The history of KABE

- Things have gone well, says Kurt Blomqvist modestly. When asked if he could have imagined this development, he responds briefly:
- No, I haven't really reflected on it at all. Clearly, KABE's founder is a man who prefers to look forward rather than backward. Still, it all resembles a dream—a true story about a persistent Smålander, raised in a small business environment.

Started in the garage

The year was 1958, and Kurt Blomqvist was working on a summer project at home in the garage. The family was to skip the tent that summer. In the garage, a caravan was taking shape. Three weeks before departure, the caravan was ready. Kurt was proud of his creation, and when he received an offer for the caravan, he couldn't resist the temptation to sell it. But joy that lasts is rare. The family, who had been looking forward to a holiday in a real caravan, was so disappointed that Kurt Blomqvist had to go back into the garage to build another one.

Evenings, nights, and weekends. Kurt, who was then the head of the Flight Administration's control at Saab in Jönköping, worked almost around the clock. He nearly finished in time. A good deal of material and tools had to be packed away when it was time to leave. While the rest of the family enjoyed their vacation at various campsites, Kurt continued working and returned home with a completed caravan—which was sold immediately. During the fall, the caravan building continued in the garage, and by summer, eight caravans were finished. The first model was called KABE Komet 250, measuring 2.4m long and 1.8m wide. The price was modest—3,800 kronor, barely half of what a new Volvo PV cost at the time.

Wanted to move forward

The production continued, but four years later, Kurt had grown tired of double work. But quitting a well-paid job to venture into the gamble of being an independent entrepreneur? The choice was not easy.

- I started from scratch developing Swedish robots. We had reached a point where the project felt complete. Maybe it was time for me to