Sisu Auto

Oy Sisu Auto Ab

Type	osakeyhtiö
Industry	automotive
Predecessor(s)	Autoteollisuus–Bilindustri and Osakeyhtiö Autokoritehdas
Founded	Helsinki, Finland (April 1, 1931 (1931-04-01))
Founder(s)	Karl Arthur Nordgrén Emil Anton Winckelmann Lars Wilhelm Åberg
Headquarters	Raseborg, Finland
Key people	Tor Nessling Erik Gillberg Timo Korhonen
Products	on- and off-road trucks; military trucks
Services	heavy vehicle application engineering
Revenue	€ 21 208 000 (2012) € 18 851 000 (2011)[1]
Net income	€ 590 000 (2012) € 418 000 (2011)[1]
Owner(s)	Timo Korhonen
Employees	52 (2012) 14 (2011)[1]
Subsidiaries	Sisu Auto Trucks Oy Sisu Defence Oy Sisu Engineering Oy
Website	sisuauto.com/node/140

Sisu Auto is a Finnish truck company. Its name comes from the Finnish word sisu meaning guts, grit and determination.

Sisu Auto has a subsidiary company, "Sisu Defence", producing high mobility tactical vehicles for military use.

Production

2013 Sisu Polar Works road maintenance truck.

Sisu E13TP 8×8 military truck of the Lithuanian Armed Forces

Civil trucks

The currently available Sisu Polar variants are with 3, 4 or 5 axles in various layouts. The applications are:

• Sisu Crane - crane trucks
• Sisu Rock - dump trucks
• Sisu Roll - hook loader
• Sisu Timber - timber trucks
• Sisu Works - road maintenance trucks
• Sisu Carrier – heavy machinery carrier

Military trucks

• Sisu 4×4
• Sisu 6×6
• Sisu 8×8
• Sisu 10×10

History

Sisu was established in 1931. The first nine Sisu vehicles, a prototype series consisting of a bus and eight trucks, rolled off the production line in 1932. In order to secure truck manufacturing during the Continuation War, a new truck factory was built in 1943 near Hämeenlinna, some 100 kilometres north of the capital. Sisu trucks were manufactured there from 1945 to 1948. The factory was taken over by the state owned company, Vanajan Autotehdas Oy, which manufactured trucks and buses under the brand name Vanaja until 1968, when Sisu took over activities at Hämeenlinna again.

In the late 1950s Sisu's engine choice was Leyland`s diesel. Its range increased to 20 tonnes, with electro-hydraulic lifting devices on the trailing axle to transfer weight on to the drive axle. This system also became a universal feature of Nordic six-wheelers and was widely adopted in many other countries. In the mid 1960s, tilt-cab forward-control trucks appeared and in 1966 normal-control models were restyled using fibreglass hoods. The K normal-control models covered 16-tonne 4×2 and 4×4 up to 24-tonne 6×2 and 6×4, while there were two KB cabover models - a 4×2 tractor and a 6×2, both for gcws of 38- to 45-tonnes. A lighter-bonneted range, the U models, covered the 15- to 22-tonnes gross bracket.

• By the early 1970s a complete range of 14 heavy trucks, in normal and forward control, was available, plus "half-cab" terminal tractors for yard shunting.
• The largest truck built by Sisu was a 180-tonne hooded 6×6.
• During the 1970s Leyland and Rolls Royce were main engine choices.
• The M-series appeared in 1971 with a new design of forward-control tilt cab.
• The new M-series design was later used on Dennison trucks in Ireland.
• In 1974 ownership of Sisu had returned to Finnish state ownership and Leyland and Rolls Royce engines were phased out in favour of Cummins engines.
• In 1976 Leyland Motors and Saab-Scania both had a 10 percent stake in Sisu with tri-partite agreement.
• In the mid 1980s the new bonneted SR series and the forward-control SM series appeared.

• During the 1990s Sisu offered a wide range of multi-axle trucks, including 8×2, 8×4 and 10×4 with gtws up to 60 tonnes and Cummins became the main choice of engine for new Mil and the E14.
• In 1997 Sisu signed a partnership agreement with the French company Renault V.I. The agreement included the purchase of components, including cabs, engines and axles, as well as the import and sale of Renault commercial vehicles in Finland.
• 1998 Sisu Defence presented Sisu 6×6 high mobility tactical vehicle (HMTV).

• In December 2005 Sisu Defence signed a contract to supply mine-protected Sisu 8×8 trucks to the Lithuanian Defence Forces until 2009. The deal is worth over 20 million euros with an option for additional deliveries over 10 million euros^[2] and it's the largest single export delivery in Sisu Auto history.^[3]
• In 2006 a 10×10 high mobility tactical vehicle was presented and is now the top of the range model.

• Sisu Auto specializes in factory-ready trucks. In 2006 Sisu introduced the new model family specializing in the Crane, Rock, Roll, Timber and Works applications. In 2008 the new machine-transport truck Sisu Carrier was presented.

• 2007 Sisu re-launches Russian operations delivering 95 factory ready Sisu Timber combinations.

• In 2008 Sisu Auto won an international tender for timber trucks to Ust Ilimsk, Russia. The biggest international forestry organization in Russia OJSC Ilim Group and Sisu signed a contract for delivering 91 Sisu E13 6×4 timber trucks and trailers to the Ust Ilimsk factory, located in Irkutsk region. The trucks will be operating in wood supply operation for the Pulp mill of Ilim Group. This will be the biggest individual contract for delivering western timber trucks to Russia. More information: http://www.sisu-trucks.com/portal/en/news/

• In 2010, Sisu launched the Sisu Polar range, based on the Mercedes-Benz Actros.^[4]

• In 2013, Sisu launched Sisu Polar with Euro 6 engines, the cab is based on the new Mercedes-Benz Arocs

Factory racing

Sisu Racing operated from 1989 to 1995. Factory team won three European championships between 1991-1993. The team manager was Timo Korhonen.

Models

The currently produced models are bolded.

Lorries

Buses and bus chassis

Mobile cranes

Terminal tractors

Military vehicles, others than lorries

Others

Gallery

• 

  Sisu fire engine in Helsinki

• 

  Sisu XA-186

• 

  Sisu SA-150 "Masi" military vehicle

• 

  Sisu Nasu tracked military vehicle

• 

  Sisu XA-180 series military vehicle

See also

• Patria Pasi
• Patria
• Advanced XA-series successor

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sisu vehicles.

• Sisu Trucks (English) (Finnish)
• Sisu Defence

v t e Automotive industry in Finland Automotive industry Economy of Finland Transportation in Finland National Brands Elcat Electric Vehicles Finlandia Kalmar Induatries Sisu Auto Solifer Tunturi Valmet Valmet Automotive Vanajan Autotehdas Uusi Autokeriteollisuus Components Cargotec Related topics Highways in Finland Helsinki Motor Show Euro NCAP 'Note: defunct companies above are shown in italics