Sevel Argentina S.A.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive
Predecessor	Fiat Concord SAFRAR Peugeot
Founded	1981; 45 years ago (1981)[1]
Founder	Jean Paul Parayre & Umberto Agnelli
Defunct	1999; 27 years ago (1999)[1]
Successor	Fiat Auto Argentina Peugeot-Citroën Argentina
Headquarters	El Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Key people	Franco Macri Mauricio Macri (president, 1994–95)
Products	Automobiles,pickups
Brands	Fiat Peugeot Chevrolet (1985–91) List (Imported) Alfa Romeo Citroën
Parent	Sevel

Sevel Argentina S.A. was an Argentine automobile company established in 1981 that produced and marketedFiat,Peugeot,Alfa Romeo,Chevrolet, andCitroën vehicles for the local market until it was dissolved in 1999. The company was created by merging Fiat's and Peugeot's Argentine operations (Fiat Concord and SAFRAR).^[2][3]

EntrepreneurFranco Macri had a controlling stake in Sevel, which would become as the largest automaker in Argentina.^[4] Franco's son and formerpresident of Argentina,Mauricio Macri, was in charge of Sevel (first as vice-president and then as president of the company) in the early 1990s.^[5][6]

In Europe,Fiat S.p.A. andPSA Peugeot Citroën began a 50/50joint venture in 1978 under the name of "Sevel" (an acronym of "Société Européenne de Véhicules Légers" or "Società Europea Veicoli Leggeri"). Two factories, Sevel Sud in Italy and Sevel Nord in France, still produce commercials and MPVs.^[7][8]

The Argentine manufacturers of Peugeots (SAFRAR,Sociedad Anónima Franco Argentina de Automotores CIF) and Fiats (Fiat Concord S.A.) then merged in 1981.^[1][2] The merger was in response to law No Nº 21.932 of 1979, ordering the restructuring of the Argentine automotive industry.^[9] The new company formed was also called Sevel, but here the versatile acronym stood for "Sociedad Europea de Vehículos para Latinoamérica" (European Company for making Vehicles for Latin America). At first, Sevel resumed production of models previously made by Fiat Concord (125,128) and SAFRAR (404,504) but the company soon added new models such asPeugeot 505 (1981), andFiat 147 (1982).^[3]

Italian immigrant to Argentina and entrepreneurFranco Macri, who had been associated with Fiat in construction business, took over Sevel operations in 1982 through its Grupo SOCMA,^[3] after acquiring the 85% share.^[10] The company proposed to reduce production of automobiles to 30,000 per year, which caused the closure of two out of five assembly plants in Argentina, and the suspension of 15,000 employees.^[5] In the second half of the 1980s, FiatsRegatta (spelled with two t's in South America except for Venezuela^[11]),Uno,Duna were added, as well as theChevrolet C-10 pickup produced under license fromGeneral Motors.^[3][12]

As part of the rationalization effort, production of passenger vehicles was to take place in Fiat's largeEl Palomar plant, while commercials, tractors,^[13] vans, and heavy vehicles were to be built in Fiat's factory in Ferreyra,Córdoba province. Peugeot'sBerazategui (inGreater Buenos Aires) factory was decommissioned and production transferred to El Palomar, but increasing market demand in 1993 meant this plant was reopened.^[3]

The opening of imports in 1991 allowed Sevel to market in ArgentinaAlfa Romeo andCitroën vehicles.^[3] In 1992,Mauricio Macri was appointed as vice-president of the company, then being president from 1994 to 1995 before becoming afootball executive aspresident ofBoca Juniors in 1996.^[6]

Sevel, the Socma Group's centerpiece at the time, initially benefitted from the boom touched off by Economy MinisterDomingo Cavallo'sConvertibility Plan in 1991, seeing its auto sales grow from 30,000 in 1990 to 200,000 in 1994.^[14] The local auto industry was hit hard, however, by theMexican peso crisis. A fall in sales to 130,000 led the company to divest itself of the Fiat licence in 1996, and Sevel revenues fell by nearly half, to US$1.1 billion.^[14]

The Argentine economic crisis that began in 1994 affected the automotive production among other sectors. In 1996 Sevel Argentina separated fromFiat S.p.A.^[10] As Fiat's Argentine operations gradually became autonomous, Sevel moved their entire production to their El Palomar plant.^[15] In 1998, Grupo SOCMA sold its block of shares toPSA Group which took over production of Peugeot and Citroën vehicles under the name of "Peugeot-Citroën de Argentina".^[6][10]

Sevel was eventually liquidated, rescinding its Peugeot licence in March 2000, well into the1998–2002 Argentine great depression, and the Socma Group's global revenues fell from US$4.5 billion in 1994 to US$2 billion in 2001.^[4] Following Sevel's liquidation, Macri was convicted ofcustoms duty evasion relating to an auto export-import scheme via neighboringUruguay.^[16]

"Sevel Uruguay", located in its capital cityMontevideo, is an assembler ofFiat,Jeep,Chrysler,Dodge, andRam branded vehicles. The company was founded in 1984 and since 1992 it has assembled vehicles as CKD-related kits. The vehicle identification number, however, uses the plant's own brand code 9U1.

Fiat models that have been assembled in Uruguay areUno,Fiorino,Punto,Palio (sedan and station wagon),Siena,Strada,Stilo,Idea,Linea,Ducato, andIveco Daily. Some of the vehicles assembled in Uruguay are also marketed in Central America.

In 1981, production of the existing lineups (Fiat 600,133,128,125,Peugeot 404, and504) continued, but newer models were announced along with the merger. Subsequently, theFiat 147 (called Spazio) andPeugeot 505 were added, while other old models were either updated or discontinued. SEVEL-built cars received "8A4" as the manufacturer code in thevehicle identification number.

List of vehicles (automobiles and trucks) produced by Sevel Argentina, 1981–1999:

Fiat Name Type Orig. Produced Image 600 A-segment ITA 1981–82[n 1] 125 Sedan / Station wagon / Pickup ITA 1981–82[n 1] 128 Sedan / Station wagon ITA 1981–82[n 1] 133 B-segment SPA 1981–82[n 1] 619 Truck ITA 1981–95[n 1] 147 hatchbackcompact BRA 1982–96 Regatta Sedan / Station wagon[n 2] ITA 1985–95 Duna Sedan / Station wagon[n 2] ITA 1987–95 Uno B-segment ITA 1989–95 Fiorino Light commercial ITA 1990–95

Peugeot Name Type Orig. Produced Image 404 Sedan FRA 1981–81 504 Sedan / Pickup[n 3] FRA 1981–99 505 D-segment / Station wagon[n 4] FRA 1981–95 405 D-segment FRA 1992–99 306 C-segment FRA 1995–99 206 B-segment FRA 1999 Partner[n 5] Panel van FRA 1999 Chevrolet Name Type Orig. Produced Image Chevrolet C-10[n 6] Pickup USA 1985–91

Notes

• Fiat Tempra (1993–?)^[17]

• AutoLatina, similar joint venture in Argentina and Brazil

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSevel Argentina.

• PSA Group
• 1981 establishments in Argentina
• 1999 disestablishments in Argentina
• Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Argentina
• Former joint ventures
• Fiat

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• Articles with Spanish-language sources (es)
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