In the post-war years, there was most certainly a Greek car industry. It was small, enjoying minor successes, but it was also marred by regulations, lack of infrastructure, and government intervention. Ultimately, it was abandoned due to EU rules and general State indifference.
There were definitely some brilliant engineers who had been around since the 1950s, investors with great aspirations, and entrepreneurs with money and vision involved. However, those willing to kick-start a Greek car industry faced obstacles, including a lack of primary raw materials, high fuel costs, and a non-existent specialized labor force. Hence, the first Greek car designs had to be simple and cost-effective.
The ideas were there, most of them adopted from the surviving but war-ravaged European automotive industry and American automakers. What aspiring Greek car manufacturers needed was skilled engineers, an understanding of microeconomics, and adequate space. It would be necessary to source and utilize existing materials, integrate these elements, and produce a final product.
Although it was a slow start, by the mid-1950s, Greek car manufacturers were able to apply their new ideas, and, most importantly, import parts and machinery from abroad. Manufacturing laws were thus clarified, and the Greek car industry went into first gear, building factories, importing the proper machinery, and hiring craftsmen and designers.
Nikos Theologou, a Greek automobile engineer who had migrated to the United States, returned to Greece and established a company. Between 1918 and 1920, he designed and manufactured a light car with a Pierce 750cc motorcycle engine. At the same time, he began importing chassis from the 1920 Ford and manufactured trucks and buses.
In the mid-1920s, he competed against Tournikiotis in Athens and Bouhagier in Patras, both of whom had also manufactured trucks and buses. Unable to withstand the competition, however, he shut down his manufacturing facility.
Another pre-war record of automobile manufacturing for buses and trucks concerns the Tagalakis brand, which manufactured body parts, buses, and trucks. In 1937, Tagalakis presented an automobile based on mechanical parts from the German DKW.
Greek millionaire Giannis Goulandris funded a group of Greek and English engineers who developed the Enfield 8000 in the United Kingdom by the Isle of Wight company Enfield Automotive. It was a two-seat battery-electric city car, introduced in 1973, and it was powered by an 8 bhp (6 kW) electric motor and lead-acid batteries, with a top speed of around 48 mph (77 km/h) and a range of around 40 miles (64 km).
Immediately after its introduction, production moved to the Greek island of Syros, where a total of 120 cars were built. Of these, 65 were sent to the Electricity Council and electricity boards in the south of England. After moving to Syros, the Enfield 800 became a Greek car, and the company also became Greek, known as Enfield-Neorion, with headquarters in Piraeus.
The car could not be sold in Greece due to categorization issues related to electric power, so production was shifted to the United Kingdom. A jeep version of the car, targeting the island rental car market, was developed but could not be sold either.
The company was (and is now) essentially importing and distributing vehicles and heavy machinery, and for a time, it was also a manufacturer. The Petropoulos family has—since the 19th century—traditionally been involved in metallurgy, initially in Amfissa and later in Lamia.
Petros Petropoulos established the company in Thessaloniki in 1922, focusing on vehicle sales and engine repairs/rebuilds. Utilizing these engines, he began constructing vehicles based on models such as the 1920 Ford passenger cars and the 1930 Willys-Overland, Diamond T, and International trucks. In 1938, the Greek car manufacturer relocated to Athens.
Since 1956, its main occupation has been the construction of tractors using rebuilt engines. Later, it manufactured a series of tractors with Perkins engines, which achieved significant sales success. In 1974, the company began manufacturing its first “smart” 4×4 family truck, offering models such as the Unitruck, Polytruck, and Militruck types, primarily for the army.
Farmers purchased them in large numbers; however, the army never did. Additionally, changes in agricultural law during 1984-85 led to the cessation of production, leaving the company in dire financial straits due to the substantial investments it had made up to that time.
Among other things, the company had designed and manufactured a series of products such as generator-forklifts (the successful gasoline-powered and electric Dynalift). In 1994, the company, based on the successful Swedish design of Bucher, manufactured and presented the Militruck 2 Duro, which, however, was not accepted by the Greek army. Since the late 1990s, Petropoulos S.A. has only engaged in imports and trade, maintaining minimal specialized production.
The 1950s marked the beginning of true Greek car manufacturing. DIM founder and owner Georgios Dimitriadis was the first to design and manufacture a light Greek car, the Mod 505, in 1958.
He used his privately owned facilities to design and manufacture Mod 505. Due to the Greek government’s indifference and high taxes on cars at the time, he was forced to turn to the manufacturing of three-wheeled vehicles. These were legally considered a type of motorcycle, which meant lower taxes and license fees.
The manufacturer took advantage of the lower taxation and license fees for motorcycles, and he purchased the license to manufacture a small three-wheeled passenger vehicle from German Fuldamobil. With modifications to the chassis and body, he began manufacturing and distributing the Attica 200, using Sachs and Heinkel engines, also built in his factory.
The Attica 200 was a relatively cheap Greek car to buy and drive and quickly became a success, with manufacturing continuing until 1972. At the same time, Dimitriadis put a small three-wheeled truck into production, with the rear of the Attica modified as the front.
The Greek manufacturer returned to passenger car production by introducing the Attica Carmel 12 under license from Israel’s Israeli Autocars Co., utilizing the technology of the English Reliant. In reality, the car was purely English since almost all of its components came from England. Unfortunately, for Dimitriadis, Greek buyers did not respond, and its production was halted after only several hundred automobiles.
In 1977, Dimitriadis changed the company’s name to DIM MOTOR and began manufacturing a strange vehicle, the DIM 652. With a polyester body, it looked like the Autobianchi A112, while, mechanically, it used systems from the FIAT 126 (air-cooled twin-cylinder 652 cc engine). The production and life of this model were short, and the DIM ceased operations around that.
NAMCO, the National Motor Company of Greece, was founded by the Kontogouris brothers, who had been involved in the automobile industry since 1950. The Kontogouris brothers’ first endeavor was in Germany, where they attempted to put a truck called “Hellas” into production. In 1957, the brothers acquired the industrial manufacturing rights from Wilfred Fahr to make a multi-purpose vehicle.
In 1961, they built a factory named FARCO in Thessaloniki, where production of the vehicle known as Farmobil commenced. It was equipped with a BMW twin-cylinder, air-cooled 700cc engine. Although it was a high-quality vehicle, its reception in Greece was minimal. Consequently, the Kontogouris brothers opted to target foreign markets for their cars.
Chrysler acquired the company and its production project, becoming Chrysler Hellas S.A. In 1967, the now American company was hindered by the Greek State, as it did not receive approval for its manufacturing plans. Consequently, Chrysler Hellas S.A. shut down and relocated the entire factory and its operations to another country, where production continues successfully.
Alta was yet another Greek car company. It had started making mopeds in 1962 and then moved to three-wheeled vehicles such as the Alta 700 truck, with a four-stroke BMW 700 cc engine, 5HP, and a load capacity of 800 kilograms.
The Alta 700 was such a success that, in 1967, the company purchased a large plot in Elefsis, where it built a modern manufacturing plant. The company also bought the manufacturing license of Fuldamobil. They changed the molds, and the Alta 200 was released. It featured a more modern design than the Attica and minor engine modifications and had modest success in the market. However, for reasons unknown, Alta ceased business in 1978.
In the late 1960s, the Kontogouris brothers revived NAMCO and, at the end of the decade, presented the legendary Pony at the Thessaloniki International Fair. This was an international design by the FNF Citroen designer office. The Pony was a simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-manufacture vehicle. NAMCO produced the small Pony in a brand new factory in Thessaloniki. The design, construction, price, and ease of driving made it an instant success, selling in large numbers in Greece and abroad.
In Greece, the Pony was purchased by the Armed Forces, OTE (public telecommunications), PPC (public power company), and other public and private companies, engineers, and individuals. It was exported to the United States and other countries, including private individuals. Over 30,000 Ponys were produced and sold.
In 1978, NAMCO expanded into special Swedish-patented vehicles with special off-road suspensions for multiple uses and needs. They began the construction of successful prototypes of 4×4 and 6×6 vehicles (ranging from 3 to 6.5 tons). NAMCO also designed and manufactured special military vehicles, armored and unarmored, such as the Panther, Tiger, and Achilles. However, in the military market, NAMCO had to compete with the state-owned ELVO and sold very few trucks.
Production of the first-generation Pony ended in 1983 to 1984, a time when the tax law regarding cars in its category changed, making further development and continued production unprofitable. Thus, although a new and different model kinown as Super Pony had been presented, the company could not afford to continue production.
Yet, NAMCO did not fold. The company continued by selling the know-how to a Bulgarian company. In 1994, the first Super Pony left the production factory in Bulgaria. NAMCO is still active today, and the Thessaloniki factory keeps putting out the legendary Pony that meets the needs of new, budding markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Today, it is the oldest Greek car company in Southeast Europe.
In the early 1970s, Car Trading was a Greek car company with a modern factory north of Athens. After agreements with foreign auto manufacturers, it acquired the license to assemble cars in Greece with significant added value. A large number of Mazda 323, Mazda B 1600, Opel Kadett D, and Alfasud were manufactured in Greece, some under the GREZDA brand (Greece-Mazda).
In 1980, the company faced significant labor problems, including repeated strikes. By 1985, Car Trading was forced to cease operations. The end of the company was unfortunate because it happened at a time when foreign automobile manufacturers were seeking cooperation with Greek industries. It was forced to close when it was on the verge of an agreement with Hyundai to create the only production line of Korean cars in Europe.
In 1975, a group of Greek businessmen, including the owners of the company importing Fiat automobiles in Greece, founded the Autokinitoviomihania Ellados (i.e. Car Industry of Greece). They produced a Greek car named Mini Jeep Scout 127, a versatile vehicle based on the Fiat 127, which was later renamed to Amico 127. The laws regarding car manufacturing changed in 1984, forcing the company to cease operations.
Meanwhile, since 1979, former executives of Autokinitoviomihania Ellados had founded Automeccanica S.A.. They also manufactured Fiat-based small passenger-utility vehicles that were very popular in Greece at the time. Zebra was its most successful model, a design based on the Daihatsu Charade. From 1981 to 1985, it was manufactured entirely in Greece. However, a change in the laws regarding car manufacturing also occurred in 1984, and the company was forced to halt production. From 1985 on, the company started manufacturing the Soviet Lada Niva.
In 1976, the Theocharakis family founded TEOKAR Ltd., operating in vehicle production. Initially, they manufactured the Datsun (now Nissan) light pick-up truck in the company’s factory in Athens. The TEOKAR pick-up was a modification of the corresponding Japanese model.
In 1978, the Greek manufacturer established a factory near the existing one with the sole purpose of assembling Nissan vehicles. The following year, they made a deal with the Japanese company and constructed a factory in Volos as a Nissan assembly line. In 1980, 4,685 Nissan cars, mostly pick-up trucks, rolled out of the Volos factory. In 1990, TEOKAR set up a robotics system to quicken and simplify production.
In the early 1990s, there were no other factories in Europe like TEOKAR operating using CKD assembly. To be viable, such factories would need to produce at least 200,000 vehicles per year, a quantity which, in reality, was unattainable.
In Greece, the cost of manufacturing cars was high. The company produced below its actual capacity, which amounted to 36,000 units, in two shifts. It catered to the small Greek market, did not receive significant government orders, and did not export extensively either. TEOKAR occasionally exported a few hundred units, such as 600 to Ireland, to meet the needs of its parent company, Nissan. The TEOKAR factory, which had undergone a series of costly modernizations, was no longer viable. In 1995, it was dismantled in its entirety and sold to Russia.
Today, Nik. I. Theocharakis S.A. is the sole distributor of Nissan in Greece.
MEBEA (Mediterranean Enterprises, Industry, Commerce and Dealerships), established in 1960, was the merger of two moped assemblers/manufacturers, which began producing a small three-wheeled truck using a Zundapp 50cc engine. It was a great success, and many MEBEA vehicles circulated in Greece for over thirty years. There were also exports as a passenger car and as a truck to Asia in large numbers.
In 1970, in collaboration with the English company Reliant, it manufactured the relatively heavy three-wheeled truck, TW9, and the small three-wheeled passenger car, Robin, under license in 1974. The trike was essentially a viable option for low-income individuals in Greece at the time, as it was classified as a motorcycle, making its tax affordable.
In 1979, using a modified chassis from the Reliant Kitten, they designed and manufactured the four-wheeled mixed-use Fox, which was a successful model. To avoid the well-known Greek problems for vehicle type approval, the car was sent to England along with the necessary drawings. It immediately received type approval without any issues as an English-designed and manufactured Reliant Fox.
The model was successfully manufactured in Greece until 1985, when the tax law changed again, forcing most Greek car manufacturers to shut down sooner or later. The Greek Reliant Fox, which on paper appeared to be of English design, was exported from Greece to England. Both of the above are still in England.
MAVA was initially the Greek importing company for Renault vehicles. In 1979, the company went on to design and build a Greek car. The design was undertaken by the Greek industrial car designer Giorgos Michael. Using mechanical parts from Renault, he designed and built the prototype of a light multi-purpose vehicle called Farma. At MAVA’s request, the car was sent to Renault in France for assessment. After thorough checks and tests, it received type approval and was even produced under the Renault name.
The car became a success and was manufactured in many types, such as passenger cars, trucks, and even Jeeps. It used an 845 cc engine with a 34 HP engine and a top speed of 110 km/h. In 1984, the successor, the Farma S, was designed with increased off-road capabilities that were named “the Greek Jeep.” At the same time, law changes made production unaffordable, and the MAVA factory closed down a year later.
Around the same time as MAVA, K. Zacharopoulos A.B.E.E., under the trade name Balkania, manufactured light 4×4 trucks and 4×4 jeep-type trucks in Athens. In 1975, the company designed and manufactured a large truck equipped with a Mercedes-Benz Diesel 3200 CC engine, featuring a metal cabin and a maximum load capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
The same year, the company assembled and introduced a Jeep to the Greek market under the name of the Indian manufacturer Mahindra, designed much like an American one. It had a 3,100 cc 62 HP PEUGEOT diesel engine. Later on, the company was renamed Mahindra Hellas S.A., mainly catering to the European market until 1995, when it folded.
A Greek car manufacturing company that operated in Thessaloniki between 1975 and 1984 became known for its main product, the Unicar (not related to the Spanish one of the same name). It was a heavy-duty 4×4 truck with a load capacity of 1,500 kg and had Mercedes-Benz Diesel mechanical parts and Dodge axles. In 1984, when the tax collection law in Greece changed, it followed the fate of other Greek manufacturers and disappeared.
Pancar, headquartered in Athens, was established as an automotive company by Panagiotis Karavisopoulos, a noted Greek car designer and manufacturer. The company commenced operations in 1968, focusing on the production of the popular three-wheeled vehicles from that era.
Additionally, he designed and built a four-wheeled buggy-type vehicle using a frame and mechanical parts from VW, but he was unable to obtain a type license to place it on the market.
In 1992, Karavisopoulos presented an off-road vehicle, the Hermes, which did not receive type approval. The company ceased operations two years later.
P. Tangalakis was a historic manufacturer of buses. In 1922, he merged with G. Tournikiotis, and from 1925 on, they began building bus bodies on imported chassis.
In 1934, Tangalakis separated from his partner and founded his own company, becoming a leader in his field for over thirty years. He built the first passenger car using DKW mechanical parts, an effort that stalled due to World War II, in 1937.
After fierce competition with other manufacturers, he changed course in 1963, and, in collaboration with International Harvester, began to build fire trucks. In 1965, he created TEMAX with the sole purpose of building fire trucks and related vehicles, a business that continues to this day.
Sfakianakis is a group of companies operating in three countries with a staff of approximately one thousand individuals. The company was founded in 1961 and was named Bussing Hellas.
Initially, it manufactured bodies on imported chassis. Later, initially using technology from the German MAN and later from the also German Bussing, it began to manufacture buses and coaches among other types. Sfakianakis S.A. also created a series of buses and trucks on an imported Japanese Hino chassis. A portion of the production was exported to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Since 2006, the company has been engaged only in the trade of cars and related parts.
The Saracakis brothers’ group of companies was one of two major manufacturers of buses, trucks, and vehicles. The company was established in Thessaloniki in 1923 as an importer of cars and spare parts. In 1941, the headquarters were moved to Athens and began manufacturing in 1954. In 1962, the production of bodies on imported chassis took off. The construction of buses in 1966 was based on their design and chassis with a Volvo engine.
In 1974, the company built the first chassisless bus, the SBAV, and it reached the SBAV 90 in 1990 after continuous upgrades. They were successful models that became a great export success in countries mainly in the Middle East. Among other things, the company assembled (and manufactured) a series of 4×4 vehicles, three-wheeled transporters, tractors, and other types. It currently operates solely as a commercial entity, importing Honda, Mitsubishi, and Volvo exclusively.
One of the major car industries in Greece, with factories in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Larissa, BIAMAX was a pioneering company. Founded in 1955 by Michael K. Fostiropoulos, it quickly became a leading force in the Greek coachbuilding industry until 1984, manufacturing buses, refrigerated trucks, and tourist coaches, such as the R495, F580, and O303, with Mercedes-Benz diesel engines.
The development and success of BIAMAX was in no way accidental; on the contrary, it had earned the market’s trust with the sophisticated design, reliability, and quality of the vehicles under its signature. Biamax set new standards in the Greek market regarding the technical training of the workforce, investment in research and development, and strict quality control procedures. A large share of the products from the bus production unit in Athens and the refrigerated truck production unit in Thessaloniki were intended for exports to countries in Africa and the Near and Middle East.
By the end of the 1980s, the company was manufacturing thousands of vehicles (buses, coaches, trolleybuses, tractors, bodies, chassis for other companies, and much more). The F 530 and F 580 vehicles were hugely successful and sold in large numbers in Greece. They were also exported abroad (Europe, Asia, and Africa).
It was then that fierce domestic and foreign competition, along with the passing of new laws that allowed for the illegal import of used buses from abroad, led to BIAMAX’s collapse. The company operated as the exclusive distributor in Greece for manufacturers of cars, trucks, buses, tractors, and excavators, including Rover, KIA, JCB, DAF, Landini, ISEKI, David Brown, Steyr, Case, and IMT.
ELVO was established in 1972 following an agreement between the Greek State and the Austrian Steyr Daimler Puch under the name Steyr Hellas S.A. Until the early 1980s, Steyr of Austria held the majority of the capital. In 1986, the Greek State acquired a majority of the company shares, renaming it ELVO.
The company’s initial production was agricultural machinery, tractors, trucks, and mopeds designed by Steyr and Puch. However, massive orders from the state for trucks of various types for the armed forces and public services gave the company a boost.
By 1987, ELVO was almost the exclusive supplier of the Greek State, manufacturing trucks (military and non-military) with Steyr engines.
The most successful vehicles that ELVO manufactured were the ELVO City Buses and Intercity Buses, the Neoplan Electric Buses, the ELVO Centaurus Armored Combat Vehicle, the Mercedes Benz GD 290 All Terrain Vehicle in 240GD/24 (0.25 tons) and in 290GD/28 (1.5 tons), the Hummer HMMWV (4X4) 1114 GR and the General Purpose Truck.
In 2001, ELVO presented the Aletis, a one hundred percent Greek car, designed and manufactured in Greece. It was a buggy-looking passenger car with an impressive performance in tests. However, it never went into the production line for reasons that remain unclear. Today, ELVO is up for sale.
There is currently no such thing as a Greek car industry. The reasons remain unknown. What is known, however, is that since the 1960s, there have been people—fine engineers and wealthy entrepreneurs—capable and eager enough to establish such an industry.
The strict laws of the Greek State, stemming from a complex bureaucracy and heavy taxation, prevented the long-term production of Greek cars. By the 1990s, all such efforts ended, effectively dismantled by the Greek State.
Several Greek cars were so well-made that they were sold not only in Asia and Africa but also in Europe. Some manufacturers might have thrived with a little state assistance, such as lower taxes and subsidies, since they employed thousands of Greeks and boosted the economy.
Today, brilliant engineers and students are creating electric car prototypes with potential for greater success. However, it seems these innovations may not progress beyond the design stage and a brief mention in the press, quickly forgotten. Particular ideas may be sold to foreign manufacturers, returning to Greece as finished products imported from Germany or South Korea.
In 2022, the first Greek car rolled off the assembly line, demonstrating that Greeks can manufacture cars when not hindered by bureaucracy. It is a specialty car built for rocky terrains and sandy beaches, both of which are plentiful in Greece.
The Keraboss Super K is assembled by hand, which means that only 75 can be made per year. It is available in 2-seater and 4-seater models and with 72HP or 84HP horsepower. Its price starts at around 22,000 euros ($23,000).
