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Saab was a Swedish car manufacturer operating from 1945 till 2012. Saab was originally an airplane company that produced warplanes for Sweden in anticipation of the Second World War. After the war, however, the company looked for new areas to expand into. Eventually, it settled for consumer cars. The first major car to be introduced would be the Saab 92 which was first manufactured in 1949. The car was successful in the consumer market- about 20,000 models were sold until the 1950s when its successor, the Saab 93, was introduced in 1955. During this time the company would also produce a sports car aimed at the American market. This car was called the Saab 94 and was sold for only a few years.

In 1960, Saab’s new 96 model would prove to be a breakthrough for the marque. This is because it was Saab’s first vehicle which found wide acceptance beyond Sweden. Over 500,000 models of the car were sold. Soon after, in 1968, the Saab 99 would be introduced as the previous model’s successor. This car would also be an important development for the Swedish car manufacturer since it featured a number of innovative features. Towards the late 1980s, much of Saab was acquired by General Motors (GM). With large investments from the American automobile giant, Saab would step up its game in car production.

New cars to be introduced under the GM era included the 1994 Saab 900, and the later Saab 9-5 and 9-3. At the turn of the century in 2000, GM finally acquired all of Saab’s share, giving it full control over the company. However, the future of Saab proved to be bleak, even under GM’s ownership. Despite the introduction of several newer models, Saab was never able to gain traction, especially in the face of competition from other automobile manufacturers. Eventually, Saab entered into administration and would change ownership until finally being rendered defunct in 2014.