Locally, Saab recorded similar results in Australia and New Zealand with sales of 1,653 vehicles up 5.8 per cent on the previous year.

Director Saab Australia and New Zealand, Parveen Batish, says he is pleased with the results in the extremely competitive markets of Australia and New Zealand.

“The new 9-3 SportCombi is developing a strong following, the iconic Saab Convertible continues to be the most popular premium, four-seat soft-top in Australia and we have made solid progress on rebuilding the brand,” Mr Batish said.

Global sales increased to 133,167 cars, exceeding the previous record set in 2000. For the second year running, European sales strengthened with an increase of 11.1 per cent and a new volume record of 88,859 units ahead of the previous benchmark set in 2005.

Saab 9-3 sales, stimulated by the successful introduction of the 9-3 SportCombi were up 7 per cent globally, while the revised Saab 9-5 range, including the popular Saab 9-5 BioPower model on sale in Europe, was also 6 per cent up. Best-ever sales volumes for the year were also achieved in Spain, Belgium and Canada.

“These strong results show that interest in the Saab brand has increased substantially,” said Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s Managing Director.