Vehículos Industriales y Agrícolas, S.A. (or VIASA) was a Spanish automobile company, a division of parent company Construcciones y Auxiliares de Ferrocariles (CAF).

History

The company was founded in

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

in the late 1950s to build agricultural equipment and vehicles Willys Overland

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

s under license from Kaiser-Willys. It was one of three companies specializing in the production of commercial vehicles, two of them,

ENASA ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones S.A.) was a Spanish motor vehicle manufacturing company that was incorporated in 1946 after having bought the automotive assets of the Spanish Hispano-Suiza and the Italian Fiat in Spain. It produced truck ...

and

AISA Aisa or AISA may refer to: * Aisa (fate), the Homeric Moira or Atropos, one of the three Fates * Aisa (portion), an Homeric word similar with Moira (part or portion) * Aísa, a town in Spain * Aesa, a town of ancient Macedonia * ''Aisa'' (leafhopp ...

, were controlled by the Spanish government through the INI. The third was VIASA, a division of parent company Construcciones y Auxiliares de Ferrocariles (CAF) that built railway cars and locomotives. Production began in 1960, and soon local content of all components was achieved. Vehicles used

Perkins Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another derivation com ...

and Barreiros gasoline or diesel engines. In the early 1960s, VIASA also manufactured

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models 211R, 411R, and 421R under license. In 1963, forward control "SV" versions went on sale offering a range of models with sharp-edged bodies with straight sheet metal design to simplify manufacture. These were completely unique from any other Jeep-based vehicles anywhere in the world. All had the same advanced cockpit in pick-up, van, chassis cab, or duplex passenger cabin. This Spanish design utilized the versatility of the

Jeep Forward Control The Jeep Forward Control is a truck that was produced by Willys Motors, later named Kaiser Jeep, from 1956 to 1965. It was also assembled in other international markets. The layout featured a cab over (forward control) design. The Forward Control ...

platform with a more basic approach to further enhance the utility of the vehicles. They were available with the Willis Super Hurricane straight-six producing and of torque or a 3.0 L Perkins four-cylinder diesel producing and of torque. The Perkins diesel engine allowed them achieve almost and to cruise at 100 kilometers per hour (approx 60 mph). In 1968, VIASA merged with Material Móvil y Construcciones S.A. In 1974, it was absorbed by Motor Ibérica and placed under

Ebro trucks Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles with plants located in Barcelona, Madrid, Ávila, and Cordoba. History Ebro trucks's parent company, Motor Ibérica, was set up in 19 ...

. In the early eighties the Viasa vehicles disappeared from the Motor Ibérica catalog, to be replaced by the

Nissan Vanette The is a cabover van and pickup truck produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978 until 2011. The first two generations were engineered by Nissan's Aichi Manufacturing Division for private, personal ownership, with the last two generatio ...

and

Nissan Patrol The is a series of full-size SUVs manufactured by Nissan in Japan and sold throughout the world. The Patrol has been available as either a short-wheelbase (SWB) three-door or a long-wheelbase (LWB) five-door chassis since 1951. The LWB version ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vehiculos Industriales y Agricolas, S.A Truck manufacturers of Spain Motor vehicle assembly plants in Spain Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Spain History of Zaragoza Companies of Spain Spanish companies established in 1960 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1960 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1974 1974 disestablishments in Spain Jeep Nissan

History

See also

Notes