Korporacija Fabrika automobila Priboj (; abbr. FAP) is a Serbian automotive manufacturer of

military vehicle A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles, both specifically designed for or significantly used by military. Most military vehicles require Off-road vehicle, off-road capabilities ...

s and with the headquarters in Priboj. Initially producing licensed copies of Saurer trucks, it produced Mercedes-Benz NG trucks under license. FAP is now majority owned by the

Government of Serbia The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...

and it is part of " Defense Industry of Serbia". As of 2024, it has 138 employees and an annual revenue of 12.60 million euros.

History

1952–1970s: Early years

Founded in 1952 by decree of

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. On 30 October 1953, the first trucks were produced based on licence from Saurer.Istorija
at FAP official website, retrieved 1-12-2018 Models were 4G and 6G (4 and 6 tonnes). In 1959 factory was extended and capacity growth on 3600 vehicles per year. In 1961 vehicles and engines manufacturers cluster "ITV" was formed with FAP as member. The first domestically designed FAP vehicles where FAP 10B and FAP 15B introduced in serial production by 1965. The FAP 18B was made with a Leyland engine licence built by FAMOS. In 1970 a production, technical and financial cooperation contract was signed with

Daimler-Benz Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a Germany, German Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is o ...

. The first product from FAP based on contract with Daimler-Benz was LP1113, and it was followed by MB 1213 and O 302. By 1975 new manufacturing plant with 50.000 square meters was built and 150 new machines installed. New projected capacity was 10.000 vehicles/year. Licence contract with Mercedes-Benz was extended in 1976. for production of vehicle from 12 to 26 tonnes weight; many new vehicles are produced like FAP 1616, 1620, 1626, 1921, 1926, 2226 and 2626. With collaboration of FAP with

Military Technical Institute Belgrade Military Technical Institute (; abbr. ) is a Serbian weapons and aircraft design institute, headquartered in Belgrade, and governed by the Ministry of Defence (Serbia), Serbian Ministry of Defence. It is a top-level military scientific research ...

in 1978 it is developed special military vehicles FAP 2026/6×6 and it is produced in following years in different variants to satisfy various roles in military. FAP was producing many different chassis that were used in factories in Zagreb, Skopje, Belgrade as bases for producing buses and other vehicles. In 1986 licence with Mercedes-Benz was extended for producing 12-26 tonnes gross vehicle weight. In 1984 FAP was again extending factory in newly built industrial zone "Manovica". By their own design center, trailers where developed from 20 to 70 tonnes gross weight. Until 1991 FAP had 16,468 square meters of factory space. Trucks and other FAP products were exported worldwide.

1970s–1990s: Export success and international expedition

On 15 July 1970 FAP started production and financial cooperation, with other Yugoslavian enterprises: "FAMOS" (

SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

), " Autokaroserija" (

SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

), "11 oktomvri" (

SR Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

). On international plan, FAP achieved export on African market:

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Endurance of the FAP trucks was tested in the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

during 1995–96 expedition "Putevi sveta (On Pathways of the World")". It is FAP 2026 GC/B 6X6 which was produced in cooperation with

Ikarbus Ikarbus a.d. (full legal name: ''Ikarbus – Fabrika autobusa i specijalnih vozila a.d.'') is a Serbian bus manufacturer based in Zemun, Belgrade. It was originally established as an aircraft manufacturer in 1923, under the name Ikarus. In 1954 ...

. Aim of this expedition was to cross road Priboj-

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

- Ulan Bator-

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

- Dalyan-

- Priboj. This aim was accomplished for only 139 days in the winter season. File:FAP 2832 BS-AV AMSS1.jpg, Fap 2832 8x8, military truck Among all FAP trucks, great success in sport activities had FAP 1626, with V8 Mercedes engine. During the 80s some local enterprises PIK "Belje" (Subsidiary "Beljetrans") advantage great success on FIA European Truck Racing Championship in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and Spain with 22 people crew and Vlado Čugalj at the wheel. Championship in Germany was delayed due to financial problems of the PIK "Belje". FAP 1626 probably was the only truck which returned his original purpose-transportation of the load.

1990s–2010s: Limited operation

During severe economic problems in Serbia in the 1990s, FAP lost many markets and significantly deteriorated in terms of research and production. During the 2000s, it offered many variants of vehicles based on old Mercedes tooling, with different engines manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, Cummins, MAN and Famos, FAP was producing vehicles for domestic use and export. Exported vehicles could be found in many countries worldwide like

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, etc. Production lines consisted of military and civilian vehicles. FAP also built chassis, trailers aggregates (axles, transmissions, spare parts, cabins, shipbuilding parts etc.). All produced vehicles had EURO 3, EURO 4 or EURO 5 engines type.

2014–present: Military-oriented production

In 2014, Finnish truck maker

Sisu Auto Osakeyhtiö, Oy Sisu Auto Aktiebolag, Ab is a truck manufacturer based in Raseborg, Finland. Its name comes from the Finnish language, Finnish word ''sisu'' meaning guts, grit and determination. Sisu Auto has a subsidiary company, Sisu Defence ...

has placed offer to buy FAP, in cooperation with the

. However, the negotiations were shut down due to disagreements in strategy between the parties. Over the years, the Government of Serbia has worked to place the company on healthy grounds; in the process more than 1,000 employees have left the company with severance payments. As of 2017, FAP is operating as manufacturer and overhaul provider for the Serbian Army. In 2017, FAP delivered ten new trucks to the Serbian Army, as part of 2.53 million euros deal with the Serbian Ministry of Defence. In December 2022, FAP signed a new contract with the Ministry of Defence, worth 3.15 million euros. In November 2023, on its 70th anniversary, FAP presented a prototype for a facelifted civilian truck, called the FAP 2240. It features a new grille, front bumper and headlights, as well as a completely overhauled interior taken from the Chinese BeiBen NG80. The truck is equipped with a 6 cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM457 engine, making 400 HP, and a 16-speed ZF Ecosplit manual transmission. The fuel tank holds up to 400 litres and the top speed of the truck is said to be 95 km/h. The FAP 2240 has yet to reach series production.

Production lines

Military production line

* FAP 1118 FAP1118 1

* FAP 2228

* FAP 3240 FAP 3240 1

* FAP 1318 FAP 1318 BDS-AV 01

Civilian production program

Lorries/trucks

* 1318 B/42 Engine type OM 904 LA EU3 or OM 904 LA EU5 * 1824 BD/48 4x2 Engine type OM 906 LA EU5 * 1828 BD/48 4x2 Engine type MB OM 906 LA EU3 * 1829 BD/48 4x2 Engine type OM 906 LA EU5 * 2235 BD/45 6x2 Engine type OM 457 LA EU3 * 2236 BD/45 6x2 Engine type ISL 8.9 EU5 360 * 2240 BD/45 6x2 Engine type OM457 LA EU5 (PROTOTYPE)

Tractors

* 1836 BDT/32 4x2 Engine type OM 457 LA EU3 * 1840 BDT/32 4x2 Engine type OM 457 LA EU3 * 2636 BDT/32 6x4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU3 * 2636 BDT/32 6x4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU3

Dump trucks

* 1318 BK/36 4x2 Engine type OM 904 LA EU3 or OM 904 LA EU5 * 1418 BSK/36 4x4 Engine type OM 904 LA EU3 or OM 904 LA EU5 * 2024 BK/38 4x2 Engine type OM 906 LA EU5 * 2024 BSK/38 4x4 Engine type OM 906 LA EU5 * 2629 BK/32 6x4 Engine type OM 906 LA EU5 * 2630 BK/32 6x4 Engine type ISB 6.7 E5 300 * 2636 BK/32 6x4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU5 * 3036 BK/32 6x4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU5 * 3240 BKM/32 6x4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU5 or CUMMINS ISLe4 + 400 EU4 * 4140 BKM/45 8x4/4 Engine type OM 457 LA EU5

Buses

FAP produces variety of buses: City buses, Suburb buses, Intercity buses, Minibuses. * City Bus A-537.4 CNG Engine type CUMMINS –CGe4-280 –Euro 4 * City Bus A-537.3 Engine type MB OM 457 hla EU3 or MAN D2066LUH 11 EU4 * City Bus A-537.5 Engine type OM 457h LA EU5 * Single low Floor City Bus A-547.3 Engine type MB OM 457h LA EU3 or MAN D2066 LUH 12 EU4 * Double low Floor City Bus A-559.4 Engine type MAN D2066 LUH 12 EU4 * Midibus A-402 Engine type CUMMINS B180-20

Chassis

There is also a chassis in production. They are used as bases for different kind of vehicles and special upgrades. * Chassis A-918 Engine type Cummins B 180 - 20

Vehicles history production lines

List of vehicles which are no longer in production.

Military

List of produced military vehicles in past: * FAP 13 Fap13

* 13-14K * 18 * M930 * 1117 (4x4) * 2026 (6x6) * 2832 (8x8)

Civilian

List of produced civilian vehicles in past: * 4G * 6G * 10B * 15B * G1100 * 13 Fire engine in Perast

* 18 engine based on licence produce Leyland engine * LP1113 * MB 1213 * O 302 *

1620 Events January–March * January 7 – Ben Jonson's play ''News from the New World Discovered in the Moon'' is given its first performance, a presentation to King James I of England. In addition to dialogue about actual observ ...

1621 Events January–March * January 12 – Şehzade Mehmed, the 15-year old half-brother of Ottoman Sultan Osman II, is put to death by hanging on Osman's orders. Before dying, Mehmed prays aloud that Osman's reign as Sultan be r ...

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament to meet on March 7, becoming the nominal beginning of the "Trienio Liberal" in History of Spain (1 ...

* 1823 * 1835 RBDT * 2640 RBDT * 1922 RBSK * 2021 RBK * 2023 RBK FAP 2023 Beogradput