A Saab Story
The Rise and Fall of an Iconic Brand
One of the auto industry’s most famous brands suffered an ignominious death, not from a thousand cuts, but enough to do the job.
But first a little history. Saab Automobile AV was spun-off from Swedish Aeroplane Limited in 1945.
The spin-off resulted in the Saab 92. Early cars sold well. This drew the attention of Scania, who joined forces with Saab — cementing a 20 plus year relationship which resulted in the iconic Saab 900. Odds are, when you think of Saab, you think of the 900.
The 900 is quirky, front-engine, front-wheel-drive, and distinctively Saab.
Saab went through another restructuring in 1995, emerging as a 50/50 partnership between General Motors and Swedish investment firm Investor AB. GM put up $600 million with the option to buy out Investor AB. During this era, the 900 was refreshed, eventually becoming the 9–3; and the 9–5 was introduced. In 2000, GM exercised its option to buy out Investor AB.
