Automotive industry in Serbia
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Serbia's automotive industry is one of the most important industrial sectors and makes about 15% of industrial output of the country and 18% of all exports (expected to reach $2 billion in 2013).[1]
History
The Serbian automotive industry has its roots at very beginning of the 20th century, when, in 1904, the industrial military complex Zastava created a section dedicated to automobile repair and manufacture of certain parts.
Yugoslav era
In 1939, Zastava began assembling
By becoming one of the founders and leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement, Yugoslavia became one of the rare places where on the road and in the traffic one could see cars from both blocks of the Cold War, plus the ones from neutral or the Non-Aligned countries. However, besides the imports, Yugoslavia offered a large variety of domestic cars built for diverse tastes and necessities. Besides the pre-war Zastava-General Motors agreement about building 4x4 vehicles, Zastava would sign in the 1950s an agreement with Italian giant FIAT that would last, in some form or another, until 2008, and almost 2 million vehicles were produced.[3]
Meantime, in Slovenian seaport town of Koper on the Adriatic, in 1984, local factory Tomos and French manufacturer Citroën created a joint-venture named Cimos. Besides the Citroën 2CV and the Citroën DS, they also produced Ami, Dyane, AX, BW, CX, Visa and GS.[3]
Another Slovenian company, IMV from Novo Mesto, reached an agreement with British Austin Motor Company[4] to assemble, since 1967, models such as 1300, 1500, 1750 and, the worldwide famous, Mini.[3] In 1972, IMV made a strategic partnership with Renault and started producing the popular Renault 4. Besides this model, they also produced the Renault 12, Renault 16, Renault 18 and Renault 5 for the Yugoslav market.[3]
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina entered into car manufacturing through a kitchen appliances manufacturer. In a process in which Yugoslav president
In 1953, at the centenary of the company, Zastava signed a contract with Italian manufacturer FIAT to start the production of several models under licence, including trucks, passenger cars, tractors and heavy-duty vehicles.[2] In 1955 the production started of what became the most popular model, the Zastava 750, which counted a total of 923,487 units produced. In 1965 Zastava started exporting abroad. United States imported over 140,000 Zastava vehicles, sold as Yugos. In 1989 Zastava produced a record 230,570 units. All in all, Zastava produced over 4 million vehicles between 1953 and 2001, and exported to 74 countries, making Kragujevac the center of the automotive industry of Serbia and the entire Yugoslav federation. However, the facilities of the Zastava industrial complex were heavily damaged during the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia in 1999.[2]
Zastava's suppliers manufactured under strict, high-quality production standards that enabled them to work with other western car manufacturers such as
Although 211,522 cars were officially built in Yugoslavia in 1983, many were partially knocked down imports and some were misclassified imports.[5] Full imports were officially only available to those who were able to pay entirely in hard currency, which limited such sales to a trickle.[5] In 1984, fully built-up imports from the West (excluding locally assembled cars) represented less than 4 percent of the market. Although Japanese manufacturers Toyota and then Mitsubishi both entered the market on a limited scale in the first half of the 1980s, nearly all Western imports were of European brands. The number one selling import was the Fiat Uno, of which over 300 were sold in 1984.[7]
Post-Yugoslav era
Today, the automotive industry is one of the most prominent sectors in Serbia, accounting for almost 10% of the entire FDI stock in Serbia since 2000. 27 international investors have invested almost €1.5 billion in the sector, creating more than 19,000 jobs. The Serbian automotive industry supplies almost all major European and some Asian car manufacturers.[8]
The manufacturing of vehicle chassis system parts, especially tires and suspension parts is the most prominent activity in the industry. Electrical system components are another dominant product group with car batteries and wiring installations as the most important products. Also, the production of engine components, mostly cast, is very significant, along with forged and machined parts like camshafts, brake discs, valves and flywheels.
Among these manufacturing companies are:
Active manufacturers
BIK
Bus industries Kragujevac (BIK), in collaboration with Belarusian truck and bus manufacturer MAZ, began production by the late 2000s of gas-powered buses named BIK-203 which are based on the platform of the MAZ-203 model.[9][10] These buses have been delivered to several Serbian towns to be in use in public transportation companies.
FAP
In 1952
FCA Srbija
In 2008, FIAT entered a joint venture (JV) with the Republic of Serbia, creating what would become known as
Ikarbus
Zastava TERVO
Part of Zastava conglomerate company in Kragujevac, TERVO was formed on 1 September 2017 with all fixed and current assets of Zastava Trucks including most of its former employees.[14] Produces terrain vehicles for military and civilian use and armored cabins and parts for military vehicles.
Defunct manufacturers
IDA-Opel
IDA-Opel was a car manufacturer based in Kikinda which produced Opel models under license between 1977 and 1992. It produced 38,700 vehicles. The production was ended due to the start of the Yugoslav Wars and the imposition of UN economic sanctions to FR Yugoslavia.
IMK 14. oktobar Kruševac
IMR
Industrija Motora Rakovica was a tractor manufacturer based in Rakovica, Belgrade. Founded in 1927 as Zadrugar, they closed in 2015.
IMT
Industry of Machinery and Tractors (IMT) has produced tractors and agricultural machinery since the 1950s. It went into bankruptcy procedure in 2016.[15] In April 2018, IMT was sold to TAFE. Production is reactivated in Jarkovac, as the Belgrade factory was excluded from sale.
Neobus
Zastava Automobiles
Group Zastava Vehicles with its main company Zastava Automobiles, is a Serbian car manufacturer founded in
The Zastava brand ended production in 2008 and in 2017 the company declared bankruptcy.In 2008, Zastava's headquarters and assembly facilities were extensively renovated and modernized when they were assumed in a joint venture with the Republic of Serbia and Fiat, eventually becoming
Zastava Trucks
The first vehicles to be built at Zastava were 400 Chevrolet trucks, which were built under license between 1939 and 1941 for the Royal Yugoslav Army. Then in 1953, 162 off-road vehicles with the trademark Willys were produced. But the marking point was when Zastava and FIAT signed an agreement in 1955 for building cars and trucks under license, beginning with the production of Fiat AR-51 Campagnola light trucks and off-road vehicles, followed by Fiat 1100TF vans. In the 1980s Iveco models were produced.
In September 2017, the Government of Serbia established Zastava TERVO, which took over Zastava Trucks production facilities.
References
- ^ "Auto-industrija za Srbiju kao IT". 10 April 2013.
- ^ a b c History at Zastava official website (in Serbian)
- ^ a b c d e SFRJ četvorotočkaši: Šta su pravili i vozili Jugosloveni? at ba.n1info.com, 23-12-2015
- ^ a b Adams, Keith (2011-10-02). "Yugoslav 1100s". AROnline.
- ^ a b c d Homola, Peter (1985-02-07). "Zastava en cie" [Zastava and company]. De AutoGids (in Flemish). Vol. 6, no. 140. Brussels, Belgium: Uitgeverij Auto-Magazine. p. 53.
- ^ "Citroën Geri - The Unknown Citroën". FCIA - French Cars In America. 2016-05-15. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- ^ a b Homola, p. 55
- ^ "Development Agency of Serbia | Ras".
- ^ Gas-powered bus from Kragujevac at ekapija.rs, 20-4-2009
- ^ MAZ-BIK 203 at Vulović Transport official website
- ^ "Fiat Investing $1b into Zastava". Macedoniaonline.eu. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "Dinkić: Fijat ulaže milijardu evra". 9 November 2010.
- ^ "Fiat proizveo 85.000 automobila u Kragujevcu u 2016. - Isti kapaciteti očekuju se i 2017. godine". ekapija.com (in Serbian). Beta. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Odluka o osnivanju Društva s ograničenom odgovornošću za proizvodnju terenskih vozila "Zastava TERVO" Kragujevac". www.pravno-informacioni-sistem.rs. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Fabrika likvidirana zarad interesa tajkuna i uvozničkog lobija - Ekonomija - Dnevni list Danas". 8 August 2016.