When we think about Sweden, the first thing that comes to mind would be Ikea furniture, Ikea meatballs and cold weather and if we talk about cars then we will think about Volvo. But we often forget about other crazy manufacturers from Sweden that have marvellous technology in silence away from the rest of the world. So today we are going to dive into more details about Sweden’s car industries that have made so much but sound so little to the rest of the world! We will expose their doings and see and marvel at what they have done.
- Scania
Let’s start with something that maybe some people know about and something we all are more familiar with and move on to something more technical and crazy. Scania is a company that makes trucks and buses, and they are extremely successful in doing it. They have many public bus companies that use Scania buses in many countries and trucks as well, especially in Europe. Scania trucks are one of the top sales in almost every nation. It is powerful, and efficient with Scania trucks and buses and still remains to be one of the best trucks and buses companies and we predict will still continue to be.
- Saab
Saab is a very weird company that you won’t think of first but if you do hear of the name Saab, it’s either you are an aerospace freak or a real true car freak. Back in the days, believe it or not, Saab was a maker of fighter jets for Sweden. If you are into fighter jets then you will hear of SAAB JAS-39 Gripen. This is a considerably successful fighter jet and they also are a defence company but they surprisingly also make cars! Although it is very not well known and it is very rare, if you search for it, you can still find it. But unfortunately, the company’s automotive sector closed in 2014.
- Polestar
If you know Volvo, chances are you will still not know Polestar. But, yes, they are the same company. Polestar is the sports division of Volvo and it is very successful. Now then we will talk in more detail about this company as well as one more next company that will also get your hair rising and your senses tingling. Polestar and Volvo are of the same company and so when China bought over Volvo, Polestar went along. When we talk about being bought over, it is owned by a Chinese man but does not belong to the Nation. Volvo ever since they buy over made success and was pulled from the verge of collapse as it was not selling well. But ever since the buy a lot has changed. Especially Polestar. Volvo as we know makes great cars for the people and still kept its safety records at an all-time high. Polestar on the other hand is one of the handmade powerful cars for the niche. Just before the current iterations of Polestars, they still use traditional combustion engines with Volvo bodies and improved performance on the Volvo cars. But now in the era of electrification, Polestar has jumped on board and also made cars with electrification. Polestar, as we know it now no longer, does combustion only but hybrids and electrics only and in the future visions of the company, Polestar no longer will create combustion but only full high performance EVs or Full Electric Cars. They currently have four models. Polestar 2, a full electric powerful 4-door sedan. Polestar 1, a hybrid powerful 2-door coupe. Polestar P is not for sale but is a vision of the future car and it is a 4-door Electric car and lastly Polestar 02 also a vision car and it is amazing looking. This is an amazing company, Polestar.
- Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg is a very special company and there is none like Koenigsegg. Some might argue that Bugatti is faster and better but I disagree. No matter what, Bugatti is not at the level of Koenigsegg and here’s why. Up until today in the 21st Century, Bugatti as such a big company and such a well-known company does not have any electrification whatsoever. Yes, they make 1000 over horsepower cars but is speed everything? No, because we see the car as a whole and Bugatti is behind in the game. It does not matter if they are the official speed holder but what matters is the futurism of the brand and Bugatti has none and yet still uses full combustion fuel chugging engines. This is where Koenigsegg is different and still prefers Koenigsegg. Koenigsegg is a small company and a small brand but it has the biggest voice out there. The popular car from Koenigsegg is the Agera. It is the car that made Koenigsegg survive it all. Although the Agera is not a hybrid yet, it still uses a smaller engine and yet is faster than the Bugatti of its time, the Veyron. That alone speaks volumes. The successor of the Agera, the Regera is a hybrid and still makes huge power it uses a very special gearbox that does not shift gears and they call it a direct drive and it is powerful. Because it does not need to shift any gears it is miles ahead of its predecessor when it comes to timings. With a drag race between the Agera and the Regera, Regera easily pulls ahead as there is no shift lag timing. Furthermore, Koenigsegg has done it again with the Gemera with a small 3-cylinder engine and paired with electric motors combining up to 1,700 Horsepower and 3,500 Newton-metres of Torque and yet seats 4 people, it is a revolution and it is an art. Koenigsegg is that crazy company that we all want to be but never came to. It is the pinnacle of automotive innovation.
There you have it! The few Swedish companies that are silent but speak volumes! Sweden is not all about meatballs and Ikea but a power house in the automotive industry as well. For more reads from us, you can go to Teh Talk for more.