GM have declared Saab will be shut down and liquidated rather than sold.
The Swedish automaker is widely known for their unconventional engineering approaches and endearingly quirky designs, but before Saab’s lights go out forever, it’s well to mind their attention to lighting innovation over the years.
In the 1970s, Saab were early adopters of DRL (then known as “perception lights”) and headlamp wipers, both of which soon became required equipment in Scandinavian countries.
Saabs were the first volume-produced cars to come equipped with side turn signal repeaters in North America, and with front cornering lamps that illuminate on both sides when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, to help the driver negotiate tight parking spaces after dark.
– Saab cooperated with Hella to provide the first commercialisation of the lighting firm’s efficient new duo-focal H4 headlamp reflectors in 1986 as an upgrade accessory, and duo-focal reflectors were standard equipment on Saab 900s worldwide from 1987.
– Five years later, Saab 9000s came with advanced SC1, SC2, and SC3 Complex Surface Reflector headlamps and fog lamps from Valeo. As the state of the art of vehicular lighting advanced, Saab tended to specify high-performance lighting systems, better than just the minimum legal requirements in technology, technique, and performance.
– In 2009 at Frankfurt motor show, Saab presented their 9.5 second generation with AFS/BiXenon Smart Beam and innovative light guides in front and rear lights.
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