when did saab stop making cars

[RowanRose]

Saab stopped manufacturing cars in 2011. The final vehicle, a Saab 9-5 sedan, rolled off the production line in Trollhättan, Sweden, on May 19th of that year. This marked the end of the road for the iconic brand after its parent company, Saab Automobile AB, filed for bankruptcy following a failed rescue attempt by Chinese investors.

The company's troubles began after its separation from General Motors (GM). GM had owned Saab since 2000 but decided to sell it after its own 2009 bankruptcy. A deal was initially struck with the Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg, but it fell through. Subsequently, Saab was purchased by Spyker Cars N.V., a Dutch sports car manufacturer, in early 2010. Despite Spyker's efforts, Saab struggled with cash flow and could not pay its suppliers, leading to repeated production halts. The failure to secure long-term funding and investment, particularly from Chinese companies Pang Da and Youngman, was the final blow that forced the company into liquidation in December 2011.

Key Event	Date	Significance
GM Acquires 50% of Saab	1990	Begins era of GM ownership and platform sharing.
GM Gains Full Control	2000	Saab loses more autonomy, impacting brand identity.
GM Files for Bankruptcy	2009	Initiates the process to sell Saab.
Koenigsegg Deal Collapses	Nov 2009	First major failed rescue attempt.
Spyker Cars Purchases Saab	Feb 2010	Brief period of renewed hope for the brand.
Production Halts (Multiple)	2011	Signaled severe financial distress and supplier issues.
Bankruptcy Filed	Sep 2011	Voluntary reorganization attempt fails.
Final Production Day	May 19, 2011	Last Saab 9-5 sedan produced.
Liquidation Begins	Dec 19, 2011	Saab Automobile AB is officially dissolved.

While the National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) consortium acquired the main assets of the bankrupt Saab Automobile in 2012 and produced a small number of electric 9-3 sedans (2013-2014), this was not a continuation of the original company. The Saab brand name was licensed separately and not included in the NEVS deal, meaning the true Saab car company ceased to exist in 2011.

[ClaireFitz]

It was 2011. They fought hard to stay alive after GM cut them loose, but the money ran out. The last real Saab came off the line that May. It's a shame; they made such interesting, quirky cars compared to the usual German stuff. You still see a lot of 9-3s and 9-5s on the road, which says something about how well they were built.

[LeLeila]

As a former tech in a shop that saw a lot of European cars, the official end was 2011. The real problem started years earlier when GM took over. Parts sharing became a nightmare. For owners of late-model Saabs, the good news is that many mechanical parts are still available because they were used in other GM vehicles. The brand-specific parts, however, are getting rarer and more expensive every year.

[DelEliza]

The final chapter closed in 2011 with the bankruptcy. But the story is about more than a date. It's about a company with an aerospace heritage that always marched to the beat of its own drum—think ignition switches between the seats and wraparound windshields. That uniqueness was both its charm and its commercial downfall. It couldn't survive in a market that increasingly favored homogenized, cost-effective platforms over engineering passion.

[DiTyler]

From a business perspective, the manufacturing stop in 2011 was the inevitable result of a flawed strategy. General Motors never successfully integrated Saab's unique identity into its global volume-based model. This led to brand dilution and a confused product line. Later, Spyker's acquisition was simply too small to sustain a global car company. The failed Chinese investment was the last hope, and without it, collapse was certain. The core lesson is about the difficulty of niche brands surviving in a consolidated industry.