So what is a “Genuine” Saab Part?

Posted on 06. Feb, 2008 by Ryan in 2000-2009

As a follow-up to the posting on “What is a Real Saab“, I wrote back in October, I have once again asked another pressing question of great concern to the Saab community. This question that I need to ask here is “what is a real “Genuine” Saab part anyways?

Over the years, friends, colleagues, enthusiasts, dealers, mechanics and others always seem to always prefer using “Genuine” Saab parts. It is my hope that with this question being finally prompted, we can as a community, really discover what defines a “genuine” Saab part.

As we begin to answer this question, we need to once again look at many factors, beginning with the fact that Saab, between 1990 and 2000, was 50% owned and as of 2000, is now wholly-owned General Motors Corporation. This ownership over the years has resulted in more integration in parts over this time. Outside of General Motors, we must also look at all of the suppliers that provide parts to Saab as well. The third and final component factor is the “Saab” factor, those parts designed, manufactured and actually built by Saab in Sweden proper.

So let’s look at what parts are manufactured today in a broad sense: These parts consist of systems such as Brakes, Electrical Systems, Drive Train, Suspension & Steering, HVAC & Engine systems.

If we look at these parts in concert with whether GM, Saab or one of their suppliers makes the part, we need to realize what the significance is of that part and why and how the following factors may or may not matter.

It may seem as though the answer to this question seems to lie in following factors: A) Who made the part, B) Where the part was made and lastly C) What was the part and its function.

As the statistics from the previous poll indicate, the respondents believe that the classic Saab 900 (1979-1993/94) was the best representation of a “real” Saab. If we look more closely at the Saab 900, we begin to see that this model used many parts from Saab of course, but also from other third party vendors as well as other manufacturers such as BMW, etc.

If we also look at previous Saab models besides the Saab 900, we see that they too used other suppliers parts including those from General Motors as indicated in this 1965 promotional material found in the SAAB Motors, Inc. Banker’s Day Press Release at the time. This use of parts from GM in SAAB’s, back when they were truly representing the acronym Svenska Aeroplan Aktie Bolaget, was a whole 25 years before General Motors ever took any stake in the Swedish Saab Automobile company. This reality, has actually been the case since the very beginning continuing with the SAAB 99 that used the Triumph Engine, the SAAB 95 & 96 that British parts and in some cases, the Ford engine and rounding it out, with the first SAAB, the URSAAB 92001 prototype which used a DKW engine.

It should be clear that today, a Saab that uses a part from a third party supplier and/or General Motors is not what qualifies it as a true Saab, and also that a Saab part is really a part originally intended to be used in the Saab at the factory. The use of any other part other than what was originally intended, is entirely a matter of perspective depending on who you ask and is entirely subjective.

In summary, it is fact, that there are no Saabs that were built were ALL parts used, were actually made by Saab in Sweden. It is my hope that this piece helps to address this question and frequent misconception.

Tags: 9-3, 9-5, Automotive Component Group, engine, General Motors, new 9-5, new saab 9-3, saab, saab 9-3, saab 9-4x, saab 9-5, saab 9-5 wagon, saab 900, saab 9000, saab 99, Saab Automobile, saab ng900, Sweden