The Saab-Lancia 600 was a Lancia Delta sold under the Saab name in Sweden, Denmark and Norway between 1980 and 1982. It was meant to replace the retired Saab 96, but its heating system proved unsuitable for the Nordic winter and sales collapsed.
Saab-Lancia 600 at a glance
| Sold | 1980–1982 |
|---|---|
| Markets | Sweden, Denmark, Norway; also imported to Finland |
| Based on | Lancia Delta, five-door hatchback |
| Builder | Lancia in Italy |
| Body design | Giorgetto Giugiaro, Italdesign |
| 600 GL | 1.3-litre engine, 75 PS |
| 600 GLS | 1.5-litre engine, 85 PS |
| 600 GLE | 1.5-litre with luxury trim |
| From 1983 | only the 1.5-litre version |
| Replaced | Saab 96, whose production ended in January 1980 |
Based on the German Wikipedia article on the Saab Lancia 600, with the Italian article on the Delta for the base car. No free photograph of the Saab-badged 600 was available, so the previous thumbnail is kept.
History of the Saab-Lancia 600
When production of the Saab 96 ended in January 1980, Saab had nothing to offer in the small-car class. A short time later the Saab-Lancia 600 appeared in the Nordic countries, a rebadged Lancia Delta presented to customers as a genuine Saab that happened to be built in Italy. Saab had already worked with Lancia, having sold the small Autobianchi A112 as the Lancia A112 in the Nordic countries since 1974.
The Delta itself was a five-door hatchback designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, voted European Car of the Year for 1980 and developed with some help from Saab: the Swedish company took part in the heating and ventilation system and claimed a hand in the rustproofing, the split-folding rear seat and the boot lid that reached down to the bumper. The 600 was offered as the GL with a 1.3-litre engine of 75 PS, the GLS with a 1.5-litre engine of 85 PS and the GLE, a luxury version of the 1.5 in which the letter E stood for equipment rather than injection. The GLS and GLE were reserved for Sweden.
Sales began promisingly, but with the arrival of the cold season the heating proved inadequate for the northern climate. Sales collapsed, and it took until 1983 to clear the unsold 1980 cars, which went only with large discounts. In Denmark and Norway the high price made the car even less successful than in Sweden, and in Finland the Saab importer did not advertise it at all because it competed with the Saab-Valmet-built Talbot Horizon.
From 1983 only the 1.5-litre version was offered. The car remained on sale in Sweden until 1986, but no longer as a Saab: it was advertised under the Lancia name. The 600 occupies an odd place in Saab’s history, a stop-gap model that was never developed further and left the small-car class without a Saab of its own.
Design and features
- A Saab badge on an Italian car: a Lancia Delta sold through Saab dealers in the Nordic countries.
- Giugiaro body: a five-door hatchback that was European Car of the Year for 1980.
- Saab input: the heating, ventilation, rustproofing and boot layout were developed with Saab’s help.
- Three versions: 600 GL, GLS and the luxury GLE.
Saab-Lancia 600 versions
- 600 GL: 1.3-litre engine with 75 PS.
- 600 GLS: 1.5-litre engine with 85 PS, for Sweden only.
- 600 GLE: 1.5-litre with luxury equipment, for Sweden only.
The 600 was meant to replace the Saab 96, and the gap it left was later filled by the Saab 90 and the smaller Saab 900. More cars are in the Saab collection.
Video: 1980 SAAB-Lancia 600 Type 831 classic hatchback
Video by the uploader on YouTube.
Sources
- Saab Lancia 600, German Wikipedia: markets, versions, sales, heating
- Lancia Delta (1979), Italian Wikipedia: the car, design and European Car of the Year
