Latil

Automobiles Industriels Latil

Company type	Société anonyme
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1909
Founder	Charles Blum
Defunct	1955
Fate	Merged into Saviem
Headquarters	Suresnes , France
Area served	France, United Kingdom
Key people	Charles Blum (founder), Georges Latil (technical leadership)
Products	Commercial vehicles, military vehicles, tractors

Automobiles Industriels Latil, commonly referred to as Latil, was a French company specializing in the manufacture of commercial and military vehicles. It was established to oversee the assets of the defunct Compagnie Française d'Mecánique et d'Automobiles and to promote Georges Latil's pioneering front-wheel drive system. The enterprise was founded in 1909 by businessman Charles Blum under the name Charles Blum & Cie, adopting its commercial designation during the 1910s. By that decade, the firm had expanded into producing military vehicles and notably increased its commercial vehicle production following the First World War. In 1928, it officially adopted the title Automobiles Industriels Latil and ceased operations in 1955 after merging into the Saviem group.

Origins and formative period

In 1898, Georges Latil partnered with Aloïs Korn to establish Korn et Latil in Marseille, aiming to market a kit that converted carriages into front-wheel drive vehicles. The company relocated to Levallois-Perret in 1901, where it launched the for sales within Paris. Despite initial achievements, financial difficulties led to bankruptcy. By 1905, Charles Blum became involved as an investor and took charge of managing its remaining assets. In 1909, he purchased these assets and formed a new company, maintaining Georges and Lazare Latil in technical leadership roles.

By June 1912, the business restructured as a société anonyme under the name , later operating under the trade name . That same year, Blum initiated a firm dedicated to operating vehicles equipped with the avant-train system. In 1914, production facilities moved to a larger site in Suresnes, encompassing 20,000 m² of covered manufacturing space on a total area of 30,000 m², replacing the previous Levallois-Perret location.

World War I era and growth

By 1911, the company had developed tractors designed for hauling field artillery, adopting truck-based layouts. Latil produced one of the earliest four-wheel all-terrain vehicles known as the TAR, which was supplied to military forces for transporting 155 mm artillery along the Voie Sacrée during World War I. After the conflict, Latil fully committed to the commercial vehicle sector, including truck manufacturing. In 1924, it introduced the TL series—four-wheel drive multipurpose tractors.

Interwar period and World War II developments

In November 1928, all companies within the Latil group consolidated into , becoming a société anonyme renamed .

During the 1930s, Latil began producing diesel engines licensed from L Gardner & Sons, featuring direct injection technology, and inaugurated a second manufacturing plant at Saint-Cloud. Throughout World War II, it collaborated with ammunition manufacturer MAP, marketing tractors under the MAP-Latil brand. After France’s occupation, Latil’s factories produced vehicles for the Wehrmacht, benefiting from their urban locations which spared them from Allied bombing raids. In October 1944, founder Charles Blum—who was Jewish—passed away while exiled in New York.

Postwar period and integration

Following World War II, the Pons Plan reduced France’s vehicle manufacturers from twenty-eight to seven entities, placing Latil within a group led by Peugeot. The company faced challenges competing against larger manufacturers in this new landscape. In 1948, it rationalized its forward control product line by releasing the H14 and H16 A1 models, which featured a unified cabin design, standardized parts, and predominantly Gardner-licensed engines.

In 1955, Latil merged with Renault's heavy vehicle division and Somua to create Saviem. Shareholders including the Blum family retained interests until Saviem became fully owned by Renault in 1959. Over time, Latil’s truck models were phased out—initially marketed under the Latil name before briefly being branded as Saviem-LRS and then simply Saviem.

After this merger, Latil’s TL tractor series continued sales initially under its own brand before transitioning to Saviem branding. In 1962, production licenses were transferred to the Creusot-Loire group which sold these tractors under the name Latil Batignolles.

Latil in the United Kingdom

In 1924, Latil launched its UK branch, Latil Industrial Vehicles Ltd. Initially, until 1932, all products were brought in from France. Between 1932 and the late 1930s (circa 1937–1939), local assembly of mainly all-wheel-drive tractors was conducted under license by Shelvoke and Drewry. Starting from late 1933, tractors assembled in Britain were marketed under the name Latil Trauliers.

Following the Second World War, assembly operations in the UK persisted through US Concessionaires Ltd., often involving the substitution of original engines with locally manufactured Meadows power units.

Commercial vehicles

Chassis	Variants	Engines			Payload	Gearboxes	Wheelbase	Type	Production
		Fuel	C.	Bore and stroke
B	B1 (lighter model) B2 (heavier model) B2T (tractor unit)	Petrol	I4	85 mm x 130 mm	1.5 tonnes (B1) 2 tonnes (B2) 5 tonnes (hauling) (B2T)	4-speed manual	3,500–3,900 mm	Light truck and bus/coach	1922–1930
VL◇	VL1 (light version) VL2 (medium version) VL3 (heavy version)			105 mm x 140 mm	1 tonne (VL1) 2 tonnes (VL2) 3 tonnes (VL3)		3,500–4,424 mm	Transit bus and delivery truck	1919–1924
NVL◇	NVL2 (lighter variant) NVL3 (heavier variant) NVL2/3 S (low chassis)				2 tonnes (NVL2) 3 tonnes (NVL3)				1925–1930
P◇	?				3–4 tonnes		?	Truck	1919–1924
NP◇	NP (lighter variant) NP3 (heavier variant) NTP (4x4 tractor unit)				3 tonnes (NP) 4 tonnes (NP3) 10 tonnes (hauling) (NTP)		3,500–3,900 mm		1925–1930
B5	B5 (standard) B5S (low chassis) B5T (tractor unit)				5 tonnes 10 tonnes (hauling)		4,100–5,140 mm	Truck and bus/coach	1925–1936
PB	-			85 mm x 130 mm	1.8 tonnes		3,412 mm	Light truck and bus/coach	1931–1933
PBb	PB2 (lighter model) PB3/PB3D (heavier model) PB3-TRB2 (tractor unit)			90 mm x 130 mm	2 tonnes (PB2) 3 tonnes (PB3) 6 tonnes (hauling) (PB3-TRB2)		2,430–4,280 mm	Truck and bus/coach	1931–1935
GPB	GPB GPB2 GPB3 GPBS (low chassis) GPB3T/GPB3T-PR26 (tractor unit)			100 mm x 130 mm	1.8 tonnes (GPB) 2 tonnes (GPB2) 3 tonnes (GPB3) 6–7 tonnes (hauling) (GPB3T/GPB3T-PR26)		2,430–4,280 mm		1931–1937
SPB	SPB3 (standard) SPB3S (low chassis) SPB3T-RAB10/SPB3-RAY10 (tractor unit)			105 mm x160 mm	Template:Center		2,665–4,400 mm		1931–1935
FY10	-			110 mm x160 mm	10 tonnes		5,530 mm	6x2 truck	1932–1934
FB6	-				6 tonnes "10 tonnes" hauling		4,100–5,140 mm	Truck	1934–1939
PB10	-				10 tonnes		3,800 mm		1932–1933
V3	V3 B8(normal) V3 Y10(6x2 truck) V3 TU(6x2 military truck) V3 A B3(bus/coach)		V8	100 mm x115 mm	"8 tonnes" "10 tonnes"		4,710–5,517 mm	4x2/6x2 truck and bus/coach	1932–1938
M	M1B(lighter) M1B1(heavier)		rowspan=6"I4"	75 mm x120 mm	"1.2 t"(M1B) "2.5 t"(M1B1)		3350-3410 mm	Light truck and bus/coach	1934-1939
Mb	M2B1(light) M2B3(medium) M2B4(heavier)		100 mm x130 mm	"1 t"(M2B1) "3 t"(M2B3) "4 t"(M2B4)	3410-4750 mm		Truck	1935-1942
H4B1	-	rowspan=11"Diesel engine"	95 mm x133 mm	"2 t"	3410 mm		Light truck	1935-1940
H1B6	-	rowspan=9"108 mm x152 mm"	"6 t" "10 t"(hauling)	4100-5140 mm	rowspan=2"Truck"		1934-1939
H1 A1 B6☆	-		6 t	4940 mm	1936-1939
H1 A B3	-		3 t	4710-5517 mm	Bus/coach		1937-1939
H2B8	-	rowspan=3"inline-six engine" ("I6")		8 t	4100-5140 mm		Truck	1934-1943
H2 A1 Y10☆	-		10 t	5325 mm	6x2 truck		1937-1948
H2 A1 B8☆	-		8 t	3890-4950 mm	rowspan=5"Truck"		1937-1948
H1 A1 B4/B4T☆	-	rowspan=2"I4"		"4 t" "11 t"(hauling)		2300-4880 mm	1939-1948
-	5 t	3270 mm	1947-1948
Latil H14 and H16 A1☆|-	"I4" "I6"	Various	"4-speed manual" "5-speed manual"	Various	1948-1960
-	I6	116 mm x152 mm	30 t(hauling)	4-speed manual	4165 mm	1950-1957

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1911–1928

• TI (lightweight tractor)
• U (light tractor)
• TP (cargo tractor, 4x4 commercial and armoured truck)
• TH (heavy-duty artillery and commercial tractor/truck)
• TAR series (heavy artillery and commercial tractors including TAR, TAR 2, TAR 3)
• Tourand-Latil (self-propelled tractor/plow)
• TL (used in agriculture, forestry, hauling, medium artillery tractor; also for anti-aircraft rangefinding)

1928–1945

• F SPB4 (military transport truck)
• Continuation of TAR series (TAR 4, TAR 5, F TAR)
• AMD Latil (armoured scout car prototype)
• TAR H1 (prototype for heavy tractor)
• JTL and KTL (tractors for agriculture, forestry, hauling, medium artillery use)
• GTL (artillery tractor prototype)
• M7 T1 and M7 Z1 (light infantry liaison, reconnaissance, and artillery tractors)
• M2 TL6 / M3 TL6 / H4 TL6 (versatile military tractors)
• M2 TZ (medium artillery and transport tractor)
• N (chenillette tractor model)
• TAR H2 and M2 TX (heavy artillery and workshop tractors; M2 TX as a prototype)
• MAN AS250 (German agricultural tractor produced by Latil starting 1943; briefly marketed postwar as Latil AS250)
• TL7-RR (tractor designed for rail and road use)

1945–1955

• H4 TL9 (tractor for agricultural and forestry purposes)
• H14 TL10 / H11 TL10 (multipurpose tractors for agriculture and forestry)
• M17 T1 (prototype light truck and staff vehicle)
• M18 T2 (4x4 military transport truck)
• TRPZ (6×4/6x6 configuration tractor/truck)