| A famous slogan of the Saab corporation “Born from jets” mirrors somehow the history of the first Saab car creation. It was produced by sixteen aeroplane design engineers and hence was founded on the design of an aeroplane. The sence of a motto is that the high quality and safety of Saab vehicles may be equaled with the quality and safety of airplanes. Nowadays Saab automobiles production is a prerogative of General Motors, but Saab aircraft sub-unit is still owned by the Swedish Saab company. So let us take an excursus into the history of Saab corporation.
The brand Saab appeared in 1937 with the manufacture of airplanes for the Swedish Air Force. From here on it has been specializing in building military aeroplanes, including fighter aircrafts for NATO. Due to their high reliability Saab jets were recognized throughout the world.
Since 1949 Saab specialists have been involved in the production of well-engineered cars. The distinguishing feature of Saab cars consists in the special aerodynamic design that helps in fuel economy. This distinguishing feature is observed in all Saab models. Safety is one of major priorities of Saab cars. The experts of this company use the latest technological advances to make their automobiles safe and contemporary. Such innovations include: self-repairing bumpers, self-cleaning headlights, turbo charged engines, air filters and etc.
In 1980s due to the growth of global economy and the spread of multinational corporations the Saab company confronted with difficulties in maintaining its position in the competition struggle. This led to the separation of the Saab car division and its selling to a certain number of investors. The principal investor has become General Motors corporation that has 50 per cents of the business.
The range of Saab models has recently been supplemented with the first sport utility vehicle (SUV). Other models get regular updates in accordance with the demands of the market. But nevertheless, there are argues about growing impact of General Motors company (GM). Discussions are led on account of the ability of Saab to maintain its uniqueness and to compete with such famous European brands as BMW, Volvo and Mercedes.
Despite all these facts the amateurs of Saab cars do not lose hope that its airplane heritage will help them to design unique and reliable automobiles. |