Premier (car)
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Premier Automobiles was an Indian automaker which flourished in the so called 'sudhakar' period from the 1950s till the early 1990s when India was closed to the world and imports. The company was formed in 1944, and built Chrysler Corporation vehicles (a Plymouth car and a Dodge truck, sold under the Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto, and Fargo names) starting around 1949. They later made a licensed version of the Fiat 1100 which later continued almost unchanged into the late 1990s as the Premier Padmini with a 40hp 1100cc engine.
Later models included the Premier 118NE so called because it employed a 1180cc Nissan engine and transmission (from the Nissan Cherry) while the car itself was a version of the 1960s Fiat 124 this was considered a luxury car in India till the influx of modern cars in the 1990s.
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. The French had had enough and pulled out of the venture around 2001 with only a few thousand cars sold.
The same problems, namely labour and service, 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 – problems which have dogged it in India till today.
In November 2004 Premier restarted operations by building a small diesel powered van called the Sigma mainly for the taxi market. It is based on an old 1980s Mitsubishi Varica design licenced from China Motor in Taiwan, with the Peugeot engine from the 309. Its success seems questionable however.
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