Premier Automobiles Limited
Encyclopedia
Premier Ltd. is a manufacturer of vehicles based in Mumbai
, India
.
Founded in 1944, the car first launched production by building vehicles under license from Dodge
and Plymouth
. In 1951, they began producing versions of the Fiat 500
for the Indian market. This was followed by the Fiat 1100
in 1954. In 1973, the Premier name was used on their vehicles for the first time, the Premier President, based on the Fiat 1100 as Premier Padmini
. In 1978, they launched the Fiat 124
-based Premier 118 and 138D models. In 2000, they launched production, under license from Taiwan's China Motor Corporation, of the Premier Sigma and Roadster vans and pick-ups.
Premier Automobiles is an India
n automaker which flourished in the so called 'sudhakar'- bribe - licence- monopoly period from the 1950s till the early 1990s when India was closed to the world and imports. The company was established in 1944 as a result of successful negotiations with Chrysler Corporation in 1939, resulting in licenses to build a Plymouth
car and a Dodge
truck, sold under the Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto
, and Fargo
names starting around 1949. In the early years, quality was considered good by both Chrysler and the Indian Department of Defense. In 1949, parts were being made in India, starting with simpler components and gradually building up to more complex pieces. Two companies made parts: Premier and Hindustan Motors
of Calcutta. The early years of Premier and Hindustan were marked by very low sales, due to the size of the market; only about 20,000 vehicles per year were made in India, in 65 different models. To prevent foreign companies from dominating by mass-producing parts to be assembled into cars in India, the government set up steep import duties on imported parts in 1954, allowing Indian parts-makers to survive.
Premier also made a licensed version of the Fiat 1100
which later continued almost unchanged into the late 1990s as the Premier Padmini
with a 40 hp 1100 cc engine. Later models included the Premier 118NE (named after its 1180 cc Nissan A engine
and transmission from the Nissan Cherry
), a version of the 1960s Fiat 124
, considered a luxury car in India till the influx of modern cars in the 1990s. These Cars were built at their now Defunct Kurla
factory in sub-urban Mumbai.
With market liberalisation Premier tied up with Peugeot
to build the Peugeot 309
in India. Initial demand was high but labour problems and poor dealer service led to problems which were compounded when Premier also tied up with old partners Fiat to manufacture the Fiat Uno
. Peugeot pulled out of the venture around 2001 with only a few thousand cars sold. Labour and service issues also plagued the Fiat
venture and a massive strike finally caused the plant to shut around 2001 with Fiat left to fend for itself with its reputation marred. Not only Fiat, but also the Premier Automobiles Ltd., faced severe criticism in media. There were various criminal cases against its promoters. The Consumer Courts of India were flooded with complaints for non-refund of the car booking. The Promoters of Premier Automobiles have also been confronted with Criminal cases in various consumer courts of India under section 27 of Consumer Protection Act. A customer Association based at Gujarat - Rajkot called Pal Car Customer Association has made various representations against the Premier Automobiles Ltd. CNBC channel also aired an interview under the crime story program called "UNCOVERED".
In November 2004 Premier restarted operations by building a small diesel powered van called the Sigma. It is based on an old 1980s Mitsubishi Varica design licenced from China Motor
in Taiwan, with the Peugeot engine from the 309.
In October 2009 Premier re-entered the Indian passenger vehicle market with a compact SUV named RiO. Rio is assembled from CKD kits of Zotye Nomad I
made by Zotye Auto
of China.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Founded in 1944, the car first launched production by building vehicles under license from Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
and Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
. In 1951, they began producing versions of the Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
for the Indian market. This was followed by the Fiat 1100
Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a compact automobile produced from 1937 to 1969, by the Italian car maker Fiat.- Fiat 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 :The Fiat 1100 was first introduced in 1937 as an updated version of the 508 "Balilla" with a look similar to the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino" and the larger 1500, with the...
in 1954. In 1973, the Premier name was used on their vehicles for the first time, the Premier President, based on the Fiat 1100 as Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini
'Premier Padmini' was an automobile manufactured in India from 1967 to 2000.Premier Automobiles Limited, the erstwhile flagship company of India's Walchand Hirachand Group, assembled Fiat's Fiat 1100 cars from the 1950s until 1997...
. In 1978, they launched the Fiat 124
Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1966 and 1974. It was the replacement of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500...
-based Premier 118 and 138D models. In 2000, they launched production, under license from Taiwan's China Motor Corporation, of the Premier Sigma and Roadster vans and pick-ups.
Premier Automobiles is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n automaker which flourished in the so called 'sudhakar'- bribe - licence- monopoly period from the 1950s till the early 1990s when India was closed to the world and imports. The company was established in 1944 as a result of successful negotiations with Chrysler Corporation in 1939, resulting in licenses to build a Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
car and a Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
truck, sold under the Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
, and Fargo
Fargo (truck)
Fargo was a brand of truck manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. In general terms, Fargo trucks were a mere rebadging of Dodge trucks models.-History:...
names starting around 1949. In the early years, quality was considered good by both Chrysler and the Indian Department of Defense. In 1949, parts were being made in India, starting with simpler components and gradually building up to more complex pieces. Two companies made parts: Premier and Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
of Calcutta. The early years of Premier and Hindustan were marked by very low sales, due to the size of the market; only about 20,000 vehicles per year were made in India, in 65 different models. To prevent foreign companies from dominating by mass-producing parts to be assembled into cars in India, the government set up steep import duties on imported parts in 1954, allowing Indian parts-makers to survive.
Premier also made a licensed version of the Fiat 1100
Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a compact automobile produced from 1937 to 1969, by the Italian car maker Fiat.- Fiat 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 :The Fiat 1100 was first introduced in 1937 as an updated version of the 508 "Balilla" with a look similar to the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino" and the larger 1500, with the...
which later continued almost unchanged into the late 1990s as the Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini
'Premier Padmini' was an automobile manufactured in India from 1967 to 2000.Premier Automobiles Limited, the erstwhile flagship company of India's Walchand Hirachand Group, assembled Fiat's Fiat 1100 cars from the 1950s until 1997...
with a 40 hp 1100 cc engine. Later models included the Premier 118NE (named after its 1180 cc Nissan A engine
Nissan A engine
The Nissan A series of internal combustion gasoline engines have been used in Datsun, Nissan and Premier brand vehicles. Displacements of this four-stroke engine family ranged from 1.0 liter to 1.5 liter and have been produced from 1967 to the present. It is a small-displacement four...
and transmission from the Nissan Cherry
Nissan Cherry
The E10 generation featured four-wheel independent suspension.The E10 was fitted with two types of inline four-cylinder Nissan A-series OHV engines:* 988 cc A10* 1171 cc A12...
), a version of the 1960s Fiat 124
Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1966 and 1974. It was the replacement of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500...
, considered a luxury car in India till the influx of modern cars in the 1990s. These Cars were built at their now Defunct Kurla
Kurla
Kurla is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of one the busiest railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway on the central and harbour railway lines of Mumbai...
factory in sub-urban Mumbai.
With market liberalisation Premier tied up with Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
to build the Peugeot 309
Peugeot 309
The Peugeot 309 was a small family car manufactured between 1985 and 1993 in England and France.The 309 was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot and, as development progressed, to be called the Talbot Arizona...
in India. Initial demand was high but labour problems and poor dealer service led to problems which were compounded when Premier also tied up with old partners Fiat to manufacture the Fiat Uno
Fiat Uno
The Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries.-First series :...
. Peugeot pulled out of the venture around 2001 with only a few thousand cars sold. Labour and service issues also plagued the Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
venture and a massive strike finally caused the plant to shut around 2001 with Fiat left to fend for itself with its reputation marred. Not only Fiat, but also the Premier Automobiles Ltd., faced severe criticism in media. There were various criminal cases against its promoters. The Consumer Courts of India were flooded with complaints for non-refund of the car booking. The Promoters of Premier Automobiles have also been confronted with Criminal cases in various consumer courts of India under section 27 of Consumer Protection Act. A customer Association based at Gujarat - Rajkot called Pal Car Customer Association has made various representations against the Premier Automobiles Ltd. CNBC channel also aired an interview under the crime story program called "UNCOVERED".
In November 2004 Premier restarted operations by building a small diesel powered van called the Sigma. It is based on an old 1980s Mitsubishi Varica design licenced from China Motor
China Motor Corporation
China Motor Corporation is an automobile manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan. It was founded in June 1969, and signed a technology sharing contract with Mitsubishi Motors the following year. On December 12 1973 they opened their first manufacturing facility, in Yangmei...
in Taiwan, with the Peugeot engine from the 309.
In October 2009 Premier re-entered the Indian passenger vehicle market with a compact SUV named RiO. Rio is assembled from CKD kits of Zotye Nomad I
Zotye 2008
The Zotye 2008 is a small 5 door SUV produced by an offshoot of the Zhejiang Tech-New Group called Zotye Auto in Zhejiang, China.The car is named in honour of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and also goes by the model project number XS6402...
made by Zotye Auto
Zotye International
Zotye Auto is an automobile manufacturer from China. It is owned by the Zotye Holding Group.-History:Zotye International was founded on 13 January 2005 by Zotye Holding Group. Previously, Zotye had contracts to only export automotive parts but increased its production to complete cars to take...
of China.
Assembled
- Dodge KingswayDodge KingswayThe Dodge Kingsway is a past-model automobile built by Chrysler Corporation for export markets. The Kingsway name was adopted for the 1946 models. Prior to that, the export models based on Plymouth models had no unique model names....
- Plymouth SavoyPlymouth SavoyThe Plymouth Savoy is an automobile produced by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation of Highland Park, Michigan.Plymouth used the name Savoy on several automobiles. From 1951-1953, the Savoy name was used on a station wagon, upgrading the base model Suburban...
- Plymouth BelvederePlymouth BelvedereThe Plymouth Belvedere was an American automobile produced by Plymouth from 1951-1970.-1951–1953:Introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Belvedere arrived as a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouth's first vehicle of such design and was built in response to Chevrolet's Bel Air...
- Fiat 500Fiat 500The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
- Fiat UnoFiat UnoThe Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries.-First series :...
- Peugeot 309Peugeot 309The Peugeot 309 was a small family car manufactured between 1985 and 1993 in England and France.The 309 was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot and, as development progressed, to be called the Talbot Arizona...
- Premier Sigma
Previous models
- Premier PadminiPremier Padmini'Premier Padmini' was an automobile manufactured in India from 1967 to 2000.Premier Automobiles Limited, the erstwhile flagship company of India's Walchand Hirachand Group, assembled Fiat's Fiat 1100 cars from the 1950s until 1997...
- derived from Fiat 1100Fiat 1100The Fiat 1100 is a compact automobile produced from 1937 to 1969, by the Italian car maker Fiat.- Fiat 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 :The Fiat 1100 was first introduced in 1937 as an updated version of the 508 "Balilla" with a look similar to the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino" and the larger 1500, with the... - Premier 118NE - derived from Fiat 124Fiat 124The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1966 and 1974. It was the replacement of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500...
Current models
- Premier RiO http://www.premierrio.com (India's first Compact Diesel SUV)
- Premier Roadstar Roadstar (a compact diesel pickup)
- Premier Roadstar Tipper http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/roadstar-tipper.html (open and closed body tipper)
- Premier Sigma http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/sigma-tourist.html (a compact dieselDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
MPVMinivanMinivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
) - Premier Sigma Lifeline http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/sigma-lifeline.html (an ambulance based on Sigma Platform)
- Premier Sigma Express http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/sigma-express.html (a cargo carrier based on Sigma Platform)
- Premier Sigma School Van http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/sigma-school-van.html (a Diesel or CNG school van based on Sigma Platform)
- Premier Sigma Tourist Van http://www.premier.co.in/wb/vehicles/sigma-tourist.html (a Diesel or CNG tourist van based on Sigma Platform)