Saab Rejoices 60th Car Making Year

Over 30,000 Saab fans gathered in the Swedish town of Trollhättan on June 10 – the exact date when the first Saab was revealed - to celebrate Saab's 60th anniversary as a car maker. The date was probably also when the first Saab ball joints were built. The four-day event topped off in a big amassment of historic Saabs outside the Saab Car Museum.

Rearward in 1947, Saab was known only as an aircraft manufacturer. Its first car – Saab 92 – was distinctively launched with streamlined shape and innovative engineering. It’s definitely surprising since it was built by a team of aircraft engineers who were not experts of the conventional automotive design know-how.

The Saab brand was bought out in full by GM to the Middle East in the year 2000. Fortunately, the response has been continuously encouraging. Models include the 9-3 sedan and convertible, 9-5 sedan and the 9-7x SUV.

Now, after building over four million cars, Saab is recognized as a global premium car brand selling in over 60 countries worldwide, and many were represented by fans coming to Trollhättan, Saab's home town. Until now, the same spirit of inventive, independent thinking behind the Saab 92 continues to inspire the Saab brand and the development of its latest products.

Today, majority of the manufacturers have followed Saab's lead in adopting turbocharging, and the company has led another innovation with its BioPower technology. This further developed the potential of turbocharging to deliver better performance, and largely reduce fossil-based CO2 emissions, when using E85 fuel (85% bioethanol/15% gasoline).

The Saab Performance Drive Team is another part of the company’s heritage. It’s formed in 1987 for Saab's commemoration of its 40th anniversary and originally included Saab rally drivers. Today the team is formed of full time Saab engineers who are very passionate on cars; some of whom them have been with the company for twenty years or more.

They tour the world integrating the strong bond between man and machine by synchronized precision driving calculated to the millisecond. Doing about 30 events a year, the Saab Performance team has its own tour. To date, they've went to 25 countries worldwide and too many cities to count, performing in front of 22,000 people at once.

Saab unleashed a special limited edition 9-3 that arrived in the UAE recently to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Vector and Aero models in the Saab 9-3 range of anniversary editions have colour-keyed door handles and trunk lid spoilers for the Vector Sport Sedan and Convertible, aside from the Anniversary alloy wheels and unique Ice Blue metallic paint finishes with other current colour choices available. Also added to the Anniversary Convertible is its blue and black hood colour choice. The interior Anniversary theme is based on a grey room colour choice. Trimmed throughout with complementary grey inserts and prominent stitching is the distinctive black leather sports seating, with Saab-embossed front seatbacks. The central gearshift moulding and door trim has matte chrome finish, with added prominent stitching to the armrests.