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Milestones
1937 - 1952 | 1953 - 1963 | 1964 - 1969 | 1970 - 1975 | 1976 - 1984 | 1985 - 1991 | 1992 - 1997 | 1998 - 2000 | 2001 - 2003 | 2004 - 2005
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1937 Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (first abbreviated to SAAB and later Saab) founded in April for manufacture of military aircraft in Trollhättan. First group of engineers gather together in the yellow villa still to be found next to the Saab Car Museum in the Nohab industrial complex. |
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| 1939 SAAB acquires and merges with the ASJ aircraft division in Linköping and moves head office, development, etc., to Linköping. Trollhättan continues as an aircraft production and assembly unit. |
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1939 Decision to produce cars after alternate lines of production were studied. Work on first car prototype started in Linköping by a small team of about 15 aircraft engineers led by Gunnar Ljungström. The team was joined by Sixten Sason, then a technical illustrator at Saab, who drew the shape of the new car and later became one of Sweden's greatest industrial designers. |
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1946 April: work starts on the first running prototype Saab 92.001, ready in November. Secret testing of the prototype. |
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| 1947 Production prototype 92.002 shown to press gathering in Linköping on June 10. Work gets underway to install car production equipment at the Trollhättan plant which is still making the Saab 91 Safir (single-engine, two-seater propeller plane). At the press conference it was announced that the complete car would be built in Trollhättan and that the Linköping plant would concentrate on aircraft which now also included a 32-passenger airliner, the Saab 90 Scandia. |
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1949 December - series production starts. Two variants: the Standard 92 and the De Luxe version! All were painted in the same moss green to simplify work in the paintshop. |
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| 1950 Customer deliveries commence in Sweden and exports also start to neighboring Scandinavian countries to acquire foreign currency much needed to pay for imported materials and equipment. Saab's rally saga starts only a few weeks after production commences: Two cars entered in the Monte Carlo Rallye, driven by Chief Engineer Rolf Mellde and legendary lady-driver Greta Molander. Both cars finished: Mellde 69th overall and Greta Molander 8th in the Ladies Class and 55th overall. Rallying continues to be used for testing and Saab ends the year by winning the Rikspokalen, considered the toughest and most important rally in Sweden. Mellde won overall, Molander the Ladies Class and together with K. G. Svedberg they win the team award ahead of cars such as Porsche. |
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| 1952 Greta Molander wins the Ladies Cup in the Monte Carlo Rally. |
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