It’s the end of the road for Saab

After trying to revive itself for two years following a corruption by General Motors Co., Saab finally filed for bankruptcy on Monday, December 19th. With one of the first appearances of turbocharged small engines and all-weather capability, Swedish Saab has had a great first impression on many since the late 1940’s. Different from any American and European-made car, Saab’s unique style made it more than appealing to auto buyers—they were in love with the make.

Selling 48,250 vehicles in 1986, Saab’s sales dropped to just 5,305 for the 2011 year. Saab had teamed up with the Chinese, in efforts to regain equity and loans for Saab, but General Motors refused to allow any exchange or transfers from GM’s previous files to the Chinese.

Believe it or not, Saab actually started out as an airplane company in 1937, originally named, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, later turning into Saab. When the company transformed into the auto industry, it was decided to keep the influence of air craft on the make of the Saab vehicle. The company’s pitch stated,

“…tradition of aircraft-inspired design, independent thinking and innovation that continues to this day”.

General Motors bought Saab in 1990,  but eventually sold the company off due to lack of being able to work with the rest of GM’s lineup.

After Saab’s liquidation, GM will most likely pick up the previous patent rights and use them in their own line of vehicles.