Oltcit
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Romanian government, Citroën |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Fate | Citroën exited partnership; renamed Oltena |
| Headquarters | Craiova , Romania |
Area served | Romania, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria |
| Products | Automobiles (Oltcit Club, Oltcit Special, Oltcit Club 12 TRS, Oltena Club 12 CS, Citroën Axel) |
Oltcit S.A. () was an automobile producer created as a joint enterprise between the Romanian government, holding 64%, and Citroën, owning 36%. The company primarily manufactured the hatchback models Oltcit Club and Citroën Axel, with assembly operations based in Craiova, Romania.
History
The foundation of Oltcit stemmed from a collaboration between Citroën and the Romanian state. In 1977, construction commenced on a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Craiova, intended for producing compact cars.
The Oltcit brand debuted in 1979 during the EREN exhibition held in Bucharest, offering two engine variants: a 652 cc unit delivering 36 HP and an 1130 cc engine producing 56 HP. Full-scale production began the following year, in 1980.
Four principal models were developed:
- Oltcit Special – equipped with a 652 cc engine sourced from Citroën Visa and LNA.
- Oltcit Club – featuring a 1129 cc engine coupled with a 4-speed transmission.
- Oltcit Club 12 TRS – initially powered by a 1200 cc engine, later upgraded to 1299 cc with a 5-speed gearbox; this version was designed for export to countries including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, Turkey, and Bulgaria.
- Oltena Club 12 CS – introduced in 1993 as a compact two-seat pickup truck equipped with a 1299 cc engine and a 5-speed transmission.
Production under the Oltcit name persisted until 1991 when Citroën exited the partnership. Subsequently, the firm was renamed Oltena, continuing vehicle manufacturing until entering into an agreement with Daewoo that resulted in another rebranding to Rodae.
After Citroën's departure in 1991, the company operated as S.C. Automobile Craiova S.A., marketing vehicles under the Oltena brand.
In 1994, a new joint venture emerged between Daewoo Heavy Industries (holding 49%) and S.C. Automobile Craiova S.A. (with a 51% stake), initially named Rodae and later rebranded as Daewoo Automobile Romania.
In 2008, Ford of Europe—a division of Ford Motor Company—acquired the former Oltcit/Daewoo manufacturing plant and renamed it Ford Romania.
Models
See also
- Articles with short description
- Car manufacturers of Romania
- Defunct manufacturing companies of Romania
- 1976 establishments in Romania
- Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1976
- Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Romania
- Companies based in Craiova
- Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1991
- 1991 disestablishments in Romania
- Former joint ventures
- Citroën