saab brand after negotiations to sell the company to several possible buyers failed.[3] Spyker Cars announced a new offer following GM's winddown announcement though it is uncertain whether a deal can be salvaged at this point.[4]
[edit] Company historySaab was originally created as a division of the Swedish Aeroplane Company (Svenska Aeroplan AB in Swedish). The company had been established in 1937 for the express purpose of building aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. With World War II nearing its end, the company began looking for new markets in which to expand. [edit] Svenska Aeroplan AB (1947–1969)In 1944, Project 92 began, with the goal of creating the first Saab passenger car. Five years later, the Saab 92 began production. The design highlighted the company’s roots in aviation. Notably, the car’s drag coefficient of 0.30 was the lowest of any production car at the time.[citation needed] In 1955, the SAAB 92 was reworked and became the SAAB 93. The engine was upgraded from two to three cylinders but unusually remained a two stroke. The car received a facelift, including the first Saab with the brand’s trademark trapezoidal grille. A wagon variant, the 95, was added in 1959 and would remain in production for the next twenty years. The decade also saw Saab's first foray into true performance cars with the Saab 94, the first of four Saab Sonetts. [edit] Saab-Scania (1969–1989) In 1969, Saab partnered with Swedish heavy vehicle manufacturer Scania. The need for a larger model saw the birth of the Saab 99 in 1969. The 99 was the final Saab designed by Sixten Sason, who had designed all their earlier models. Its design, a clean break from all earlier Saabs, would mark the brand's styling for the next twenty years. The 99 was also important in that it marked Saab's first turbocharged model. In 1970, the 500,000th Saab was built. Six years later the 1,000,000th would follow.[citation needed] Saab signed an agreement with Fiat in 1978 to sell a rebadged Lancia Delta as the Saab 600 and jointly develop a new car platform. The agreement yielded the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema and Saab 9000, all riding atop the Type Four chassis. 1974, saw the introduction of the Combi-Coupe, which continued to live on in the 99, 900, 9000, NG900 & 9-3 as the hatchback which was ended in 2002. [edit] General Motors ownership (1989–present)In December 1989, General Motors announced it had bought 50% of Saab's automobile division for US $600 million with an option to acquire the remaining shares within a decade. Despite this, losses continued and the Malmö plant was closed in 1991. At this point, Saab Automobile AB was created. GM's involvement spurred the launch of the "new generation" Saab 900 in 1994. The new car used the same platform as the Opel Vectra and polarized Saab aficionados, but thanks to its sales, the company declared a profit in 1995 for the first time in seven years. In 2000, GM purchased the remaining shares of the automobile division for an additional $125 million and agreed to assume the remaining debt, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary. In March 2005, it was announced that GM would move the production of the next-generation Saab 9-5 from Trollhättan to the Opel plant in Rüsselsheim, Germany in 2009. The Trollhättan factory also produced the Cadillac BLS until 2009. The next-generation Saab 9-3 was scheduled to be produced at Trollhättan. Current models are the 9-3 and 9-5, both of which are manufactured in Trollhättan, Sweden. The Saab 9-7X SUV, discontinued since 2008, was manufactured in Moraine, Ohio. The Saab 9-2X, a rebadged Subaru Impreza manufactured in Japan, was discontinued after the 2006 model year. A new crossover SUV, dubbed the 9-4X, which was to share a platform with the new Cadillac SRX has been cancelled following the decision to wind down the Saab brand. In December 2008, General Motors Corporation announced that Saab was “under review”, which also included the possibility of selling off the Swedish carmaker.[5][6] 27 parties reportedly expressed interest in buying the company, among them BMW, Renault, the Hyundai-Kia group, Tata Motors, Geely Automobile, Fiat and Magna International.[7][8][9][10][11] Saab held talks with three selected bidders, reportedly the Renco Group, Koenigsegg with financial backing from Norwegian investors, and Merbanco, a group of Wyoming-based private investors.[12] On 11 February 2009, Saab Automobile announced the Saab 9-3X – a new addition to the 9-3 range with all road capabilities. On 17 February 2009, Saab’s parent company GM announced that Saab would apply for administration within 10 days unless it received substantial aid from the Swedish government. GM had requested 5 billion Swedish Kronor (US$565 million, €449 million) in state aid to help keep the company going until the start of 2010, however the Swedish government has appeared reluctant to provide this aid, and the Swedish Industry Minister was quoted in the press to have stated “The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories. Sometimes you get the impression that this is a small, small company but it is the world’s biggest automaker so we have a right to make demands.”[13] On 20 February 2009, Saab duly entered into administration, which is seen as the equivalent of US Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Saab’s managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson said that this was “the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment”.[14][15] The Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on 18 February 2009 that the U.S. company’s demands amounted to a “trap” set to pressure the government into granting financial aid.[16] The Swedish trade minister, Maud Olofsson suggested the company had a brighter future moving to production of wind power turbines than continuing to produce cars in an already oversupplied market. GM with Saab Automobile AB included have had little support from the Swedish government in supporting the Swedish brand through its difficulties. During the planned "carve-out" of Saab from GM, Saab “wordmark” has now been launched as a replacement for the Saab-Griffin logo that has been used for the past twenty years. The Griffin originates from Scania the previous owner of Saab; SAAB-SCANIA AB then owned by Investor AB. On 24 November 2009, the first pre-production vehicle SAAB 9-5 second generation rolled off the serial production- line in Trollhättan. It is the second car out in Europe from the GM Global Epsilon platform. Development of that platform, has been a true team-work between fork-force in Trollhättan, Detroit and Rüsselsheim. On 18 December 2009, General Motors announced it will wind-down Saab's operations after failing to secure a buyer for the company. Nick Reilly, GM Europe's President, announced Saab's closure: "Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution. We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars. We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner. This is not a bankruptcy or forced liquidation process. Consequently, we expect Saab to satisfy debts including supplier payments, and to wind down production and the distribution channel in an orderly manner while looking after our customers." [17] [edit] Planned sale to 'Koenigsegg Group' (2009)On 16 June 2009, Koenigsegg, the Swedish super-car maker, backed by Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC) and a group of Norwegian investors announced their intentions to purchase the brand from General Motors.[18] BAIC had said that it was willing to potentially contribute US$200 million to US$300 million toward the deal.[19] It was announced on 18 August that GM had signed the deal, although certain financing details remained to be completed.[20] There was a financial shortfall of some three billion SEK that must had to be sorted before the deal could go through, and although the European Investment Bank did on 21 October 2009 approve a loan of US$599 million, to be guaranteed by the Swedish government.[21], Konigsegg Group AB released a press communique on 24 November, stating the the acquisition would be too risky due to delays in closing the deal.[22] The statement indicated that they had come to the painful and difficult conclusion that it could no longer carry out the acquisition.[23] According to the statement by Koenigsegg Group the reason for the abrupt end to the acquisition process was because of timing issues; the original time table established in the summer of 2009 was no longer valid and this removed Koenigsegg's ability to complete the purchase. [edit] Sale of assets to BAICOn December 14, 2009, Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC) announced that it had acquired the intellectual property rights and equipment to make Saab's 9-5 and 9-3 sedans for an undisclosed sum.[19] BAIC plans to immediately integrate the technology into its own cars and roll out Saab-based cars as early as 2011. Dagens Industri later reported that the deal was worth SEK1.4 billion (US$197 million).[24] BAIC later revealed that it paid US$200 million for "three overall vehicle platforms, two engine technologies and two transmission systems."[25] [edit] Other interestFollowing the collapse of talks with Koenigsegg, GM indicated that it would eliminate the brand in 2010 if it failed to find a buyer by the end of 2009.[26] A number of buyers expressed interest in the brand, including Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp, a Chinese-based company, and Netherlands-based boutique automaker Spyker. The latter company, along with its largest shareholder, Convers, confirmed that it was in talks with GM to buy Saab before any liquidation is consummated. Any purchase of the ailing automaker would have been in stark contrast to Spyker's current business model, which focuses exclusively on hand-made luxury vehicles, primarily for the U.S. market.[26] The Swedish government remained willing to guarantee any loans made to keep Saab afloat, provided the purchasing party retain manufacturing within Sweden.[26] [edit] Winding downOn 20 February 2009, the district court of Vänersborg received a request for reorganization from Saab.[27] Parent General Motors planned to divest itself of the company by the end of 2009. On 11 June 2009, a letter of intent was signed by Koenigsegg and a group of Norwegian investors to purchase Saab.[28] On 24 November 2009, however, Koenigsegg withdrew its offer to purchase the operation. On 1 December 2009 GM's board of directors decided to give Saab until the end of the year to evaluate potential buyers for the company.[29] On 18 December 2009, General Motors announced it was unsuccessful in finding a buyer for Saab, and would effectively shut down the company.[30] Saab becomes the first luxury brand to be discontinued since Ford's Merkur brand (a luxury brand that marketed cars smaller than its Lincoln luxury brand) was discontinued after the 1989 model year. On 20 December 2009, it was announced by Spyker NV that a revised bid for Saab Automobile was submitted to General Motors with an approval deadline of 17:00 on 21 December 2009. The deal is said to offer concessions on intellectual property and financial backing that the previous deal lacked. Spyker later extended the deadline indefinitely to allow GM time to make a decision.[31] However, analysts have raised doubts that a deal could be worked out. [edit] Production Saab's total world production in 2008 was 90,281 vehicles produced in 3 countries.[32][33]
Saab manufactured various models at the Valmet Automotive plant in Uusikaupunki, Finland, between 1969 and 2003, in a joint-venture established in 1968 together with Valmet. Since 2003, Saab no longer manufactures any cars in Finland as the production of the 9-3 Convertible was moved to Graz, Austria. [edit] ModelsA common feature of Saab car types is the use of the number 9 in the model numbers. Current models are the 9-3 and 9-5, both which are manufactured in Trollhättan, Sweden, and 9-7X, which is manufactured by General Motors. The exception to this naming rule is the Saab 600, which was a rebadged Lancia Delta. [edit] Current models
[edit] Future models
With the announced wind-down of automotive operations it is doubtful that these models will see production- There are, however, early indications that some future Saab models may continue under other GM brands names, such as Buick, Cadillac or Opel. [edit] Historical models   
[edit] Concepts and prototypes
[edit] Competition history Some of the early cars such as the two-strokers, V4s and Saab 99 were quite successful in rally sport, notably the 96 in the 1960s RAC Rally and Monte Carlo Rally, driven by Erik Carlsson.
[edit] Innovations
[edit] SafetySafety has a high priority in the design of Saab cars. The cars are subjected to the Älgtest (elk test) as elk are a common cause of accidents in Sweden. Saab have compiled a database containing over 6,100 real-life accidents with Saabs. The first recorded event was in 1948 where Julian Shermis had an accident.[35] All modern Saabs (except the 9000 and 9-2X) have a floor-mounted ignition. This is for many reasons, some of which follow: Saab believes this is a safer position in case of an accident. The driver's knee often jerks upward in a collision; the compact and dense ignition module on the steering column of many other cars has shattered many kneecaps. Saabs have bolstered dashboards for both front seat occupants. Also, the floor-mounted position yields more space, allowing modern Saabs to have a metal bar that rotates over and up into the ignition when the key is turned to the "Lock" position. This makes Saabs very challenging to hotwire. Ergonomically, the ignition's location next to the parking brake lever, gearshift, and seatbelt, saves time as all motions associated with startup fall right at hand and become second nature. Last of all, the ignition is located on the floor because, in the aircraft that inspired Saab automobiles, the throttle controls were all located on the floor. Originally Saabs also had the key located on the right side of the steering column, but when they changed from a column shifter to a floor shifter, the ignition key followed along, except in the Sonett III and 9000. [edit] Endurance recordsIn October 1986 the Saab Long Run took place. Three standard Saab 9000 Turbos set 2 world records and 21 international records at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, USA. 100,000 km (62,137 miles) were covered with an average speed of 213.299 km/h (132.537 mph) and 50,000 miles (80,467 km) with an average speed of 213.686 km/h (132.778 mph). Ten years later, in 1996, three standard Saab 900 (NG) Turbos driven by factory test drivers and two standard naturally aspirated Saab 900s driven by journalists set new world records on the same speedway. In early December 2006, a Wisconsin traveling salesman donated his 1989 Saab 900 SPG (Special Performance Group) to the Wisconsin Automotive Museum after amassing 1,001,385 miles (1,611,573 km) on the original factory engine. This mileage was verified by Saab.[36] [edit] Marketing and ownership Dating back to 1937, Svenska Aeroplan AB (SAAB) created airplanes, introducing their first car, the Saab 92001, in 1947. Currently, Saab AB is separate from Saab Automobile (which is owned by General Motors), and is probably best known for its Saab 37 Viggen (the Viggen badge would be shared by a 9-3). This has led to a ad campaign, "Born From Jets," evoking the days when Saab produced both aircraft and automobiles. In 1987, Saab created a TV advertisement called "Saab suite" (subtitled Ballet in 3 acts for 8 Saab 9000 Turbos). In the film, stunt drivers show incredible driving with stock cars, such as one-wheeled burnouts, bumper-to-bumper driving through a slalom, cars slaloming from opposite directions on the same course, two-wheel driving, sliding in full speed, and jumping over passing cars—all on a closed airport runway with classical music playing in the background. Click Here to view the video. To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Saab formed a Performance Team in 1987, which laid on exhibitions of automobile acrobatics and formation driving. Initially this was done with Saab 9000s, as above, then later models, such as the Saab 900 (NG) were used. All of the team's members have previously competed in rallies, but what's unusual is that all 5 Performance Team members hold regular jobs at Saab: there are two engineers, a quality controller, a technician and the head of Saab's photo studio. The picture shows these vehicles on display at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Saab Aircraft Company, at Linköping, in 1997. Click here to view one of their videos A Hewlett-Packard CPU-support chip features a Saab 900 Turbo 16 Cabriolet etched into its structure.[37] [edit] Ownership and brand loyaltyAs the brand has an unusual, quirky image in most markets, Saab owners tend to be correspondingly offbeat: intellectuals and enthusiasts.[38][39] In his studies of brand communities, Albert Muniz, professor of marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, found significant characteristics of Saab owners which he called Snaabery.[40] These included ownership of an original, pre-GM Saab; camaraderie with other Saab drivers and contempt for other brands such as BMW. Rüdiger Hossiep, a psychologist at Ruhr University Bochum, found that Saab drivers have the highest level of psychological involvement with their cars, being over 10 times more passionate than the average Volkswagen driver.[40] [edit] Slogans
[edit] Literature and the artsThe Saab 900 Turbo was James Bond's vehicle of choice in many of the John Gardner Bond novels of the 1980s, beginning with Licence Renewed. In the second novel, For Special Services, the 900 was dubbed the "Silver Beast".[43] The car is Bond's private vehicle that he had outfitted with various gadgets by the real-life company Communication Control Systems, Ltd. (CCS). In conjunction with the release of Licence Renewed, Saab had a real "Silver Beast" created that was virtually identical to the specifications in the book. The car is currently located at the Saab Museum in Trollhättan, Sweden. In an essay originally published in In These Times in November, 2004 entitled Have I Got A Car For You, writer Kurt Vonnegut recounts his experiences as the owner/operator of a Saab dealership in West Barnstable, Massachusetts and humorously claims that his criticism of Swedish engineering is the reason he was never awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature. The essay also appeared in the 2005 anthology A Man Without A Country. [edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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