There must have been some thoughts in the reader’s mind about what Saab means to them. It appears to be a simple question but the answer is far more complicated, especially after everything that has happened with Saab in the last few years.
It can be difficult to understand what Saab was before the brand was discontinued. It can be a number of companies, a single brand or a philosophy in manufacturing cars. Does Saab still exists as we know it? Saab aficionado’s may even argue Saab wasn’t what it used to be after GM purchased 50% of the company in 1990 and became 100% owner in 2000.
Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolaget (SAAB), Saab-Scania and General Motors
There is a long history for Saab Automobile between 1945 and 2010. Saab Automobile was formed in 1945 and was split from Saab AB after they started a project to design a small automobile. The Saab name and brand changed ownership a few times. Many are familiar with this history and a lot has been written about it so I won’t go into further detail here.
Saab Automobile AB (Saab Automobile), Saab Automobile Tools AB and Saab Powertrain AB
In a nutshell, these are the companies that designed, developed and manufactured Saab cars in recent history. They were owned by General Motors and sold to Spyker in 2010. These companies ceased to exist after bankruptcy was declared in December 2011.
Saab Parts AB / Orio AB
When Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy in 2011, Saab Parts continued to operate as an independent global parts and logistics company. They market, sell and distribute Saab Original Parts in more than 60 countries worldwide. The main markets are: USA, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, France, The Netherlands and Norway. They provide logistics services from their logistics / distribution center in Nyköping, Sweden.
National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS)
The company that bought ‘Saab’. The acquisition included IP rights for the Saab 9-3, IP rights for the Phoenix platform, tools, the manufacturing plant and test and laboratory facilities. The acquisition also included all outstanding shares in the property company which owned the Saab facilities in Trollhättan, Sweden.
Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC)
Saab closed a deal with Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd (BAIC) for the first generation 9-5 and powertrain technology and tooling in 2009. The plan was Saab would assist BAIC to integrate this technology into future BAIC vehicles. It was mentioned this deal also included some 9-3 technology but not many details about this are available.
The familiar 2.0 and 2.3 4-cylinder turbo engines can now be found in the Shenbao D320. The exterior and interior of this car don’t look anything like a Saab but chassis and powertrain are all genuine Saab 9-5. The D320 / C70 is only a few styling cues and a badge away from being a ‘real’ Saab.
Spyker, Youngman and Phoenix
Youngman and Spyker announced a joint-venture in 2012. Youngman will contribute the rights to the Phoenix platform as developed by Saab Automobile AB in 2010/2011 to which Youngman acquired a license in 2011 as well as provide all required funding.
Spyker Phoenix plans to develop and manufacture a new full range of premium car models based on the Phoenix platform which models will be positioned higher than the comparable Saab models were. Spyker Phoenix products may be manufactured in Europe and China as the case may be.
Both Spyker/Youngman and NEVS claim they own the rights to the Phoenix platform. It is not clear who owns what, the rights it includes and what they can do with those rights.
Swedish Automobile NV (SWAN)
After Spyker Cars NV purchased Saab from GM in 2010, the company was renamed Swedish Automobile on June 15, 2011. This company included both Spyker and Saab and was commonly referred to as SWAN, based on their stock name. After the bankruptcy, the company changed the name back to Spyker NV. Spyker Saab was going to develop and manufacture real Saabs again. Real ‘Saab’ Saabs, as victor Muller used to say it.
The Saab name and brand
NEVS had a licensing agreement where they could use the Saab name for their vehicles. They were not allowed to use the familiar griffin logo as used by Saab Automobile in the past. It is easy to figure out what the name includes but brand is sometimes more difficult to understand.
Eventually, Saab AB did not allow NEVS to use the Saab name on their cars anymore.
2010 and 2011 model year Saabs
Saab cars that were sold when Swedish Automobile / Spyker owned the company are in no-mans land. Saab Parts will sell you parts and service but neither Saab Parts, NEVS, GM or the current Spyker company provide warranty coverage to owners of these Saabs. The Saab 9-4X, 9-3 and second generation Saab 9-5 are the bastard children no company wants to take responsibility for. Even though there is no legal responsibility, it sure would be nice if one or more companies would step up and take responsibility for all these Saabs. If NEVS is the new and real Saab, they should have done this right from the beginning.
The Saab Spirit and People
This includes the Saab owners and all the Saab employees that used to work for Saab Automobile in the past. Most former Saab employees found new careers with other companies. The employees are the soul and real spirit of a company. With all these people gone, the things that remained after the bankruptcy were the buildings, some technology and the name.
So… what is Saab?
Saab has been several companies, a name and brand that changed ownership several times in the past. Saab also used engines and developed and sold cars together with many other manufacturers from Lancia to Subaru and General Motors. This is not unique in the automotive business.
NEVS can not use the Saab name but they own the rights to the 9-3. They even own the factory and assembly lines and have the same physical address Saabvägen 5 in Trollhattan. But they are not the same Saab we used to know in the last 10 years. Most employees of Saab Automobile found new careers and do not work for NEVS.
BAIC produces a car using first-generation 9-5 technology. If they would be able to use the Saab name, brand and design, would that make it ‘real’ Saab instantly? The former Saab Performance team even helps BAIC with the introduction of the Saab/Shenbao D320.
Saab and General Motors developed the Saab 9-4X. Many say it is a real Saab because Saab Automobile played an important role in development. Others say is just a Cadillac SRX clone with a Swedish face. One can argue the Shenbao D320 is more Saab than the Saab 9-7X or 9-4X. Does the original Saab 900 and earlier models relate to the later Saab models at all (besides some common design elements and turbo engines)?
The Saab PhoeniX concept car and Phoenix vehicle architecture are often confused with each other. The PhoeniX concept was a design study by Victor Muller and Jason Castriota and was their interpretation of what a future ‘Saab’ should look like. Jan-Åke Jonsson, the former Saab Managing Director from 2005 to 2011, was part of the Phoenix introduction but it really was a Muller-Castriota two-men show. Some think the PhoeniX was the coolest Saab concept ever while others did not see anything Saab in the design.
So after discussing all these different angles about Saab, what does Saab mean to Saab enthusiasts? A unique car and brand that still exists today or problem child of the automotive industry that never really had its own identity? This article states many facts but is also part opinion. The future is difficult to predict and it will be interesting to look back in a few years from now.
The Saab name and brand are currently not used on cars anymore but the Saab technology lives on in different cars in China and Turkey. Some think NEVS will be making cars for the European market again. But whatever happens in the future, the Saab spirit will always live on in the hearts of all Saab enthusiasts.
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