Saab Logo

Saab Automobile AB

The Saab emblem carries the memory of Swedish aircraft engineering into automotive identity, with the griffin roundel standing for heritage, precision, and regional character. Its deep blue, red, and silver visual language gives the marque a technical yet distinctly Scandinavian presence.

Official website
Live logo URL
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Saab full

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Choose the right Saab asset

Start with the shape that fits the slot, then tune size and format in the URL.

Full logo

Best for directories, marketplace cards, comparison pages, and any surface where the complete mark has room to breathe.

Badge

Best for compact UI: filters, tables, saved vehicles, mobile lists, and favicon-like brand slots.

Wordmark

Best when the manufacturer name needs to stay legible in headers, partner lists, and editorial pages.

Implementation

Use the Saab logo across your stack.

Copy a real CDN URL, then keep the same asset working in markup, components, native apps, and data calls.

Use it in any stack
One keyed Motomarks URL works in plain markup, component frameworks, native image loaders, and API-backed views.
logo.html
1<img2  src="https://motomarks.io/img/saab?token=YOUR_API_KEY"3  alt="Saab logo"4  width="128"5  height="128"6  loading="lazy"7/>

Need more than the image?

Fetch the brand record when your UI also needs metadata, ordered colors, or attribution context.

GET https://api.motomarks.io/brands/saab
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SECRET_KEY
Read the API docs

Reference

More about Saab.

Brand history, logo changes, color notes, usage examples, and common questions.

What makes this mark recognizable?

Identity cues, heritage, and visual details to keep in mind before the asset lands in your UI.

Saab began as an aircraft manufacturer, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, and its automotive identity grew from the company's postwar car project in the 1940s. Early Saab cars used a straightforward wordmark, while later branding connected the car maker to Saab-Scania heritage through the red griffin head associated with Scania and the Swedish region of Scania.

The griffin roundel became the best known Saab automobile emblem, pairing aerospace-derived engineering associations with a heraldic Scandinavian symbol. After Saab Automobile ceased production and the Saab name was withdrawn from new NEVS-built cars, the historic Saab automotive logo remains tied to the marque's Swedish engineering legacy.

First color in the reference palette

Motomarks records #003399 as the primary Saab reference color, with any alternate swatches listed in the color reference and API response.

How the mark got here

The identity shifts that explain the Saab logo in use today.

Origins

Saab's automotive story began inside Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget after the Second World War, when the aircraft company sought new civilian products. The first prototype, known as the Ursaab or Saab 92001, led to production of the Saab 92 in 1949. The brand's early identity was closely linked to aviation practice, with aerodynamic bodywork, compact engineering, and a name already associated with Swedish aircraft manufacturing.

Saab-Scania Era

In 1969 Saab merged with Scania-Vabis, creating Saab-Scania AB. This period shaped the most familiar Saab car emblem, the crowned red griffin head within a circular badge. The griffin was connected to Scania's historic heraldry and became a bridge between Saab's aircraft background and the wider Swedish industrial group.

General Motors and Later Ownership

General Motors took a 50 percent stake in Saab Automobile in 1990 and full ownership in 2000. Saab's model range and identity were modernized during this period, but the griffin badge remained central to the marque's visual recognition. GM sold Saab Automobile to Spyker Cars in 2010, after which the company faced severe financial difficulties and entered bankruptcy in 2011.

Post-Production Status

National Electric Vehicle Sweden acquired the main Saab Automobile assets in 2012 and briefly restarted production of the Saab 9-3 without full continuity of the historic brand identity. The Saab AB defense and aerospace company did not allow continued use of the Saab name for new NEVS vehicles. As a result, Saab remains a historic automotive marque rather than an active passenger-car manufacturer.

When the logo changed

A compact record of redesigns, visual turns, and the reasons the mark moved.

1940s

Early Saab Wordmark

The earliest Saab automobile identity relied on the Saab name in a simple typographic treatment, reflecting the direct transfer of the aircraft company's name into car production.

Reason for redesign: The car project originated within the aircraft company, so the first branding emphasized continuity with the established Saab name.

1950s

Aircraft-Influenced Saab Badging

Postwar Saab models used clean nameplates and badges that reinforced the marque's technical, aviation-derived image rather than an ornate automotive crest.

Reason for redesign: Saab's early cars were promoted around engineering efficiency and aerodynamic thinking, making restrained badging consistent with the product story.

1980s

Saab-Scania Griffin Roundel

The red crowned griffin head became the central symbol inside a blue circular badge, usually accompanied by Saab or Saab-Scania lettering. This is the form most closely associated with late 20th century Saab cars.

Reason for redesign: The emblem reflected Saab's corporate connection with Scania and drew on heraldic imagery linked to the Swedish region of Scania.

2000s

Modern Saab Griffin Badge

Later Saab cars used a refined circular badge with a metallic outer ring, blue field, red griffin, and Saab lettering, giving the identity a more contemporary automotive finish.

Reason for redesign: The update aligned the badge with modern vehicle trim, digital reproduction, and the premium positioning Saab pursued in its later years.

What to preserve in production

Shape, color, and type cues that keep Saab recognizable at app scale.

Composition

The best known Saab automobile mark is a circular badge with a central crowned griffin head, a surrounding blue field, and a metallic rim. The roundel format made it suitable for hood badges, wheel centers, steering wheels, print, and dealer signage.

Symbol

The griffin connects Saab to Scania heraldry and to the Saab-Scania industrial era. The creature suggests watchfulness and strength, while the crown adds a specifically heraldic, regional Swedish reference.

Lettering

Saab automotive branding typically used bold, compact uppercase lettering. The type treatment favored clarity and industrial precision rather than decorative luxury, consistent with Saab's engineering-led image.

Color

Deep blue gives the badge a technical and restrained Swedish character, while the red griffin provides a strong focal point. Silver or chrome effects on vehicle badges added depth and a premium automotive finish.

Shape

The circular badge structure gave Saab a formal, durable identity that translated well across physical vehicle applications. The contained shape also helped separate the detailed griffin from body paint, glass, and grille surfaces.

Heritage

Saab's logo heritage is unusual because it combines an aircraft-company name, a carmaker's engineering reputation, and the heraldic symbol introduced through Saab-Scania. This layered history makes the badge inseparable from Swedish industrial consolidation in the late 20th century.

Market context

Among enthusiasts, the Saab griffin represents independent Swedish car design, turbocharged engineering, and an unconventional alternative to mainstream premium brands. The logo carries strong nostalgia because new Saab-branded cars are no longer produced.

Design logic

Saab's identity balanced functional modernism with a single historic emblem. The result was a badge that could communicate technical credibility while still giving the brand a distinctive regional personality.

Where teams place it

Common product surfaces where Saab assets need to stay clear, consistent, and fast.

Vehicle badging

Vehicle owners and restorers

The Saab roundel appeared on hood badges, trunk lids, steering wheels, wheel centers, and key fobs across many late Saab models.

Classic car parts and service

Repair shops and parts retailers

Independent Saab specialists and parts suppliers often reference the historic wordmark or griffin identity when supporting discontinued Saab vehicles.

Enthusiast communities

Enthusiasts

Saab clubs, forums, events, and restoration groups use the logo heritage as a signal of shared interest in the marque's engineering culture.

Automotive databases

Developers and data teams

Product teams use the Saab identity to represent historical vehicle records, ownership histories, used-car listings, and garage applications.

Answers before you ship

Format, usage, attribution, and history notes for the Saab logo.

Browse the logo library →API docsPricing