Swedish company Saab started out in 1937 as an aircraft manufacturer and during World War II it supplied the Swedish army with much of its fighter planes. By 1947 Saab was also producing commercial aircraft but it was decided that the brand should broaden its range and an automotive division was set up. The first cars were small and affordable - as no other Swedish company catered for this specific market and Saab bosses believed they would face little competition.

Saab’s debut model, the 92, included a safety cage and was one of the first cars to be designed with safety in mind. Over the years Saab has continued to be an important leader in safety innovations, developing an impact absorbing bumper as well as pioneering side impact protection bars. Other notable ‘firsts’ for Saab include the standard fitting of headrests and heated front seats, while in 1971 the Saab 99 was the first car to be fitted with headlamp wipers.

Between 1950 and 1980 the brand enjoyed considerable success in rally racing, particularly with Swedish drivers Erik Carlsson and Stig Blomqvist behind the wheel. Carlsson won three successive British rallies in the early 1960s, while Blomqvist scored victories in the Swedish rally on five occasions with Saab. The company withdrew from competition in 1980 due to the high costs involved with developing specialist competition cars and because it no longer believed racing was benefiting the development of production cars.

Throughout this time Saab continued in airplane manufacture, but in 1990 General Motors bought 51% of the automobile branch and began the separation of the two. Ten years later the American company took full control and Saab Automobile is now a subsidiary of the General Motors Corporation.

EuroNCAP Safety Ratings for Saab cars
The European New Car Assessment Programme produces reports on the safety of vehicles based on the results of several crash tests. As well as measuring how the car will hold up in a crash the risk to a pedestrian struck by the car is assessed. The star ratings (maximum 5) of key Saab models are shown below.