 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | 1955[1] |
| Defunct | 1978[1][2][3] |
| Fate | Merged intoRenault Véhicules Industriels[1][2][3] |
| Successor | Renault Trucks |
| Headquarters | , France[4] |
| Products | Trucks,light commercial vehicles,buses/coaches |
| Parent | Régie Nationale des Usines Renault |
TheSociété Anonyme de Véhicules Industriels et d'Équipements Mécaniques (French pronunciation:[sɔsjeteanɔnimdəveikylɛ̃dystʁijɛledekipmɑ̃mekanik]), commonly known by the acronymSaviem (French pronunciation:[savjɛm]),[5] was a French manufacturer oftrucks andbuses/coaches part of theRenault group, headquartered inSuresnes,Île-de-France. The company was established in 1955 by merging Renault heavy vehicle operations withSomua andLatil and disappeared in 1978 when was merged with former rivalBerliet to formRenault Véhicules Industriels.
The company initially had various factories for vehicle production around France (mainly at theParis area) which came from its predecessors andChausson, but it soon centred assembly onBlainville-sur-Orne (trucks) andAnnonay (buses and coaches). Saviem formed partnerships with other manufacturers, leading to technology-sharing agreements.
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At the end of 1946,Renault abandoned the production of heavy trucks in view of its financial troubles, and the company lost the position of France's market leader which it had beforeWorld War II. However, the rapid development and production concentration on that sector made Renault to seek ways to enter into the market. In 1950, the Renault's technical chief, Fernand Picard, elaborated a plan to launch a limited range of trucks and buses with a single 105CV engine, taking advantage of the economies of scale, which proved unsuccessful. In 1953, the strategy was changed and Renault decided to acquire rival manufacturers, starting withSomua andLatil.[6] The company Saviem was formed in October 1955 by the merger of Renault's trucks and buses manufacturing operations with Somua and Latil[1] and bothSchneider (owner of Somua) and the Blum family (owner of Latil) had stakes in the new company.[6] Initially, the Saviem name was added besides the existing badges of the three forming companies but, from 1957 onwards, Saviem-LRS appeared as marque's name on the company's products (the acronym representing the former marques Latil, Renault and Somua), which was simplified to Saviem in 1960.[7] In 1959, Saviem became a whole-owned subsidiary of Renault. The early range of the company consisted of small commercial vehicles derived of Renault's existing models (Goélette and Galion), new medium and heavy trucks withAlfa Romeo engines[6] andChausson support for the coach/bus production.[8] With an aggressive market approach focussed in volume rather than quality, Saviem became the leader by sales in France.[6]
During the early 1960s the company introduced a renovatedJL heavy and medium duty trucks range with a revised design,[1][7] new buses and coaches[7] and, in 1964, a S range of medium duty trucks (with Renault andPerkins engines), unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.[9] In January 1961, Saviem took control of the bus manufacturerFloirat, based atAnnonay.[10] That year, Saviem signed a cooperation agreement withHenschel-Werke.[11] In 1962,Pierre Dreyfus decided to expand the European partnerships of Saviem and the company received a large capital amount from the French State for recapitalisation and modernisation. It also got the Limoges factory, which manufactured diesel engines. Between 1963 and 1966, Saviem moved most of its production from theParis area toBlainville-sur-Orne and Annonay.[6] In 1967, the Blainville-sur-Orne factory produced 26,000 large goods vehicles and the Annonay factory 1,777 buses/coaches.[12] In 1965, Saviem acquired the Frenchheavy equipment manufacturer Richard-Continental in a bid to compete withCaterpillar.[13]
From 1963 to 1977, Saviem cooperated withMAN of Germany (in 1967 such cooperation was expanded). As part of the agreement, Saviem supplied cabs and in return, MAN supplied axles and engines. The result of this was the launch of theSM (Saviem-MAN)[5][14] and JM[9] truck ranges in France. Renault also introduced theSuper Galion, in partnership withAvia.[6] In 1975 Saviem, together withDAF,Volvo andMagirus-Deutz (soon after to become a part ofIveco) became co-founder of theClub of Four cooperation to produce medium-sized trucks.[1] At the same time, Saviem signed an agreement withDAC in Romania to provide engines for their new6135.[15] The same year Saviem also acquiredSinpar[16] and completed, together withFiat and Alfa Romeo, the construction of a joint production facility for engines (Sofim) inFoggia, Italy, at a cost ofUS$250 million.[17]
In January 1968, the main Saviem factory at Blainville-sur-Orne was the setting for one of the first workers' protests that led to theFrench May.[18]
As a result of companies' reorganisation and a French State decision of unifying the heavy vehicle production in France, in 1975 Renault also acquired the truck and bus manufacturerBerliet from theMichelin group. In 1978, Berliet and Saviem were merged to formRenault Véhicules Industriels (RVI).[3][6] Again, the old marque names were retained for two more years while the model lineups gradually were assimilated, and in April 1980 they were replaced by the name Renault, putting an end to the Saviem badging.[19] In 1977, its last year as a separate company within Renault, Saviem manufactured 35,059 buses/coaches and trucks.[3]
Vénissieux[6] and Saint-Ouen[20] were Somua factories. Vénissieux continued producing trucks until 1962.[6] Saint-Ouen assembled engines[20] until that activity was completely transferred to Limoges in 1964[21] and later auto parts.
Suresnes and Saint-Cloud were Latil factories.[6] Suresnes slowly ceased production but was kept as the head office and research and development base for the company.[21]
The Argenteuil factory was a former Chausson bus/coach facility operated by Saviem since 1960. It produced parts for both Saviem and Chausson.[6]
The coach/bus factory since 1961, originally part of Floirat and Isobloc.[10]
Built in 1956 on the former Cahen shipyards, Blainville was the only truck factory owned by Saviem from 1966 onwards.[6]
In May 1964, the French government donated to Saviem the Limoges factory, a manufacturing facility for aircraft engine parts. Limoges became the main engine assembly location of the company.[21]
Saviem-owned Richard-Continental had two factories in Lyon.[13]
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