Saab History: Saab is an acronym for "Svenska Aeroplan AB", a Swedish company that started building airplanes in 1937 and vehicles in 1940. General Motors bought controlling interest in Saab in 1990 and the rest in 2000. American critics were not happy with the deal, feeling the quality was sure to suffer, and sales dropped in North America. However, Saab remains a popular car in Europe.