Saab-Scania Automotive Heraldry

The original SAAB company (which produced small cars and airplanes) merged in 1969 with the truck manufacturer Scania-Vabis, and the heraldic image currently used came from them. Scania-Vabis in turn originated from two companies, which started in Malmoe and in Södertälje, both of which are in the province of Skåne (Scania) in southern Sweden.

Since 1660 the official coat of arms of Skåne is Or, a griffin’s head gules crowned azure, which has its origin in and is a variant of the medieval arms of the city of Malmö (Argent, a griffin’s head gules crowned Or). The current logo was adapted from these two to come up with Azure, a griffin’s head gules crowned Or. The first use of the image was on the first Scania automobile in 1901.

The Automotive Heraldry web site gives a history of the Saab-Scania logo, there is an explanation of the current logo in [Saab], and information about the arms of Malmö can be found in [Louda].

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Last Update: July 11, 2000