A well-known slogan of the Saab company “Born from jets” mirrors somehow the history of the first Saab car creation. It was made by sixteen airplane design engineers and consequently was based on the design of an aeroplane. The meaning of a slogan is that the quality and reliability of Saab automobiles may be equaled with the quality and safety of airplanes. Nowadays Saab automobiles production is a prerogative of General Motors (GM), but Saab aircraft subdivision is still controlled by the Swedish Saab corporation. So let us take a digression into the history of Saab company.
The make Saab appeared in 1937 with the creation of aircrafts for the Swedish Air Force. From then on it has been specializing in building military jets, including fighter airplanes for NATO. Owing to their high quality Saab aircrafts were recognized all over the world.
Since 1949 Saab experts have been involved in the projection of well-engineered automobiles. The peculiarity of Saab automobiles consists in the aerodynamic design that assists in fuel economy. This distinguishing feature is observed in all Saab models. Safety is one of basic priorities of Saab automobiles. The engineers of this company use the latest technological achievements to make their cars reliable and contemporary. Among such innovations there are: self-repairing bumpers, self-cleaning headlights, turbo-charged engines, air filters and so on.
In 1980s owing to the growth of global economy and the spread of multinational corporations the Saab company confronted with difficulties in keeping its position on the marketplace. This led to the separation of the Saab car division and its selling to several investors. The major investor has become GM that owns 50% of the business.
The line of Saab models has recently been supplemented with the first sport utility vehicle (SUV). Other models get regular updates in accordance with the requirements of the market. But nevertheless, there are arguments about growing impact of General Motors. Numerous discussions are led with respect to the ability of Saab to keep its uniqueness and to compete with such celebrated European makes as Volvo, BMW and Mercedes.
In spite of all these facts the amateurs of Saab cars don't lose hope that its aircraft heritage will help them to create unique and reliable cars.
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