| Automotive industry in Poland | |
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 FSO is formerly one of the largest polish car factories and the most recognizable car brand from Poland |
The automobile industry in Poland makes up a sizeable part of the Polish economy, accounting for about 11% of Poland's industrial production. Poland is one of the largest producer of light vehicles (passenger cars) in Central and Eastern Europe. As of 2013 Poland was the 23rd largest automaker in the world.
The first Polish company that produced automobile vehicles, Ursus, was established in 1893, and became known for a line of tractors produced since 1922. [1] After Poland regained independence in the aftermath of World War I, Polish automotive industry produced a number of light military vehicles, such as armored cars tankettes and light tanks (7TP being the most advanced model). [2] Civilian automotive production also existed, with the Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe (later, Państwowe Zakłady Inżynieryjne) being the most notable company. [3] Nonetheless, compared to more industrialized countries in the Western Europe, interwar Poland is seen as having rather limited auto producing capacities before World War II. [4]
Interrupted by World War II (German invasion of Poland), then destruction and plunder of the industry (including the automotive industry) by Germans, automobile production in Poland resumed afterward, and the socialist People's Republic of Poland produced 417 834 vehicles in 1980 which gave Poland the 13th place in the world, 8th in Europe and 2nd after the USSR in the Eastern Bloc. [5] Of models of that era, the best known were those from FSO: FSO Warszawa, FSO Syrena, Polski Fiat / FSO 125p, FSO Polonez and the Polski Fiat 126p from FSM. [3] [6] The Polski Fiat 126p or "maluch" was a particularly iconic car of that period. [7]
Production increased following the fall of communism, and peaked at 650,000 vehicles around 1999, declining for the next few years. [8] In the early 2000, around the years 2002–2003, Poland produced about 300,000 light vehicles a year, a number that increased once again after the accession of Poland to the European Union in 2004, having doubled by the mid-2000s and then almost tripled by the end of the decade around 2009 and then began to fall. [9]
During 2007-2009, Poland was the second largest producer of light vehicles (passenger cars) in Central and Eastern Europe, after the Czech Republic (and not counting Russia). [9] As of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Polish automotive sector represents around 11% of total industrial production, accounting for about 4% of GDP. The sector employs about 130,000 people, and produces about 800,000–900,000 light vehicles a year. [9] [10] Production of larger commercial vehicles was at about 70,000–90,000 in that period. [9] Most of the sector's output is geared for exports, primarily to the European Union. [9] In 2009 the value of exports from this sector was €15.7 billion, i.e. 16% of all Polish exports. [9] Since 2010, the number of cars made in Poland has been decreasing from 869,376 to 583,258 in 2013. [11] As of that year Poland was the 23rd largest automaker in the world.
Major western companies with significant presence in the Polish automotive sector include Fiat, Opel, Toyota, Volkswagen, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Volvo and Scania AB. [9] Out of those, historically Fiat had a very strong presence in Poland for almost a century: the Polski Fiat assembly plan was established in the 1920s, and while interrupted by World War II, production of Fiat-licensed vehicles resumed in socialist Poland in 1967. [12]
Majority of major the sector is controlled by western companies and financed by foreign investment; with the Solaris bus and truck producer being the largest company in the market owned by Polish investors. [9]
Some models produced in Poland in the recent years include Opel Astra III and IV, the Fiat Panda and the Fiat 500, the Lancia Ypsilon, the Ford Ka, and the Chevrolet Aveo. [9]
In 2016, The Law and Justice (Pis) government created Electromobility Poland, by four state-owned power companies. Electromobility Poland wants to launch two Electric models in 2023. [13] [14] [15] In 2020, Poland has also become one of the largest electric bus producing countries in Europe with approximatively a third of the production. Additionally to original Polish manufacturers Solaris and Rafako, MAN Truck & Bus of Volkswagen Group has opened a production line in Starachowice, Volvo in Wroclaw and Skania in Slupsk. [16]
The Syrena was a Polish automobile model first exhibited at the Poznań Trade Fair in 1955 and manufactured from 1957 to 1972 by the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO) in Warsaw and from 1972 until 1983 by Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała. 177,234 were manufactured by FSO and 344,077 by FSM, a total of 521,311. During its remarkably long production run it underwent only minor modifications.
The Fiat 126 is a four-passenger, rear-engine, city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat over a twenty-eight year production run from 1972 until 2000, over a single generation. Introduced by Fiat in October 1972 at the Turin Auto Show, the 126 replaced the Fiat 500, using major elements from its design. A subsequent iteration, marketed as the 126 Bis, used a horizontally oriented, water-cooled engine and featured a rear hatchback.
Solaris Bus & Coach sp z o.o. is a Polish manufacturer of public transport vehicles, with its headquarters in Bolechowo-Osiedle near Poznań. It is a subsidiary of Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF with a market share for electric buses in Europe of about 18%.
The Fiat 125 is a large family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat from 1967 to 1972. Derivatives were built under license outside Italy until the 1990s. As launched the car was unusual in blending saloon car passenger accommodation with sports car performance, a combination which would be more widely adopted by the European volume auto-makers in the decade ahead.
Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych, commonly known as FSO, is a Polish automobile parts manufacturer, and formerly an automobile producer of historic significance, located in Warsaw.
The automotive industry in Italy is a quite large employer in the country, it had over 2,131 firms and employed almost 250,000 people in 2006. Italy's automotive industry is best known for its automobile designs and small city cars, sports and supercars. The automotive industry makes a contribution of 8.5% to Italian GDP.
The Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii was a Polish pre-World War II arms industry holding and the main Polish manufacturer of vehicles, both military and civilian.
Nasr is Egypt's state owned automobile company. It is the first Arab vehicle manufacturer, founded in 1960 in Helwan, Egypt. Since, the company has produced licensed versions of the Fiat 1100 R, Fiat 1300, Fiat 2300, Fiat 128, Fiat 125, Fiat 133, Fiat 126, series 2 Fiat 127, 1983–92 FSO Polonez and in 1991 introduced a further range of Fiat-designed cars licensed via the Turkish company Tofaş. In the early 2000s Nasr began producing the Florida range under license from Serbian manufacturer Zastava.
Polski Fiat was a Polish car brand. Under this brand, cars under licence of the Italian manufacturer FIAT were manufactured or assembled in Poland.
Polski Fiat 125p is a motor vehicle manufactured between 1967 and 1991 in Poland under a Fiat license by the state-owned manufacturer Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO). It was a simplified and altered variation of the original, Italian-made Fiat 125, with engines and mechanicals from the Fiat 1300/1500. To distinguish between the models, Fiat and FSO revived the marque Polski Fiat. After termination of the license, the car was branded as FSO 1300, FSO 1500 and FSO 125p.
The automotive industry in Pakistan is one of the smallest but fastest-growing industries in the country, growing by 171% between 2014 and 2018. It accounts for 3% of Pakistan's GDP and employed a workforce of over 3.5 million people as of 2018. Pakistan is the 23rd largest producer of automobiles. Its contribution to the national exchequer is nearly Rs. 50-billion. Pakistan's auto market is among the smallest but fastest growing in Asia. 269,792 cars were sold in 2018, but this number declined to 186,716 in 2019 due to austerity measures. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Pakistan had many Japanese cars. With the launch of the first Auto Policy in 2005, Pakistan launched its first indigenous car, Adam Revo. However, after the 2008 elections, the dollar started depreciating, and due to bad governance, many automakers began to halt production, with some exiting Pakistan. Currently, the auto market is dominated by Honda, Toyota, and Suzuki. However, on 19 March 2016, Pakistan passed a second "Auto Policy 2016-21," which offers tax incentives to new automakers to establish manufacturing plants in the country. In response, Renault, Nissan, Proton Holdings, Kia, SsangYong, Volkswagen, FAW, and Hyundai have expressed interest in entering the Pakistani market. MG JW Automobile Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morris Garages (MG) Motor UK Limited, owned by SAIC Motor, to bring electric vehicles to Pakistan. NLC signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to manufacture Mercedes Actros trucks in Pakistan. Pakistan has not enforced any automotive safety standards or model upgrade policies. A few older vehicle models, including the Bolan and Ravi, continue to be sold by Suzuki. On 8 July 2021, Jolta Electric launched the production of electric motorcycles.
The Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych, commonly known as FSM, was a Polish automobile factory born from an agreement between the FSO and Fiat in the 1970s for the construction of a new model, the Polski Fiat 126p, Polish version of Fiat 126. For the project a new manufacturing plant was opened in Tychy. The factory also produced until the beginning of the 1980s the FSO Syrena. The FSM brand was active between 1971 and 1992, when it was privatised and Fiat Group took control of it.
This article provides an overview of the automotive industry in countries around the world.
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.
The Syrena 110 was a Polish automobile prototype from the mid-1960s, manufactured by the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO) in Warsaw. It was one of the first hatchbacks in the world.
FCA Poland S.A. is an automobile factory belonging to Stellantis formed on May 28, 1992, after Fiat acquired Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała and Tychy. At that time, Fiat Auto took over 90% of the company's shares. The takeover of FSM by Fiat has been considered hostile and controversial. The plant has been part of Stellantis since 2021, following the merger of FCA and PSA Group. As of 2020, the facility had 2,500 employees.
Polish car capacity was to be doubled by 1980, growing to some 400,000 units per year
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