Namco (automobiles)


NAMCO is a Greek vehicle manufacturer. It was founded in 1972 by Kontogouris brothers

History

The first efforts of the Kontogouris brothers involved attempts to build a light truck called Hellas in Germany. In 1957, they acquired rights to the production technology of a multi-purpose vehicle developed by Swiss engineer Dr. Wilfried Fahr. In 1961, Kontogouris created their first company in Thessaloniki, Greece, to produce the vehicle, called FARMOBIL, with BMW 700 flat-2 engine. Ironically, this smart vehicle was not certified for the Greek market and all production was exported to several countries around the world. In 1963, the company was acquired by Chrysler and renamed it Chrysler Hellas S.A. In 1967, production in Greece was stopped by the American company and was transferred to other countries. Meanwhile, in 1961 ambitious plans were made by the Kontogouris Brothers for a new company with a new factory in Patras, Greece to produce under licence a German-designed three-wheeler truck and other vehicles, but were not materialized.

NAMCO (1972)

NAMCO would resurface in 1972, when a light passenger-utility vehicle called the Pony was introduced in the Thessaloniki International Fair, after an agreement was signed with Citroën. The car, whose original design was created by a team of French engineers in Côte d'Ivoire on a 2CV platform, had been adopted by Citroën itself as part of "basic world car" project that eventually led to the Citroën FAF. Indeed, cars on the same basis were produced around the world from Vietnam to Portugal, but the Pony became by far the most successful. In 1974, NAMCO started business officially and production started in a new plant in Thessaloniki. The Pony, helped by a law giving tax breaks for light utility-passenger vehicles, became an instant success, being the cheapest car in the market and, at the same time, an incredibly robust and practical automobile; about half a dozen Greek companies would follow NAMCO's example, with similar contraptions, none of which, though, came close to Pony's success. The car was greatly modernized and a large number of versions and facelifts followed, keeping it up to standards. A production number of 30,000 Pony's has often been cited, but it most probably included similar vehicles produced in other countries; a more accurate number of cars produced in Greece should be close to 17,000 units. Following its success in the Greek market, the company made significant exports to many countries around the world, undoubtedly "helped" by the Citroën logo on the vehicle.

In 1978, NAMCO decided to move into other fields, introducing a series of very advanced 4x4 and 6x6 multi-purpose trucks featuring a novel Swiss-designed, patented axle/suspension system. A complete lineup was made for many uses, consisting of the Agricar, Milicar, Pyrcar and Multi-trac vehicles. It is somewhat of a mystery why those advanced vehicles had limited success, with only small numbers ordered by Greek state authorities. Similarly, NAMCO designed a number of military vehicles including the Panther, as well as the Tiger and Aquilles armored vehicles and 4x4's, some of which did not even reach the stage of complete prototype. It has been argued that it was simply the wrong time, since the Greek state favored a state company for its supplies in that period.
The first generation Pony was produced until 1983; in the meanwhile, the law concerning taxation of similar vehicles had been modified. Plans to manufacture other cars under license were not realized and for a moment it seemed that NAMCO would once more be out of business. But the company would bounce back, introducing a completely new model, the Pony Super, introduced in 1985. The second generation Pony had no connection with Citroën technology and was a much more modern car with Ford engines, coming in a number of versions. It was essentially developed by NAMCO, since Inthelco, a German company also involved in its development, was majority-owned by NAMCO at the time. An ambitious plan was made to export the car to the U.S. with a 1900 cc engine via Inthelco as the Desta at a rate of 20,000 per year. However, the costs and prospects proved to be grossly miscalculated and the plan was abandoned. No matter how improved the new Pony was, it was still a far cry from the needs of the contemporary Greek market made of progressively more affluent and demanding consumers. Only a few hundred Pony Super's were built until 1992.
Once more, though, the company created one more chance for rebirth, as its founders were stubbornly attached to the car-making business. So, although they also diversified into imports and trade of vehicles keeping NAMCO alive, they transformed the company into a technology exporter, offering design and construction of vehicle producing miniplants together with the Pony and their 4x4 truck technology. In 1994, the first Pony Supers produced under license in Bulgaria came out of the assembly plant in that country.
NAMCO is still alive today, although a shadow of its former self. Production of the Pony Super and the trucks never "officially" ended, as the company maintains a factory able to resume production. Actually, a "third-generation" Pony was introduced in 2003 but never produced. Company focus, nonetheless, as was the case with many similar Greek companies, has decisively shifted towards trade and services.

New era

The company has announced plans to restart production in 2015, introducing a "new generation Pony". The new Pony will be powered either by a PCM or FIAT engine, while retains the lines of the old Pony, and because it is a new era car the interior will feature a USB hub. According to the company, several countries in Asia, Africa, and South America have expressed interest in license production of the new model. It will cost about 7.000€.

Models

Company:Farco