Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines
Encyclopedia
The Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines S.A. (IMM) is a Tunisia
n car manufacturer which is headquartered in the city Kairouan
. The company was founded in 1982 and were closed in 1988 for its first time. In 1991, the plant were reopened. Since then, the manufacturer formed subsidiaries to distribute its vehicles in Carthage
, Tunis
and Oued Smar
, Algeria
.
The company is working as a joint-venture between the General Motors Company
(20 per cent), the Isuzu Motors Ltd.
(10 per cent) and the locomotive builder General Motors du Tunisie S.A. (70 per cent). The last of them provides the staff for the company.
In January 2008, it was announced that the Algerian subsidiary will be converted for the assembly of vehicles. The new IMM plant will assembles up to 25,000 units a year. In Kairouan, the IMM is manufacturing up to 4,000 units a year. The vehicles will be marketed alongside the two local markets in Gibraltar
, Morocco
, Mauritania
and Libya
. The IMM is responsible for the supply of the markets of the Maghreb
region and the Arab Maghreb Union
.
Special attention was given to the vehicles of the IMM in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 through the using by the Gaddafi Scherks, who attacked it own Libyan cities to spread fear and terror.
Currently the IMM is the only Tunisian car manufacturer besides Wallyscar. However, in Algeria the SOVAC
(VW
), the Elsecom Motors (Ford) and the RPA (Renault
) are serious competitors.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n car manufacturer which is headquartered in the city Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan , also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan , is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670...
. The company was founded in 1982 and were closed in 1988 for its first time. In 1991, the plant were reopened. Since then, the manufacturer formed subsidiaries to distribute its vehicles in Carthage
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
and Oued Smar
Oued Smar
Oued Smar is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria....
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
The company is working as a joint-venture between the General Motors Company
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
(20 per cent), the Isuzu Motors Ltd.
Isuzu
, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
(10 per cent) and the locomotive builder General Motors du Tunisie S.A. (70 per cent). The last of them provides the staff for the company.
In January 2008, it was announced that the Algerian subsidiary will be converted for the assembly of vehicles. The new IMM plant will assembles up to 25,000 units a year. In Kairouan, the IMM is manufacturing up to 4,000 units a year. The vehicles will be marketed alongside the two local markets in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. The IMM is responsible for the supply of the markets of the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
region and the Arab Maghreb Union
Arab Maghreb Union
The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...
.
Special attention was given to the vehicles of the IMM in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 through the using by the Gaddafi Scherks, who attacked it own Libyan cities to spread fear and terror.
Currently the IMM is the only Tunisian car manufacturer besides Wallyscar. However, in Algeria the SOVAC
Sovač
Sovač is a village in the municipality of Valjevo, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 133 people....
(VW
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
), the Elsecom Motors (Ford) and the RPA (Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
) are serious competitors.