TAM has a longstanding history of producing vehicles. While the company used to produce different types of vehicles ranging from military trucks, light trucks, heavy trucks, fire trucks, buses and even vehicle components like engines, it now only focuses on buses. There are three buses it now produces:
airport buses called VIVAIR,
electric buses called VERO, and
coaches called VIVE.
VERO
VERO is an electric city bus that TAM started to produce in 2016. It is modular, meaning each client can select the modules that best fit their use. It can carry up to 66 people. It also features a small turn radius, a light weight structure and charging versatility. In addition to being used as an electric city bus, it can also be used as an electric VIP or Crew shuttle bus.
VIVAIR
VIVAIR is an airport bus used in 20 countries on 3 continents. It is also the largest airport bus by size and passenger capacity. Furthermore a feature of TAM's VIVAIR is that its customizable. Clients can change colors, seats, layouts and choose their preferred vehicle dimensions.
VIVE
VIVE is a coach that comes in three versions. The differences are the dimensions, wheelbase, size of luggage compartment and the seat configuration. Passenger capacity varies from 41+1+1 to 45+1+1.
History
In 1938, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia launched a competition to find a truck design that would be license produced in the country. The competing vehicles had to complete a journey across Yugoslav roads of poor quality. The RN won and in 1938, the Zavodi Aleksandar Ranković, ancestor of post WWII Industrija Motora Rakovica plant near Belgrade, started to receive parts for assembly, the first Yugoslav manufactured vehicle rolling off the production line in 1940. Unfortunately, production was cut short by the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. Production resumed in 1947 with the name Pionir, but by 1950 less than 1,200 had been made. Production was therefore moved from Serbia to Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor in Maribor. The origin of the Maribor factory lies with the German occupying forces. In 1942 a site outside the city was set up to manufacture aircraft parts. To maintain production under allied air attacks, some of the plant was in tunnels. Some 17,146 vehicles, known as TAM Pionir, were produced during the next fifteen years. The majority were flatbed trucks, but a number of fire engines, buses and other vehicles were also produced. TAM's first model, the TAM Pionir, was built under license from the Czechoslovak company Praga, and was manufactured until 1962, with a total of 17,416 produced in that period. TAM quickly became Yugoslavia's leading truck manufacturer. In 1958, it began manufacturing vehicles under license from the German companyMagirus-Deutz. In 1961, the company was renamed to Tovarna Avtomobilov in Motorjev Maribor, however the TAM acronym and logo were retained. At its height, it employed more than 8,000 workers; however, the economic decline of the 1980s saw financial difficulties, and in 1996 the company was dissolved. TAM was succeeded by TVM in 2001, producing MAN trucks under license primarily for the Slovenian Army. TVM became part of the Viator & Vector group, and continued for some years until the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008. The company ended in bankruptcy in 2011 with debts totaling over €62 million. The company was resuscitated in 2014 under the name TAM - Europe with Chinese investment from China Hi-Tech Corporation group. Its main product line is airside buses for airports, followed by coaches and electric buses called "VERO".
Past Product Line
TAM 110 T7 B/BV
TAM 150 T11 B/BV
Logo
The TAM logo resembles a three-leafed clover standing on point, with each lobe containing one letter of the acronym and a small five-pointed star occupying the center. When the company received the new investment in 2014, it also rebranded to a new logo.
In the past, TAM used to have a special naming convention for its trucks. However, this naming convention is no longer used for its modern bus product lines. TAM trucks were assigned a string of three variables, number-letter-number; for example, model 190 T 11.
