Fiat SOMECA Concord S.A.C.I (or simply Fiat Concord) was the Argentinasubsidiary of Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. and the first manufacturer of Fiat vehicles in the country. Established in 1954,[1] the factory produced not only automobiles but railway vehicles through its subsidiary Materfer. Some of Fiat Concord's most emblematic products included the 600, 128, and the 1500 coupé designed by Vignale.[2]
The first Fiat dealership in Argentina was established in 1919 in Buenos Aires to import Fiat automobiles. Four years later, "Fiat Argentina S.A." was officially established to sell and assist automobiles and trucks imported from Italy.
Initially, Fiat activities in Argentina focused on agriculture, importing tractors through its local subsidiary "Agromecánica S.A.C.I.F." created in 1949. Tractors were imported until 1954, when "Fiat Someca Construcciones Córdoba" (then renamed "Fiat Concord") was established to produce those vehicles in Argentina. In 1959, Fiat of Italy signed an agreement with state-owned Industrias Aeronáuticas y Mecánicas del Estado (IAME) to give technical support. The assembly plant was built that same year in the city of Ferreyra, Córdoba Province, one year later another factory was built to produce diesel engines.
Fiat expanded its operations in Argentina when the company entered to railway market in 1956 after state-owned railway company Ferrocarriles Argentinos granted it concession to provide 300 diesel locomotives and rolling stock. That agreement paved the way for the establishment of Materfer to produce railway vehicles.[5][6] The plant, also built in Ferreyra, was inaugurated in 1958.
Fiat Concord Building in Buenos Aires, 1966
On 30 September 1959, the Government of Argentina approved a Fiat proposal to invest USD4,5 million to build a factory in Caseros, Buenos Aires. The first locally produced Fiat vehicle, Fiat 600, was launched on 8 April 1960. Soon after, the 1100 was added to the production line.[7] Both models totalised 4,000 units produced at the end of that year.
The 1100 was assembled until 1963, being replaced by the 1500, with a station wagon (familiare) version released one year later.[8] That same year, Fiat Argentina began exporting autoparts to Chile. Fiat Argentina's range of products expanded with the "Multicarga" pickup, 1500 Coupé, and 770 Coupé (being renamed "800" in 1966). In 1966 Fiat Concord launched the 1500 Coupé Vignale, based on the 1500 and designed exclusively for the Argentine market by Italian coachbuilderAlfredo Vignale.[2]
Fiat became leader of the Argentine automotive market with a 23% share in 1967, with more than 40,000 vehicles produced. Two years later production increased to 50,000 units. That same year the 1600 model was launched as a successor of 1500. It was not an original Fiat model but an Italian Fiat 125 body powered by a Fiat 1500 engine. Besides, Fiat Concord launched its first heavy trucks, the 619. In 1969, production of the 1500 was discontinued.[9]
As production increased, in 1971 the factory produced more than 60,000 vehicles per year. Fiat launched one of their most successful and emblematic models, the 128,[10][11] which added a station wagon model in 1973. The 128 would be produced until 1990.[12] Besides, "Industria Argentina Vehículos de Avanzada" (IAVA S.A.) was established as a Fiat Concord subsidiary to produce performance vehicles.[10][13] At the time the 128 model ceased to be produced, [10]
The 1600 model was replaced by the 125 in 1972.[1] This model was produced in three versions, sedan, station wagon, and coupé. In 1973, a pickup version (named "Multicarga") was added, being produced until 1980.[14]
In 1977, Fiat Concord launched the 133,[15] a rebadgedSEAT 133 (thanks to an agreement between both companies) and marketed in Argentina under license. The car was poorly received, with only 15,821 units produced between 1977 and 1982 being replaced by the 147, a very similar model.[16]
In 1980, Fiat Concord and "Sociedad de Automóviles Franco Argentinos" (SAFRAR), local representative of French brand Peugeot, merged to form Sevel Argentina (officially, "Sociedad Europea de Vehículos para Latinoamérica"),[10] a joint venture that operated as a Latin America subsidiary of European Sevel S.p.A. that had been established in 1978.[17][18] Entrepreneur Franco Macri would take over Sevel becoming the owner of the company.[19]
Vehicles produced
List of vehicles (automobiles and trucks) produced by Fiat in Argentina, 1960–80:
In 1962, the first 7131, manufactured by FIAT Concord, made its debut on the Villa Ballester–Zárate and Victoria–Capilla del Señor sections of Mitre Railway. Those light cars replaced Ganz railcars that had been running on those lines since 1938.[4] The 7131 also served in some lines of Santa Fe province.[3]
Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe. The former company Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin, by Alfredo Vignale (1913–69). After its founder's death in 1969, Carrozzeria Vignale was acquired by De Tomaso. The studio ceased operation in 1973, but ownership of the name was taken over by Ford Motor Company.
Ferrocarriles Argentinos was a state-owned company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Juan Perón's first presidential term, and transformed into the Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado Argentino.
The Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 are a series of front-engine, rear-drive automobiles manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1961 to 1967, replacing the Fiat 1400 and Fiat 1200 coupé, spyder and cabriolet. The 1300 and 1500 were essentially identical to each other except for their engine displacement, as indicated by their model names, and were offered in sedan/saloon, station wagon, convertible and coupé body styles which shared little mechanically with the other body styles except the 1500 engine.
The General Bartolomé Mitre Railway (FCGBM), named after the former Argentine president Bartolomé Mitre, is one of the six state-owned Argentine railway lines formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948 and one of the largest of Argentina. The six divisions, managed by Ferrocarriles Argentinos were later broken up during the process of railway privatisation beginning in 1991 during Carlos Menem's presidency.
The Belgrano Norte line is a commuter rail service in Buenos Aires, Argentina run by the private company Ferrovías since 1 April 1994. This service had previously been run by the state-owned General Belgrano Railway since nationalisation of the railways in 1948. Ferrovías also formed part of the consortium Unidad de Gestión Operativa Ferroviaria de Emergencia (UGOFE) which operated other commuter rail services in Buenos Aires.
The Mitre line is an Argentine broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province and is part of the Ferrocarril General Bartolomé Mitre division. The service is currently operated by the State-owned company Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado after the Government of Argentina rescinded its contract with Corredores Ferroviarios in March 2015.
The Sarmiento line is a broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, run by the state-owned Trenes Argentinos since 11 September 2013.
The Argentine railway network consisted of a 47,000 km (29,204 mi) network at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in the world. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up in 1993 of Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA), the state railroad corporation. During the period following privatisation, private and provincial railway companies were created and resurrected some of the major passenger routes that FA once operated.
Sevel Argentina S.A. was an Argentine automobile company established in 1981 that produced and marketed Fiat, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, and Citroën vehicles for the local market until it was dissolved in 1999. The company was created by merging Fiat's and Peugeot's Argentine operations.
Someca was a French agricultural equipment manufacturer. Created in 1953 by SIMCA, a then-subsidiary of Fiat Auto Italia, “Fiat Someca”, in 1958 became part of SIMCA Industries.
Materfer is an Argentine manufacturer of railway and road vehicles, located in the city of Ferreyra in Córdoba Province. The company was established by Fiat Concord in the late 1950s, being its subsidiary until 1980 when Sevel Argentina took over Fiat vehicles.
Tucumán is a train station in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán of Tucumán Province, Argentina, and terminus of Ferrocarril Mitre.
Gruppo Aziende Italiane e Argentine was an Italian-Argentine conglomerate company that manufactured diesel locomotives for the Argentine railway network while being managed by Ferrocarriles Argentinos.
The Fiat-Materfer Buenos Aires Underground rolling stock was built by the Argentine company Materfer - then a subsidiary of Fiat Ferroviaria - beginning in 1980 and continuing on through that decade. It was originally conceived to standardise the diverse rolling stock of the Buenos Aires Underground with the use of one model throughout all the lines. However, with the economic and political turmoil faced in the country during and following the collapse of the National Reorganisation Process junta in 1983, its production ended up being far more limited. During the 2010s, the cars were used as temporary stock for two lines, being phased out as newer models arrived from overseas.
The 7131 was an Argentine diesel multiple unit class, first produced in Italy by Fiat Ferroviaria, then licensed to Argentine company Materfer to continue the manufacturing. Those railcars were introduced in the 1960s to replace the existing rolling stock of most of the urban services of Argentina, such as Roca, Urquiza, Mitre and Sarmiento lines.
Industria Argentina de Vehículos de Avanzada was an automotive company created in 1971 by 16 owners of Argentine Fiat dealerships. Headquartered in Martínez, Buenos Aires, IAVA was the first manufacturer of performance vehicles in Argentina, being a subsidiary of Fiat Concord and then Sevel Argentina until it was closed in 1985.
General Motors de Argentina S.R.L. is the Argentine subsidiary of the US-based company General Motors. The company is currently headquartered in Vicente López, Buenos Aires, with its factory located in Alvear, Santa Fe Province.
Chrysler Fevre Argentina S.A. was the Argentina subsidiary of US-based automotive manufacturer Chrysler Corporation. Originally established in 1890 as a supplier for tanning industry, the firm began to commercialise vehicles after an agreement signed with Dodge Brothers Company in 1916, which allowed it to import and commercialise automobiles and trucks in Argentina.
Citroën Argentina S.A. was the Argentine subsidiary of French automotive manufacturer Citroën which produced vehicles of the brand in the country. Established in 1959 and headquartered in Barracas, Buenos Aires, it operated in the country for 30 years producing vehicles until the economic crisis during the military government forced the company to cease its operations.
Stellantis Argentina S.A. is the Argentine subsidiary of international conglomerate Stellantis which produces and markets Citroën, Fiat, and Peugeot vehicles in the country. Established in 2021, the company is successor of several firms that had operated in Argentina as subsidiaries or licensors for these brands, such as Fiat Argentina, and Groupe PSA Argentina.
1 2 Bernasconi, Ariel (2012). Historia del Ferrocarril al Norte del Gran Buenos Aires: Ferrocarriles Mitre y Belgrano (in Spanish). Dunken Editorial. ISBN978-9870257691.
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