A Taiwanese company has continued to expand its Saab dealership and service network, despite the Swedish car-maker being axed in late 2011.
Swedish car-maker Saab has been out of business for more than a decade, but that hasn’t stopped one Taiwanese outlet from opening a new dealership dedicated to the quirky brand.
US publication Carscoops has reported Saab – which filed for bankruptcy in 2011 – is going through a renaissance in Taiwan thanks to the Scandinavia Asia Corporation (SAC).
SAC operates seven Saab showrooms and service centres in Taiwan – the newest of which opened in November 2021.
It is limited to buying, selling and trading used examples of models such as the 9-3 and 9-5, because new Saabs have not been built for 11 years.
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Saab enthusiast website Saab Planet reports SAC sold 22,574 examples of the Swedish brand’s cars in Taiwan between 1981 and 2012.
The publication claims Taiwan is the third-largest market for used Saabs, behind the US and UK. A 2014 report suggested there were more than 450,000 Saabs remaining in the US, while the UK’s How Many Left website shows approximately 65,000 cars are still registered in Britain.
In August 2019, Saab Planet claimed there were more than 9700 Saabs registered in Taiwan.
Launched in the town of Trollhättan in 1945, Saab Automobile launched its first model – the 9-2 – in 1949. In 1968, the car-maker was merged with Swedish truck-maker Scania.
The partnership remained until 1989 when US car giant General Motors took a 50 per cent ownership stake in Saab, which led to the creation of its most popular models – the 9-3 and 9-5.
General Motors increased its stake in Saab to 100 per cent in 2000 but the brand failed to succeed, leading to it being sold in 2009 as a result of GM’s bankruptcy amid the Global Financial Crisis.
Dutch firm Spyker agreed to purchase Saab in early 2010, however a drawn-out legal battle with General Motors led to the Swedish company filing for bankruptcy in December 2011, killing the brand.
Saab Australia was officially placed into voluntary administration in January 2013, which resulted in the closure of its Port Melbourne office.
The Saab name continues to operate globally, working as a defence and aerospace company – developing fighter jets, submarines and anti-tank weapons.
According to Saab’s website, its Australian defence arm employs 700 people across six office locations.
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