In September, Saab sold only 2,246 cars to customers in Europe, roughly a tenth of the 22,776 cars sold by Volvo during the month.

However, the composite 2009 figures for sales through September are somewhat less encouraging for Volvo, with sales down 17.7 percent overall compared to the same nine-month period in 2008.

Overall, there were 145,174 cars sold in Europe between January and September 2009, a 6.6 percent decrease from the year before, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

In September, sales numbers were up 6.3 percent across Europe, but down 15.5 percent in Sweden.

From the start of the year, car sales in Sweden are down 22.7 percent.

According to ACEA, the summer’s spike in car sales was due primarily to generous premiums which encouraged car owners to scrap older cars in favour of new ones.

Statistics from several countries in Europe indicate that the upswing in sales which started over the summer has continued into early autumn