| Revision as of 15:19, 18 May 2013 editCharles01 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers103,734 edits Muddle more widespread as more people heard the NSU name← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:34, 18 May 2013 edit undoCharles01 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers103,734 edits NSU complaint against FiatNext edit → | ||
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| The Heilbronn plant had been built in 1926 by NSU, then a motor bike manufacturer, in order to break into the passenger car market, but the project had failed and by 1929 NSU had no ambitions to produce passenger cars, and therefore no reason to object when Fiat, having bought the plant, used it to manufacture cars badged as NSU-Fiats. In 1929 friendly collaboration between NSU and the nearby Fiat subsidiary was agreed, with NSU supplying parts for the Heilbronn built cars. A year later, however, relations had become frosty as Fiat preferred to supply parts to its Heilbronn factory from its own ] plant beyond the Alps, and also used the Heilbronn as a bridgehead to facilitate the importation to Germany of fully assembled new cars from Italy.<ref name=Spiegel361956/> | The Heilbronn plant had been built in 1926 by NSU, then a motor bike manufacturer, in order to break into the passenger car market, but the project had failed and by 1929 NSU had no ambitions to produce passenger cars, and therefore no reason to object when Fiat, having bought the plant, used it to manufacture cars badged as NSU-Fiats. In 1929 friendly collaboration between NSU and the nearby Fiat subsidiary was agreed, with NSU supplying parts for the Heilbronn built cars. A year later, however, relations had become frosty as Fiat preferred to supply parts to its Heilbronn factory from its own ] plant beyond the Alps, and also used the Heilbronn as a bridgehead to facilitate the importation to Germany of fully assembled new cars from Italy.<ref name=Spiegel361956/> | ||
| Success in motor-bike racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s greatly enhanced the appeal and therefore the value, especially in Germany, of the "NSU" name. With the "NSU" name more frequently in the public eye, confusion between "NSU-Fiat" and "NSU Werke" became more frequent, among the general public which also affected business professionals with whom the businesses had dealings.<ref name=Spiegel361956/> | Success in motor-bike racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s greatly enhanced the appeal and therefore the value, especially in Germany, of the "NSU" name. With the "NSU" name more frequently in the public eye, confusion between "NSU-Fiat" and "NSU Werke" became more frequent, among the general public which also affected business professionals with whom the businesses had dealings. The 1950s found NSU Werke's General Director complaining that customers were being deceived ("''grobe Kundentäuschung''") because Fiat were trying to exploit the glory of the racing successes and speed records of the NSU motorbikes.<ref name=Spiegel361956/> | ||
| In 1956 it was reported that |
In 1956 it was reported that the motorbike manufacturer NSU Werke were planning to produce a passenger car in the "approximately 400cc" class and proposed to badge the little car simply as an "NSU", which seemed likely to create even more confusion in the market place affecting Fiat's smaller "NSU-Fiat"s based on the ], already produced in Turin since 1955 and scheduled for imminent launch as a Heilbronn produced model (with the still smaller ] already in the development pipeline.<ref name=Spiegel361956/> | ||
| Acrimony mounted, involving robust exchanges of lawyers' letters and legal hearings ensued,<ref name=Spiegel361956/> following which the Fiat licensee was persuaded, in 1957, to rebrand its Heilbronn assembled cars; therefore NSU-Fiat bedged cars became '''Neckar''' badged cars. Neckar was producing less than 25,000 vehicles a year, ] (Neckar Weinsberg), ] (Neckar Jagst) and ] (Neckar Europa) slightly modified, often more luxurious and sporty than the Fiats produced in ]. | |||
| The launch of the ] in 1961 and of the Neckar Panorama (derived from the ]) allowed Neckar to reach a yearly production of 50,000 units in 1962. A coupe derived from the 1500 and called the Neckar Mistral was designed. A coupe and a convertible based on the Fiat 600 was produced as the Neckar Riviera. The ] (as the Neckar Adria) was the last model produced by Neckar. | The launch of the ] in 1961 and of the Neckar Panorama (derived from the ]) allowed Neckar to reach a yearly production of 50,000 units in 1962. A coupe derived from the 1500 and called the Neckar Mistral was designed. A coupe and a convertible based on the Fiat 600 was produced as the Neckar Riviera. The ] (as the Neckar Adria) was the last model produced by Neckar. | ||
Revision as of 15:34, 18 May 2013
For other uses, see Neckar (disambiguation). | This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Neckar" car – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Center | |
| Industry | automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| Defunct | 1971 |
| Fate | unknown |
| Successor | unknown |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Key people | Hans-Theodor Schütmann, founder |
| Products | Neckar Weinsberg, Neckar Jagst, Neckar Europa, Neckar Panorama, Neckar Adria, Neckar Mistral, Neckar Riviera |
| Parent | NSU |
Neckar was a German automobile manufacturer which produced Fiat and Autobianchi vehicles under license in Heilbronn from 1957 to 1971.
History
NSU Motorenwerke (subsequently NSU Werke) AG had sold its then recently completed Heilbronn car factory (near the river Neckar) in 1929 to Fiat for one Million Marks, following financial problems resulting from the economic crisis. The deal resulted from an initiative by NSU's bankers, Dresdner Bank.
The 1929 deal left two businesses with similar names located barely 7 kilometers (4 miles) apart that were frequently confused with each other. "NSU Automobil-AG" was a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat, manufacturing Fiat passenger cars carrying a "NSU-Fiat" badge and located in Heilbronn, while NSU Werke AG in nearby Neckarsulm produced motor-bikes, becoming during the 1950s one of the largest motor-bike manufacturers in the world.
Fiat started to produce Fiat Topolinos and Balillas models under license in this factory under the brand "NSU-Fiat". (The same Fiat designed models were also produced under license in Nanterre, France by SIMCA-Fiat the cars subsequently being known simply as "Simca"s.)
The Heilbronn plant had been built in 1926 by NSU, then a motor bike manufacturer, in order to break into the passenger car market, but the project had failed and by 1929 NSU had no ambitions to produce passenger cars, and therefore no reason to object when Fiat, having bought the plant, used it to manufacture cars badged as NSU-Fiats. In 1929 friendly collaboration between NSU and the nearby Fiat subsidiary was agreed, with NSU supplying parts for the Heilbronn built cars. A year later, however, relations had become frosty as Fiat preferred to supply parts to its Heilbronn factory from its own Turin plant beyond the Alps, and also used the Heilbronn as a bridgehead to facilitate the importation to Germany of fully assembled new cars from Italy.
Success in motor-bike racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s greatly enhanced the appeal and therefore the value, especially in Germany, of the "NSU" name. With the "NSU" name more frequently in the public eye, confusion between "NSU-Fiat" and "NSU Werke" became more frequent, among the general public which also affected business professionals with whom the businesses had dealings. The 1950s found NSU Werke's General Director complaining that customers were being deceived ("grobe Kundentäuschung") because Fiat were trying to exploit the glory of the racing successes and speed records of the NSU motorbikes.
In 1956 it was reported that the motorbike manufacturer NSU Werke were planning to produce a passenger car in the "approximately 400cc" class and proposed to badge the little car simply as an "NSU", which seemed likely to create even more confusion in the market place affecting Fiat's smaller "NSU-Fiat"s based on the Fiat 600, already produced in Turin since 1955 and scheduled for imminent launch as a Heilbronn produced model (with the still smaller Fiat 500 already in the development pipeline.
Acrimony mounted, involving robust exchanges of lawyers' letters and legal hearings ensued, following which the Fiat licensee was persuaded, in 1957, to rebrand its Heilbronn assembled cars; therefore NSU-Fiat bedged cars became Neckar badged cars. Neckar was producing less than 25,000 vehicles a year, Fiat 500 (Neckar Weinsberg), 600 (Neckar Jagst) and 1100 (Neckar Europa) slightly modified, often more luxurious and sporty than the Fiats produced in Turin.
The launch of the Fiat 1500 in 1961 and of the Neckar Panorama (derived from the Autobianchi Bianchina) allowed Neckar to reach a yearly production of 50,000 units in 1962. A coupe derived from the 1500 and called the Neckar Mistral was designed. A coupe and a convertible based on the Fiat 600 was produced as the Neckar Riviera. The Fiat 850 (as the Neckar Adria) was the last model produced by Neckar.
The high cost of the German workforce (compared to the Italian one) doomed Neckar. Fiat refused to sell the license of the new Fiat 124, 125 and 128 to Neckar. Production of Neckar slowed down from 1963. 50,000 cars were produced in 1962, down to 44,000 units in 1963, 22,000 in 1964, 18,000 in 1967 and 12,000 in 1970. Neckar closed in 1971 having produced 370,000 cars in total.
Models
| Model | Variant of |
| Neckar Weinsberg | Fiat 500 |
| Neckar Jagst | Fiat 600 |
| Neckar Europa | Fiat 1100 |
| Neckar Panorama | Autobianchi Bianchina |
| Neckar Adria | Fiat 850 |
| Neckar Mistral | Fiat 1300/1500 |
| Neckar Riviera | Fiat 600 |
- ^ Rudolf Augstein (proprietor & managing editor) (5 September 1956). "Scheidung von Fiats Tochter". SPIEGEL-ONLINE. p. 39. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
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Bibliography
- Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos Band 2 - 1920-1945. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02170-6.
- Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos 1945−1990, Band 4, 1. Auflage, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02131-5