SAAB AB is an aviation, defense and car manufacturing company based in Sweden and
founded in 1937 in Trollhättan. Its name was an acronym for "Svenska aeroplan aktiebolaget"
(translates to Swedish Aeroplane Limited), thus written as "SAAB". In 1939 Saab merged with
the Linköping based ASJA and the headquarters moved to Linköping. During changes in company
ownership in the 1990s, the company name became SAAB AB.
Originally manufacturing airplanes, the company sought ways in which to diversify its
business and in the late 1940s started to manufacture Saab Automobiles. The automobile
division was based in Trollhättan. The first car was the Saab 92001 on June 10, 1947.
The company soon developed a reputation for safe and reliable automobiles, with a
notable competition history.
In 1969 SAAB merged with the truck maker Scania-Vabis, and between 1969 and 1995
the company was called Saab-Scania AB. General Motors bought 51 percent of the
automobile division Saab Automobile in 1990, and acquired the rest a decade later....