Saab
SAAB (originally an acronym for "Svenska Aeroplan AB") was founded as a Swedish aircraft industry in 1937 in the city of LinkÃÂöping in Sweden. After World War II, the company sought ways in which to diversify its business and started to manufacture automobiles in the early 1950s (in the city of TrollhÃÂättan) and computers (Datasaab) in the late 1950s. Later Saab also acquired the truck maker Scania and for some time the company was called Saab-Scania. General Motors bought half of Saab Automobile in 1990 and acquired the rest a decade later.
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2 Caravans 3 Aircraft 4 Datasaab 5 Space & military technology 6 External links |
Some of the early cars such as the two-strokersrs, V4s and Saab 99 were quite successful in rally sport. Saab was also the first manufacturer to put turbochargers in production cars. In order to increase production volume, Saab helped Valmet to start a car factory in Uusikaupunki (Nystad), Finland. From 2003 Saab no longer manufactures any cars in Finland, the production of the 9-3 Cabriolet was moved to Graz, Austria.
A common feature of Saab car types is the use of the figure 9 in the model numbers. Current models are the 9-3 and 9-5, both which are manufactured in TrollhÃÂättan, Sweden. The exception of this rule is the Saab 600, but actually that was a rebadged Lancia.
For more info, see Saab Automobile
Automobiles
Models
Experimental and prototypes
Caravans
In the 1964-1968 SAAB also made the camper caravan (trailer) Saabo. The production was made in Ljunga, outside NorrkÃÂöping. The project was started by Bo Bjernekull of the Ljunga plant and Birger Lindberg at SAAB in LinkÃÂöping. Officially they were working on a project called MEFAN that was supposed to produce hovercratfs for the military. After making a model i one tenth scale they received OK to go into production. The first prototypes were made with no breakes, but breakes were soon added. It was important to keep the weight down as the caravan would be used with automobiles with as little as 25 hp. The design was made with two havles of fibreglass englosing an insulation of folded cardboard. Despite the small size they were designed to accomodate a family of four. A total of 390 Saabos were made.Aircraft
Currently, the main focus of the aircraft production is fighter aircraft, with the recent JAS 39 Gripen as the flagship model. Saab has been making airplanes since the 1930s, and predecessors to the Gripen were among others the Lansen, the Draken and the Viggen. The last civilian models made by Saab were the Saab 340 and Saab 2000. Both were mid-range, turboprop powered, passenger planes.
The development and the manufacturing of these airplanes has all been made in LinkÃÂöping, Sweden.
In 1995 Saab Military Aircraft and BAE SYSTEMS formed the joint venture company Saab-BAe Gripen AB, with the goal of adapting, manufacturing, marketing and supporting Gripen internationally.
BAE SYSTEMS designed an improved wing, which they then manufactured and are set to produce 45% of currently planned export airframes. Saab Military Aircraft is responsible for the overall 'aircraft system' including basic aircraft development and production, and testing and delivery.
In 1998 BAE SYSTEMS acquired 35% of Saab Military Aircraft.
The Datasaab company was a result partly of the need of heavy computational power for the aircraft development, partly of the science-fictional idea to make a computer that would be small enough to mount in an airplane as navigational equipment. During the 1960s several successful and advanced systems were developed and sold to several European countries (used in e.g. banking). The aircraft computer (CK37) was achieved in 1971 in the Viggen. The now less successful company was sold off in 1975 to Sperry Univac, while flight computer development was kept in Saab.
Saab Ericsson Space is a joint venture with Ericsson, designing the on board computers used in the Ariane 5 rockets used by the European Space Agency. Saab Missiles develops military applications.Models
Datasaab
Space & military technology