Why did Swedish car marque Saab fail? Well, that depends who you ask. Some say it’s because the company’s innovative freedom became suppressed. Others say it was Saab’s “different” (and expensive) way of engineering and building passenger vehicles that led to its demise.
In this “Up To Speed” video published by Donut Media, host James Pumphrey seems to fault the badge-engineering that made up most of the tale-end of Saab’s existence.
In usual Donut Media fashion, Mr. Pumphrey provides a bit of entertaining trivia. For instance, did you know that the very first Saab 96s were all green because the Swedish military ordered volumes of the wrong shade of green paint for camouflaging WWII vehicles and sold it at a discount? All that excess paint had to go somewhere, and Saab was happy to take it off the military’s hands for a fraction of its original cost.
And did you know that the Swedes were the first to bring turbocharged passenger vehicles into the mainstream? Or that Saab was the first automaker to offer heated seat bottoms? Think about that the next time you’re enjoying the sensation of boost while warming your glutes.
We encourage you to click play and enjoy this illuminating, 7-minute automotive history lesson.
Comments
Similar to Volvo, just with a fraction of sales, SAAB had no chance on its own and needed a larger company to provide cash and engineering for the future. Attacked from the bottom by the Asians and attacked from the top by the Germans, that wonderful little niche company had no where to hide.
I had two Saab 9-3 Aero convertibles, 2006 and 2008. Loved them both but the 2008 was a gorgeous fun car to drive. When GM sold Saab, it sadden me. I wish I still had the 2008.