Originally SAAB was a Swedish Aeronautic firm. The first Svenska Aero plane Aktiebolaget (SAAB ) car project began secretly in late 1945. It was not until June 1947 that the project was announced to the press and public, and 1949 before the first Saab, the 92 went into production.

By 1953 the 92 had evolved into the 92B.

In 1954 Saab  produced a fibre glass bodied sports car, the Saab Sonett.

In late 1955 the 93 was launched and continued in production until 1957.

By 1958 the 93B was launched, and in 1959 the estate version, or station wagon, and the 95, made its debut.

1960 brought the 93F with front hinged doors, followed by  the 96.

Saab models continued to be developed and enhanced setting a trend for long lasting model ranges which are continually enhanced.

Success in rallying helped to raise the Saab profile and a record of innovation became a trademark of the Saab company. SAAB led the way with the development of a dual braking system in 1964.

The Saab 97 or as it was better known the Saab Sonett II appeared in 1967. A new engine, the Ford V4, for the 95 and 96, aided sales of Saabs which had been hampered in some markets by Saabs own two stroke motors.

In late 1967 a completely new car was unveiled, the definitive Saab 99. The older 95 and 96 models, however, continued in production.

The Saab Sonett III, with a touch of Italian design flair, appeared in 1970. along with 4-door Saab 99's

Despite the relatively conservative looks Saab continued to innovate  with  the introduction of the electronic fuel injection engine management systems  in 1972/73.

A major development was the 1977 announcement of the classic Saab 99 Turbo, even though it was not available until 1978. This early adopter and populariser of  the Turbo, gave Saab both leading edge technology and massive success in rallying where the powerful 99 dominated the scene.

1979 saw the appearance of  the Saab 900.  On the surface a stretched 99 underneath it included many major changes. The 900 was a major breakthrough for Saab sales.

At the start of the 1980s, the old 96 came to the end of its production and with a series of 900 based cars SAAB began to move ever more up market.

In 1984 the all new Saab 9000 was introduced. A new design, and a larger car again the 9000 widened the SAAB appeal.

October 1997 saw the official launch of the new Saab 9-5 followed in 1998 BY the  launch of the new Saab 9-3, including Saab's first diesel powered car, and later in 1998 the  9-5 Estate, Saab's first estate car since the Saab 95.