Previously this weblog
illustrated the 'mainstream' of mass mobility passenger car offerings
from primarily VW and FIAT the biggest auto-players of the 1970s,
1980s and 1990s/2000s. Others such as Ford and GM (the Americans)
remained in situ from the earliest days but operated within Brazil
tactically more than strategically. Whilst others such as the French
(Renault, PSA) and Japanese-S.Koreans (Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai)
entered only after the early 1990s and demonstration that production
and sales was viable upon the remaining market share below
Italian-German domination.
However, equally
fascinating, and more so from the cultural-entrepreneurial
standpoint, is the realm of the 'niche': those companies established
by aspirational (if relatively small-fry) Brazilian industrialists.
4. Indigenous
Development – Independent (Niche)
These enterprises were obviously born from the confluence of personal and national economic ambition.
With the known planned
contraction and eventual exit of state ownership with 'FNM' (licensed
trucks and cars)[see earlier] by the early 1970s, and so no direct
Brazilian interests and so leverage within large scale vehicle
making, an informal political will promoted a lassez-faire
'open-market' environment.
This aimed at those
well engrained business families, entities and individuals who could
be drawn into the auto-sector on a small production, high-value
basis; with critically the promise of “expected sales”,
short-hand for mutuality beneficial arrangements.
Behind this new
openness to enterprise was the need to promoted and nurture domestic
commercialism which itself sat upon the need for “alternative”
(ie non-mainstream) engineering and production capabilities across
various niche product types; expanding the learning and application
from the first Brazilian sportscar – the Interlagos of 1962.
The outcome was a slow
trickle of entrepreneurs imed initially at wealthy private buyers
seeking fashionable sportscars, thereafter directed toward
B2Butilitarian and specialist business demands, and by the early1980s
value-concious utilitarian private users.
Having realised the
mass-mobility aspect of the previous, culturally engrained “Estado
Novo” economic plan, it was time to drive expansion into realms
which, though not as grandiose, created vital internal learning about
alternative and new materials, engine technologies and construction
methods that could possibly provide a leap of learning. One which if
deemed necessary could be easily replicated nationwide if
internalised self-reliance was ever though necessary again. To this
end Brazil, back in the late 1960s, recognised the potential economic
power of what is now called 'Micro-Factory Retailing'.
However, to better
serve itself within the global free-trade ideology, Brazil rightfully
retained and grew industrial relations with the world's major auto
comapanies.
Nonetheless, within
'niche' Brazil's efforts, from the mid 1960s onwards spanned 4
primary vehicle segments:
- Sporting
- Luxury
- City
- Utility
Sporting -
Willys Interlagos:
Effectively an
organically evolved licensed manufacturing and badge-engineering deal
between France's Alpine and America's Willys-Overland. The Interlagos
is seen as Brazil's first proper sportcar.
It was named after the
race-track in Interlagos, Sao Paulo, and was launched after much of
Latin America itself had been entranced by long distance rally
motor-sport high, absorbed by the travels and travails of famous
participants (such as Juan Manuel Fangio) on the Pan-Americana and
Mar y Sierra races.
Based upon the 1962
Alpine A108/110 sportcar of France (itself using Renault components
before its 1973 take-over) the business plan was to compete against
the upcoming Brazilian produced VW Karmann Ghia; with the advantages
of similar looks and greater performance. Thus would have to come in
coupe and convertible models, whilst a fastback 'berlinette' would
also be made serving as the pinnacle of the range.
Willys-Overland Brazil
had been licensed manufacturers of the earlier Renault Dauphine which
itself was much of the technical basis for the Alpine, so at the end
of that contract and without agreement regards the Dauphine's
replacement (the R8) it was an obvious decision to utilise the
knowledge gained to date to compete against VW with a low-cost 'BOM'
(Bill of Materials).
The imported Alpine
backbone frame was mated to a locally produced fibreglass shell using
replicated moulds and tooling. Unlike the mass manufactured VW
counterpart which had the finanical strength directly related Fusca
income to balance-out the costs of the transplant project, the
Willys-Overland structured its business template differently. Whilst
it did indeed produce Jeep products locally (CJ and Station Wagon) it
chose not to financially enmesh 4x4s and Sportscars.
Instead self-financing
economics meant that a lean-manufacturing approach was put in place
to reduce costs as much as possible. Thus the Interlagos Belinette
was initially produced on an order by order basis so containing
purchase expenditure and the 'dead' cost of stored inventory on
parts, yet pragmatically did use flexible labour from the main Jeep
production line to likewise contain labour costs.
It was a very necessary
(typical niche-car) commercial basis which whilst innately spasmodic
in both orders, deposits, production flow and receipts did allow for
activities to slowly expand.
Thanks to much
publicity, its mix of race-track provenance and on the road status
the car became a Brazilian celebrity in its own right; its
high-revving small engine, all round independent suspension and
all-road disc brakes all advanced for the period and very much in the
Brazilian modernist spirit of the era.
In total 822 Interlagos
were built in the four years between 1962 and 1966 (whilst in stark
contrast of approach and longevity VW built over 41,000 units of the
Karmann Ghia).
Puma GT:
Like its predecessor,
this vehicle was a milestone for Brazil, demonstrating its growing
capabilities, if not its absolute independence.
Moving on from simple
badge-engineering, it was a cosmetic adaption of the small yet
convincing German DKW Malzoni – of the Auto-Union group - itself a
sportscar born from original 'People's Car' roots.
As deemed necessary a
formulaic new offering was provided so as to balance market
acceptance and technical and cost feasibility, so the aesthetic
changes made drawn from similar bigger European sportscars of the era
(Ferrari, Lotus, TVR, Ginetta etc). However, underneath the Mk1 was
effectively all German, with a small 3 cylinder in-line Auto-Union
derived engine driving the rear wheels (actually an improvement over
the 2-pot version).
As part of the national
export drive in the early 1970s the Mk2 bodystyle was created with
fundamental mechanical changes. The DKW engine became defunct as
Micro-Cars fell-out of popularity in Europe, and in came the obvious
choice of the VW boxer engine. To further same costs it remained
mated to the VW gearbox and half-shafts, and thus retained its
standard rear mounted position. Thus the Puma GT in Mk2 guise became
rear engined. The curvaceous 1960s front remained with small
alteration, but married to to a new angular 1970s Kamm-tail rear,
akin to Alfa-Romeo Spider, but primarily used to provide good engine
air-cooling.
It was exported in
assembly (ie part finished) form to the USA and Canada. This done to
overcome North American import regulation regards imported vehicle
emissions. However, whilst the task of completing the car by
installing the engine, gearbox and some ancilleries was not
physically onerous to any American/Canadian distributor, it vitally
did not meet with the general mindset of the generally wealthier
personal-car buyers who were conservative and so concerned about a
number of fundamental issues, such as possibly loosing the
down-payment required if any such company went prematurely bust,
exactly which company (US agent or Brazilian exporter) had ultimate
responsibility for mechanical faults, or simply the status anxiety of
driving what was deemed “something flash on the cheap”.
Thus whilst the Puma
was successful at home as the natural latter-day substitute to the
original VW Karman Ghia, the complications of export procedure,
higher North American domestic competition and high so product
expectations, meant that it could not fulfil a similar role abroad.
As such its stayed
uniquely Brazilian and underwent various cosmetic and technical
evolution over its long lifespan.
Muira MTS:
To try and gain as much
immediate cache as possible the makers of this car unabashedly
plagiarised its name from the landmark 1966 Lamborghini Miura. Like
Puma, the first series vehicle of 1977 was based upon a VW Type 1
rolling chassis.
It was designed in the
Euro-wedge sportscar style, itself modernist shorthand for the
“futuristic” and so notionally advanced, which mechanically was
hardly the case. However it was aesthetically successful with a rear
that appeared that of an updated VW SP2 and rear deck flying
buttresses (a la Maserati, Ferrari and Jaguar XJS) providing a strong
archetype cohesion to the long low nose with pop-up headlights. Even
the use of faux bumper crush side panels (a la Porsche 911 for US
Federal safety regulations) was well integrated and matched to the
C-pillar air-intake.
With the
discontinuation of the VW Fusca the base rolling chassis became
unavailable, thus the later series cars were re-engineered with use
of a tubular space-frame with installation of a water-cooled front
mounted engine. This fundamental change was accompanied with much
altered front and rear treatments of the later generation vehicles
through the 1980s to keep abreast of prestige European styles (ie
Porsche 944), American styles (Corvette C4) and to provide overtones
of the successful Japanese performance models (Toyota Supra).
Miura as a company ran
between 1977 and 1993, but with a business model based on the
disposable income whims of elite Brazilians, the volatile procurement
of 'as available' parts and rapidly changing style trends, there was
a constant need for financial and technical juggling.
Critically, it appears
that Miura's end came when the major car makers located in Brazil
sought themselves to take advantage of the initially slowly expanding
1990s economy, and thus themselves and their closely coupled
suppliers possibly decided to run-down and eventually stop supply of
vital components.
Nonetheless, under what
appeared relatively constrained circumstances over 16 years (though
arguably much protected by import ban policy) the Miura company's
ambitions and achievements meant much to the auto-culture of Brazil.
Luxury -
Santa Matilde:
As explained
previously, Brazil's initial notion 'luxury' car was the FNM 2000
'JK', ironically a state sponsored badge engineered product stemming
from a failed private enterprise initiative, via licensed production
agreement with FNM's then part owner Alfa Romeo of Italy.
By the mid 1970s the
FNM 2000 had ended its product life-cycle, whilst the luxury 2+2
personal car segment had become well established in the USA
(originating with the Ford Thunderbird through the 1960s) and had
more recently begun to become prevalent in Europe with the popularity
of GT cars and primarily the option of 2 door versions of 4 door
premium and luxury cars (from the BMW 2002ti and Turbo through to the
later Maserati Bi-Turbo and era newcomers such as Germany's Bitter).
Given this foreign
dynamic for the upmarket 2+2 and the domestic luxury segment
replacement seemingly required, a company named Companhia Industrial
Santa Matilda decided to try and create a similar Brazilian market
space.
Established in 1916 the
Rio de Janeiro enterprise had grown across various industrial sectors
to become a Brazilian conglomerate including production of railways
carriages, rail-freight cars, tractors, farm equipment and various
galvanised steel and fibreglass products. Thus the company had at
least the prime material resource and affiliated broad engineering
knowledge.
Launched in 1976 the
car wowed the crowds at the Sao Paulo Auto Show, illustrating that
Brazil could create of its own. Its design brief was to adopt of
design cues from a mixture of foreign premium cars so as to be taken
seriously, yet provide a simpler list of comfort and convenience
features so as to reduce build cost and so showroom price and
maximise profitability.
Indeed, the Companhia
Industrial Santa Matilda now doubt saw its introduction as very
timely given the bankruptcy of Maserati in 1975, thus leaving
possible market opportunity in Europe and North America; this not to
be realised though.
Known as the SM4.1 the
car was produced between 1977 and 1997 in coupe, removable hard-top
and convertible forms (a la Mercedes SL) using a GM-Brazil sourced
engine (from Opala) installed into its fibre-glass body. It underwent
5 successive generations and styling and technical changes. Its boxy
2-door shape was not obviously derivative from any other marque, but
was quite generically Amero-Japanese in styling (GM-Mitisubishi).
The apparent business
plan appeared that of seeking to be the very niche but distinctly
sought after , in essence the 'Brazilian Bristol' (as per the British
luxury marque and with similar proportions [if not overall size] to
the Bristol Bleinheim-Beaufighter coupe). And though produced in low
numbers this rarity and 20 year longevity gained an immediate and
long-lasting iconic reputation.
City-Luxury -
Dacon 828:
The Dacon company's
origins was as the best known Brazilian importer and distributor of
VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles. During the 1980s it sought to grow its
per unit margins by creating higher performance and cosmetically
enhanced specials, typically on the Passat / Pointer.
This was commercially
successful (these vehicles latterly sought after 'retro' classics)
which buoyed ambition to create Dacon's very own unique,
individualistic and high-margin car project. The outcome was the
Dacon 828, an attempt to create something city chic (and thus could
be said to be a spiritual and formulaic forerunner to the later Aston
Martin Cygnet).
With the Santa Matilda
firmly in place as the large Brazilian luxury car by the early 1980s,
Dacon believed it could create a new hybrid niche for “City-Luxury”.
As such it believed it
could essentially shrink and re-proportion a revered luxury
sportscar, with obviously (supposed) 'rationality' of the Porsche 928
given its franchise agreement with VW-Porsche at the time. Ansio
Campos of Puma design fame was brought in to add project provenance
and reputability. To position the car in the minds-eye of the
potential buyer it was named 828, which together with its cosmetic
treatment sought to create the impression of a smaller city sibling
to the 928.
[To 'post-rationalise'
the obvious nameplate marketing ploy, a rumour was created that the
car was conceptually born in '82 and was Dacon's 8th
development project; after a targa-top Passat, Porsche-tuned Brasilia
and water-cooled SP2].
Accordant to the
necessary niche technical solution the body structure consisted of
reinforced fibre-glass and to maintain a compact powertrain the still
ubiquitous air-cooled VW boxer engine, gearbox and half-shafts were
utilised; providing good power to weight but intrusive NVH and thus
hardly quiet luxuriousness. The general cosmetic theme of the Porsche
928 was achieved only from the mid-section rearwards and by deploying
cost-conscious 'off the shelf' components to mimic 928 detailing,
such as the use of a Bay-window Type 2's rear lamp cluster set
horizontal and recessed in the rear panels. The front of the car
however had no similarity to a 928 and thus lacked much of its raison
d'etre. The wheels were originally 10 inch steels and Gordini-like
alloys, thereafter replaced by a high cost dedicated effort of
down-sized 928/944 wheels.
Despite much
substantial early advertising the car was effectively only produced
on a build-to-order basis, and was not successful, with reportedly
only 40-something units manufactured between 1983 and 1992.
Nonethless, the basic
miniture body-shell appears to have been modified time and time again
by various parties with different supposed business visions, from the
creation of a 'midi'-sized 928 with lengthened front and rear and
appearing much like the Porsche, to renewed interest in the
Luxury-City idea. The concern obviously as to whether these are real
business enterprises (with their own pros and cons), or simply
falsely generated projects to alleviate state or private investors of
their finances with 'unforeseen early cash burn'.
[NB It should be noted
that both cars 828 and Cygnet were commercial flops because of naïve
over-simplification of the mini 'City-Lux' formulae. Indeed Aston
Martin should have been much more intelligent regards its Cygnet
effort and should have been aware of the Dacon case study].
City -
To help cure
congestion, assist low-cost mobility amongst the lower tiers of
society, and promote a sensible 2nd car mentality, the
Brazilian government long sought to promote the City-Car idiom.
Indeed it hoped to replicate the market success of the original
Fusca/Beetle, but with a smaller urban friendly footprint, seen as a
friend to society at large.
This has set the tone
for various attempts over time starting from the mid 1970s onwards,
the firm of Gurgel being a prime actor in this realm.
Gurgel Itaipu E150:
Shown at the 1974 Sao
Paulo Auto Show this was an all-electric city micro-car very similar
to the conceptual efforts of many big and small US and European
producers in the 1960s and early 1970s.
[NB Gurgel had started
auto-production in 1969 with a fibreglass dune buggy type vehicle for
military and leisure use, then expanded into similarly constructed
heavier utility vehicles. With strong connections to Federal and
State agencies it became the de facto indigenous niche specialist
vehicle provider].
To meet the policy
dream of low impact mobility the Itaipu was born and named after the
hydro-electric power plant. Naturally, construction was largely
fibreglass and thus lightweight, very necessary so as to off-set the
10 very heavy lead-acid 12V batteries which provided propulsion
power; and to maximise the vehicle's travel range. (Three quarters of
the overall vehicle mass was that of the batteries).
It was a trapezoidal
monobox in silhouette to maximise interior space and so
functionality, with flat pained acrylic and glass windows to reduce
cost (a pragmatic solution later seen on the FIAT Panda Mk1's flat
glass windows).
However, whilst
seemingly advanced, the fact is that ultimately it had many social
and technical shortcomings, ranging across: overt utilitarian look
and feel unpopular with potential private buyers, overt rattle and
squeaks from the structure and its fittings (this highlighted by
silent powertrain), an odd clashing mix of dashboard instrumentation,
the inability to travel longer distances, the time for electric
recharge and the lack of electrical recharging infrastructure.
Ultimately the electric
Itaipu's negatives outweighed its positives, but perhaps more than
any other country with experimental EV's in the period, it helped
alter the automotive landscape by prompting an e-version of an urban
runabout van, ironically the acceptance expanded use of sugar-beat
and sugar-cane sourced fuels (seen as alternative but far better than
all electric), and helped set Brazil on its ecologically aware path
leading eventually the Rio Summit Conferance.
Gurgel XEF:
Having been producing
basic utilitarian vehicles for the military and general fleet
purposes, and having dabbled with the EV, in its twelfth year Gurgel
produced its first passenger car.
Recognising that the
major mainstream players effectively owned the convention segments,
it sought to create its own niche with a conventional looking, but
unconventionally packaged small car.
The XEF was launched in
1981 using 3 members of the Brazilian football team in its
advertising, so as to promote and acclimatise the public to its novel
single row 'two and a half' seater arrangement. (This also seen in
France's Matra Bagheera sportscar). Cosmetically the car appeared to
be a cross-breed between a FIAT 147 and contenporary Mercedes 200,
using the former's general slab sided, package efficient shape and
the latter's secondary detailing regards rear lamp cluster and alloy
wheels.
Gurgel BR-800:
The constrained
national economy through the late 1970s and 1980s due to renewed
protectionism generated both high inflation and a captive market for
Brazilian manufacturers. Hence the price of much from basic consumer
staples to cars steadily rose, and even basic vehicles such as the VW
Gol became unaffordable to many.
Founder Joao Gurgel
sought to recreate the affordable 'people's car' and thus utilise the
firm's knowledge of GRP, self-proclaimed invented 'Plasteel' and the
small boxer engine format to do so.
The result was the
BR-800, a small yet seemingly voluminous urban vehicle that seated 4
upon a short wheelbase. Many expected Gurgel to continue to
re-utilise the epnymous rear mounted Fusca engine – as all had done
before – but he instead chose to create a new 2 cylinder “boxer”
(akin to the 2CV's or BMW motorcycle's) which mixed VW engine parts
with newly designed Gurgel components. It was water cooled, which
whilst against the grain in terms of cost and weight, aided greatly in
stationary traffic on hot days whence the old VW boxer could
overhead.
Interestingly the
BR-800 was built within the Gurgal factory in Santa Claro using not
the standard roll-down production line but via the 'karosel' method. A circular, hub and spoke contraption (akin to fairground carousel ride laid horizontal) the end of each spoke/arm with a fixed or
rotational platform upon which the car was built-up. So occupying as
small a space as possible and assisting the 'time and motion' efficiency of the overall
build process
[NB This production
template later used in advanced form by the European low-series
specialist production houses, such as Karmann and Hueliez ].
The car was obviously
heralded by government and national press. But a self-created barrier complicated the sales process and effectively doubled the ultimate contract price. (See summary below). And so with the BR-800 Gurgel gained a somewhat
tainted reputation, that ultimately led to the company's decline.
[NB an irony is that
Gurgel established his company from his profits as a VW distributor,
whilst in his own 'people's car' he technically negated the use of a
mechanical distributor].
Utility -
Whilst the Gurgel
Company started out as a distributor for Volkswagen's Type 1
(Fusca/Beetle) and Type 2 (Microbus), the success and profits enjoyed
allowed it to move into, indeed create, a niche specialism in the
utilitarian segment.
Gurgel Ipanema:
After creating a
scaled-down child's buggy to effectively show proof of concept
regards reinforced fibre-glass materials, the first true vehicle
built by Gurgel was similarly a Buggy named Ipanema. Given the strong
VW connection it was based upon VW Fusca/Beetle mechanicals.
[NB the Fusca base
would prove the underpinnings of many of the company's offerings].
This was designed with
dual markets in mind, a necessary primary one and a secondary
aspirational one. Firstly to both serve the military as a
cross-country reconnaissance and light task vehicle given Brazil's
expansive borders and the need for basic military mules. Secondly to
possibly export the vehicle to the USA where the dune buggy craze had
begun, themselves fundamentally based upon the Fusca/Beetle rolling
chassis. The beach theme led to the obvious name of Ipanema. To aid
that ambition Gurgel's buggy would be given the face treatment of the
'grosser' Karman Ghia featuring distinct eyebrows over the front
lamps, thus it was hoped the buggy would be viewed by American's as
the natural sibling to the popular Karmann Ghia. However that export
ambition was unrealised and the vehicle stayed within the ranks of
the military and other typically commercial off-road users inside
Brazil.
Gurgel Xavante (X-10 /
X-12):
Whilst Ipanema was
useful to the military, its bodyshell had its limitations in terms of
innate structural strength and on-board functionality.
Thus an evolutionary
product was launched in 1973 called the Xavante which with taller
vertical sides and more horizontal top surfaces was far more akin to
the likes of the VW Type 82 Kubelwagen and its latterday 1970s
counterpart the VW 'Thing'.
Most important here is
that the need for improved structural strength in compression and
expansion led to the innovation that was “Plasteel”. Little is
known about this but it is assumed that (as with the strengthening of
concrete in civil engineering) that the fibreglass effectively
sandwiched an inset steel mesh.
This proved useful in
terms of stress endurance, local impact and against the general
effects of UV (ultra violet light) weakening and chemical corrosion.
Although rear engined
and so providing weight to the driving wheels, as a 2WD vehicle the
Xavante had its limitations. To improve basic traction in low
friction conditions the vehicle had 2 separate handbrakes for each of
the rear wheels. When traction was lost on one wheel the brake could
be applied to send drive through the open differential to the
opposite wheel, thus acting as a form of very basic LSD (limited slip
differential).
Gurgel X-15 / G-15:
In 1979 an FC (forward
control) vehicle was offered, as either a 7 seater van or 2 seater
truck, with other derivatives with varying passenger capacity and
payloads. Initially used by the military and commercial fleet
customers, the proven durability of the vehicle and its affordability
soon attracted small business and even private buyers.
This model together
with the Xavante was exported across Latin America and boosted
Brazil's regional trade and diplomatic relations.
Gurgel Itaipu E-400:
The following year in
1980 saw further electric vehicle experimentation in a new
aesthetically pleasing van, which itself drew from the cues of the
likes of Mazda and Toyota vans of the period.
It was deployed to
maintain the Brazilian policy of utilising alternative fuels (so as
not to consumer its own oil reserves or become reliant upon unsecured
foreign sources). Again as with the Itaipu car, its real intention
appeared to be the policy drive for lighter cargo vehicles to switch
to locally grown alcohol based fuel ('alcool').
Gurgel Carajas:
The success of Japanese
4x4s from the mid 1970s onwards across global regions led Gurgel to
create its own SUV, itself able to be pared-down given the renewed
import protection policies of the period from more capable foreign
manufacturers.
Without a proprietary
4WD system and with the prohibitive cost of engineering one and
potential on-cost in sales price constraining sales, the vehicle was
made available as a 2WD only.
It was recognised that
this had not been a problem for the smaller Matra Rancho in the
European leisure segment – Gurgel apparently viewing Matra as its
prime influence – but realistically for a proper SUV the 2WD layout
was limiting.
[NB the Rancho actually
enjoyed better traction since it was front-engined and FWD, whilst
the Carajas was front engined RWD. The use of a 'torque-tube' however
helped transmit the rearwards power more efficiently, and itself
suggested that Gurgel was looking to create a commercial arrangement
with TATRA of the then Czechoslovakia, itself the torque-tube and AWD
specialists, to probably create a Brazilian JV].
Nonetheless, even with
only 2WD, and as effectively the only domestic option, the military
and fleet bought the vehicle given the political bias in the 'closed
door era' to Brazilian engineered and produced vehicles. It also sold
to private buyers who wanted the status of an SUV but not full
off-road capabilities. As with the cost-conscious programme roll-out
of the original Land Rover Discovery (later in 1989), first as a
3-door vehicle with 5 door added later.
Aesthetically it was a
mix of Toyota Land-Cruiser face, Land Rover Series 1 and 2-like
hood-mounted spare wheel, enlarged Rancho-like sides and proportions,
and used initially VW 'bay' rear lamp sets, replaced by Jeep Wrangler
like clusters in later generations.
As a protected species,
between 1985 and 1990 it sold very successfully providing handsome
profits for Gurgel, before the 1990 introduction of the firstly
imported, then home assembled, Russian LADA Niva 4x4; so ending
Carajas production on at the end of 1990.
Troller T4:
Established in 1996 the
first vehicle produced was the T4, a near copy of a contemporary Jeep
Wrangler (the evolution of the iconic CJ). It was primarily designed
for military use to replace the authentic but expensive (given the
weakness of the Real) Jeep products then in use.
The growing strength of
the Brazilian economy also meant that potential for private sales in
the 4x4 leisure sectors could be achieved, and proven to be the case.
That success prompted ongoing evolutionary redesigns to better befit
its sub-brand aspiration as a true segment contender both at home and
critically abroad.
To promote the Troller
name in other Emerging nations the vehicle has competed in the
tortuous Daker Rallye so as to become recognised as a proven product
in Africa, with the building of a transplant factory in Angola in
2005.
Given the domestic
success and foreign market potential the company was acquired by Ford
do Brasil in 2007
[NB the Pantatal
mid-sized pick-up truck was launched in 2006, but proved structurally
defective and so was recalled by Ford for optional buy-back via
refund; this no doubt also bouying the goodwill of Ford do Brasil and
creating a migration effect into its own (BT-50) Ranger pick-up,
itself made in Colombia].
[Of note is the fact
that during the mid 2000s Ford had simultaneously been promoted the
idea of an African self-designed and self-built utility vehicle using
a mix of tubular space frame, steel sheet and MDF external panels
(effectively a better robust and capable evolution of the early 1980s
'Africar'). This experimental vehicle undoubted paved the way for
Ford-Troller Angola].
Summary -
Since the earliest days
of the motorcar Brazil's leaders nurtured the aspiration of creating
Brazil's own vehicles. It would take twenty-five years to create the
first step with domestic final assembly of American trucks and cars,
and fifty years to see the home-manufacture of fully built-up
European vehicles.
The growth of the
national auto-sector and thus impetus to national economic expansion
was thanks to the ISI (import substitution) policy drives of
Presidents Vargas and Kubitschek, which balanced the overall effects
of incoming FDI. The economic circularity effect was enormous and
allowed a new raft of Brazilain merchants (as intermediary
distributors and agents) such as Joao Gurgel and Paulo Aguiar (of
Dacon) to become household names.
Those merchants then in
turn sought to style themselves as new industrialists, their
commercial buoyancy dependent upon their acumen of what were
inevitably 'hit or miss' opportunities. Typically the certainty of
defence related government contracts (as with Gurgel) versus over ambitious, ill-considered, over-simplified and thus misdirected projects misreading the overtly conservative
private consumer (as with the Dacon 828).
Critically, the
Gurgel case study provides much to be absorbed, perhaps most
importantly just how an entrepreneurial vision (such as the BR-800) can be undermined by mixing business financing and retailing basis. These two worlds ordinarily far apart, and when combined of great concern to prospective customers and external others.
As previous importer of
the VW Fusca/Beetle (the legendary 'people's car') the founder Joao
Gurgel had the ambition of recreating that vision in
the Brazilian mould. He believed that a notional national interest and popularity for mainstream expansion of his all-Brazilian owned company could
be relied upon to recapitalise the firm. (This belief of supportive people-power possibly stemming from the financing origins of the original KDF-Wagen).
Thus when the BR-800
was launched it was priced well under all other locally made but foreign
owned products at US$5000. However, purchase of the car also required buying into the
business at a further cost of US$5,000 for 750 shares. Thus the car
would actually cost US$10,000 for what was technically an inferior
product and the owner would gain a small stake-hold in the firm and
the Brazil-Car vision.
But Brazilian's either
recognised the risk (in both the business model and the possibly of
Gurgel's sharp exit) or quite simply could not afford the overall amount. And
critically believed that if it was such a good investment that
Brazil's own clique of Financiers and Industrialists would have kept
it to themselves, used normal bank debt, privately held shares or a
sensible mix. Moreover those with insight wondered where the sizeable profits from the Carajas project had gone given the low level of BR-800 research and development. It was all rather peculiar!.
That said, from 1966
through to the early 1990s much learning was indeed gained.
Pragmatic
innovation created from necessity engineering in both products and
manufacturing process: from 'Plasteel' to the 'Karousel'. And
vitally, commercial appreciation of home and foreign markets, risk
adversity and the need for robust business thinking as opposed to
overt untethered optimism became much more engrained.
Unfortunately however
Brazilian capabilities would continue to lag behind the accrued
learning of foreign firms who were typically decades ahead in terms
of technical advancement, commercial insight and access to cheaper
wholesale funding.
Nonetheless, Brazil's
entrepreneurs continued to drive onward over such obstacles,
best seen with the original (though very derivative) Troller T4. Thus
demonstrating that they had learned from the product and commercial
mistakes of their predecessors and recognised that for a Brazilian
enterprise to succeed it must 'plug-into' not only the national need
but the broader global auto-sector picture.
Indeed that broader
big-picture is what massively enabled the learning of the Brazilian
workforce, from senior managers to apprentices, when VW and FIAT long
ago, and later joined by Renault et al, sought to make Brazil the
focal point of global architecture engineering and manufacturing
processes.
Thus we see that a
confluence has arisen between the global ambitions of the big foreign
players (that feeds directly into Brazilian development) and the
commercial and technical learning of local entrepreneurs.
Themselves not just
reactive to prospective government tenders nor supposed home-market
consumer niches, nor indeed beguiled the yesteryear sole ambition of
USA export, but now recognised the need to identify EM opportunities
on a worldwide basis and the ability to indeed lead, partner or
indeed merge with major global automotive firms to realise those
ambitions.
