| A famous slogan of the Saab corporation “Born from jets” reflects in a way the history of the first Saab automobile. It was made by 16 aircraft engineers and hence was based on the aeroplane design. The meaning of a slogan is that the quality and safety of Saab automobiles may be equaled with the quality and safety of aircrafts. Today Saab automobiles manufacture is realized by General Motors, but Saab jet division is still controlled by the Swedish Saab corporation. So let us take an excursus into the history of Saab company.
The brand Saab appeared in 1937 with the production of aircrafts for the Swedish Air Force. From this point on it has focused on construction of military aircrafts, including fighter jets for NATO. Owing to their high reliability Saab jets were recognized all over the world.
Since 1949 Saab experts have been involved in the projection of well-engineered cars. The distinguishing characteristic of Saab cars consists in the special aerodynamic design that assists in fuel economy. This peculiarity is observed in all Saab models. Reliability is one of basic priorities of Saab cars. The engineers of this corporation use the latest technological advances to make their automobiles reliable and modern. Among such innovations there are: self-repairing bumpers, self-cleaning headlamps, turbo-charged engines, air filters and so on.
In 1980s due to the global economy growth and the spread of multinational corporations the Saab company confronted difficulties in keeping its position on the marketplace. This resulted in the separation of the Saab automobile sub-unit and its selling to a number of investors. The principal investor has become General Motors that possesses 50% of the business.
The range of Saab models has recently been supplemented with the first SUV. Other models get regular updates in correspondence with the market demands. But still, there are arguments about increasing impact of General Motors corporation. Numerous discussions are led concerning the ability of Saab to keep its uniqueness and to compete with such famous European makes as Mercedes, BMW and Volvo.
In spite of all these facts the amateurs of Saab cars hope that its aeroplane heritage will help them to create unique and reliable automobiles. |
