Fiat Concord

Fiat SOMECA Concord S.A.C.I

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive, Railway manufacturing
Predecessor	Fiat Argentina S.A.
Founded	1954
Founder	Fiat Automobiles S.p.A.
Defunct	1980
Fate	Merged into Sevel Argentina
Successor	Sevel Argentina
Headquarters	Buenos Aires (Caseros plant), Córdoba (Ferreyra plant) , Argentina
Area served	Argentina, Chile
Key people	Franco Macri (owner of successor company Sevel Argentina)
Products	Automobiles, Trucks, Diesel multiple units, Rolling stock
Owner	Fiat Automobiles S.p.A.
Parent	Fiat Automobiles S.p.A.

Fiat SOMECA Concord S.A.C.I, also known as Fiat Concord, served as the Argentine branch of the Italian car manufacturer Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. and was the pioneering producer of Fiat automobiles in Argentina. Established in 1954, the company produced both cars and railway vehicles via its subsidiary Materfer. Among its prominent models were the 600, 128, and the 1500 coupé crafted by Vignale.

In the railway sector, Fiat Concord manufactured diesel multiple units, most notably the 7131 during the 1960s, along with various other types of rolling stock.

History

Fiat's involvement in Argentina commenced with a Buenos Aires dealership in 1919, followed by the creation of "Fiat Argentina S.A." in 1923 to handle vehicle imports and sales. The company initially concentrated on agricultural machinery through its subsidiary "Agromecánica S.A.C.I.F." founded in 1949. Local tractor production began in 1954 under "Fiat Someca Construcciones Córdoba," which was later renamed "Fiat Concord."

In 1959, Fiat collaborated with the state-owned Industrias Aeronáuticas y Mecánicas del Estado (IAME) for technical assistance, establishing an assembly facility in Ferreyra, Córdoba Province, soon accompanied by a diesel engine manufacturing plant.

The company's expansion into rail transport started in 1956 when it obtained a concession from state-owned Ferrocarriles Argentinos to supply 300 diesel locomotives and related rolling stock. This initiative led to founding Materfer, whose factory began operations in Ferreyra in 1958.

On 30 September 1959, the Argentine government authorized Fiat to invest USD4.5 million to construct a manufacturing plant in Caseros, Buenos Aires. The first Fiat vehicle produced domestically, the Fiat 600, was introduced on 8 April 1960, followed shortly by the 1100. By the end of that year, output had reached approximately 4,000 units.

The 1100 was succeeded by the 1500 model in 1963, with a station wagon version added in 1964. That same year marked the beginning of auto parts exports to Chile. The lineup grew with additions such as the "Multicarga" pickup, the 1500 Coupé, and the 770 Coupé (which was renamed "800" in 1966). In 1966, Fiat Concord launched an exclusive Argentine-market model: the 1500 Coupé Vignale, designed by Italian coachbuilder Alfredo Vignale.

By 1967, Fiat had captured a leading position in Argentina's automotive market with a 23% share and production exceeding 40,000 vehicles; production further increased to around 50,000 units by 1969. The company introduced the 1600 model—a Fiat 125 body combined with a Fiat 1500 engine—and debuted its first heavy-duty trucks with the 619, while phasing out the 1500.

Annual manufacturing surpassed 60,000 vehicles by 1971. That year saw the debut of the iconic 128, which gained a station wagon variant in 1973 and remained in production until 1990. During this period, Fiat Concord established "Industria Argentina Vehículos de Avanzada" (IAVA S.A.), a performance-focused subsidiary.

The 1600 was replaced by the 125 in 1972; this model was available as a sedan, station wagon, coupé, and from 1973 onward as the "Multicarga" pickup until production ceased in 1980.

In 1977, Fiat Concord launched a rebadged version of the SEAT 133 under license as the Fiat Concord 133. Despite this effort, it achieved limited market success with just over 15,000 units sold before being succeeded by the similar 147.

By 1980, Fiat Concord merged with Peugeot's local representative Sociedad de Automóviles Franco Argentinos (SAFRAR), creating Sevel Argentina ("Sociedad Europea de Vehículos para Latinoamérica"), a joint venture operating as Sevel S.p.A.'s Latin American branch. Entrepreneur Franco Macri took ownership of Sevel.

Vehicles manufactured

Below is a compilation of automobiles and trucks produced by Fiat in Argentina between 1960 and 1980:

Model	Type	Orig.	Produced	Image
600	A-segment	Template:Country data ITA	1960–80
1100	Sedan	Template:Country data ITA	1960–63
1500	Sedan / Station wagon Pickup	Template:Country data ITA	1963–69
1500 Vignale	Coupe	Template:Country data ARG	1966–70
619	Truck	Template:Country data ITA	1969–80
125	Sedan / Station wagon Pickup	Template:Country data ITA	1972–80
128	Sedan / Station wagon	Template:Country data ITA	1971–80
133	B-segment	Template:Country data SPA	1977–80

Additional Information

Rail vehicles

In 1962, FIAT Concord launched the initial series of the 7131 railcars on the Villa Ballester–Zárate and Victoria–Capilla del Señor routes of the Mitre Railway, effectively replacing older Ganz railcars. These units were also deployed on railway lines within Santa Fe province.

On the Roca and Sarmiento lines, the introduction of the 7131 railcars led to the replacement of obsolete Drewry, Birmingham, and Armstrong Whitworth coaches across several suburban branches such as Temperley–La Plata–Cañuelas, Haedo–José Mármol, Merlo–Lobos, among others. Additionally, they operated on longer-distance routes including Bahía Blanca–Darregueira–Carmen de Patagones and Constitución–Tandil–Necochea, serving extensive regions throughout southern and western Buenos Aires Province.

See also

• Alstom Ferroviaria (previously known as "Fiat Ferroviaria")
• Sevel Argentina (successor company)