Saab Didn't Die the Way You Think

Everyone knows how Saab died: GM bought it, rebadged it and killed it. Almost none of that is true. GM sold Saab in 2010, and when the company went bankrupt in December 2011, GM didn't own it. It only had to say yes to one last rescue, and it said no. Five myths about Saab, checked against GM's own SEC filings, Swedish court and state records, and reporting from the time: Born from Jets, the turbo, the rebadged Saabs, the profits that never came, and who really pulled the plug. Sales figures are calendar-year US sales from GM's 8-K filings unless marked otherwise. Where sources disagree, the video says so. CHAPTERS 0:00 The story everyone knows 0:39 Warplanes first 1:28 Myth 1 of 5: Born from jets 2:32 Myth 2 of 5: Saab invented the turbo 4:30 The GM plan 4:59 Myth 3 of 5: GM rebadged everything 6:51 Myth 4 of 5: Saab never made money 8:18 Myth 5 of 5: GM killed Saab 10:14 Born from jets SOURCES GM Form 8-K monthly and annual US sales releases, 1999–2010 (SEC EDGAR); GM Form 8-K and 10-Q on the 2000 Saab purchase; GM Form 10-Q, Q1 2009 (Saab deconsolidation, $822 million charge) GM Restructuring Plan to Congress, Dec. 2, 2008; GM viability plan, Feb. 17, 2009 (SEC EDGAR) GM press release, 'Spyker Cars Finalizes Purchase of Saab Automobile from GM', Feb. 23, 2010 (SEC 8-K Ex. 99.1) US Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, Saab Automobile AB v. General Motors Co., No. 13-1899, Oct. 24, 2014 Riksdagens revisorer, 'Statens stöd till Saab-Scanias bilfabrik i Malmö', 1992/93:RR7 (1993) Riksgälden (Swedish National Debt Office), 'Saab Automobile' history page M. Holweg and N. Oliver, 'Who Killed Saab Automobile?', Cambridge Judge Business School / University of Edinburgh, Dec. 2011 Washington Post, LA Times, NYT, Chicago Tribune, TIME on the 1989 GM–Saab deal (Dec. 1989); UPI 1986–1995 Forbes, J. Flint, 'Saab Story', Dec. 2, 2002; Financial Times via NBC News, Jan. 11, 2005 BBC, Reuters, AP, The Local and TT/SvD reporting on Saab, 2009–2011 (GM statements of Nov. 7 and Dec. 6, 2011; bankruptcy Dec. 19, 2011) WardsAuto and GM/Saab release on 'Born From Jets' (Lowe New York, Oct. 2005) Saab press text 2005 on the turbo; Saab Car Museum; Saab AB year-end report 2025 IMAGES SAAB 900 Turbo (5042905656) · Spanish Coches · CC BY 2.0 Saab Automobile-Trollhattan · Saab Automobile AB · CC BY 3.0 Två SAAB B 18B bombflygplan · unknown (Flygvapenmuseum, Gamla Malmen collection) · Public domain Saab 21R (1) · Saab · Public domain TEKA0019876 · unknown · CC0 Saab 92 Rally (1950) · Jelger Groeneveld · CC BY 2.0 Saab J 35A Draken 35-0 & 35-1 001 · unknown / Flygvapenmuseum · Public domain 1963 Saab 96 3cylinder 2stroke engine 841cc 57hp water cooled · Alf van Beem · Public domain Erik Carlsson Saab 96 1962 Safari Rally · Jitze Couperus · CC BY 2.0 センターコンソールにあるパワーウィンドウのスイッチ類（サーブ9-5） · 散歩 · Public domain Saab 99 TEKI0014250 · Magnus Atterberg / Tekniska museet · CC0 Saab 99 Turbo (1978) (54000191585) · Charles · CC BY 2.0 Saab 99 Turbo Rally 2008-05-20 001 · Saab Club Nederland · CC BY 2.0 1989 Saab 900 Turbo convertible (2016-06-22) 01 · OSX · Public domain Saab 9000 CS Turbo (1995) (54719724618) · Charles · CC0 Saab 96 Sport in Saab Car Museum · Jelger Groeneveld · CC BY 2.0 1997 Saab 900 (MY97) S 2.3 5-door hatchback (2015-07-03) 02 · OSX · Public domain 2005 Saab 9-2X in Midnight Black Mica, front left, 08-17-2023 · Cutlass · CC0 2009 Saab 9-7X 4.2I--DC · IFCAR · Public domain 2001 Saab 9-5 Griffin sedan (2015-11-11) 02 · OSX · Public domain '06-'07 Saab 9-3 Sedan · Bull-Doser · Public domain Saab 900 SE Cabriolet (1995) (54720744252) · Charles · CC0 2002 Saab 9-3 Aero 5-door hatchback (2012-09-01) 01 · OSX · Public domain Saab 9-3 Convertible (2008) interior · Magnus Bäck · Public domain Spyker C8 Spyder - Flickr - Price-Photography · Michael Price (Houston) · CC BY 2.0 2010 Saab 9-5 (14417307687) · Rutger van der Maar (Leiden) · CC BY 2.0 Saab 9-4X -- 04-08-2011 · IFCAR · Public domain Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripens in flight in April 2015 · Senior Airman Victoria H. Taylor, USAF · Public domain A B-52H Stratofortress and two Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripens · Airman 1st Class Zachary Wright, USAF · Public domain Narration uses a synthetic voice. #Saab #CarHistory #GeneralMotors