Premier Ltd (formerly known as The Premier Automobiles Limited) was an Indian
automotive manufacturer
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by ...
company, based in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
The company was owned by the
Walchand Group
Walchand group is a business organization that came into existence in the 20th century, founded by industrialist Walchand Hirachand, Walchand Hirachand Doshi.
Walchand Hirachand founded several companies, some of which were among the firsts in I ...
and was established by
Walchand Hirachand
Walchand Hirachand Doshi (23 November 1882 – 8 April 1953) was an Indian industrialist and the founder of the Walchand group. He established India's first modern shipyard, first aircraft factory and first car factory; he also established con ...
as Premier Automobiles Ltd (PAL) in 1944 with the encouragement and support of
Sir. M. Visvesvaraya. The company was founded in 1903 as Walchand-Phatak Co. Later on, the name was changed to TATA Constructions. Further, after the exit of TATA's name was again changed to Premier which was engaged in work of contract & construction business. In October 1947, Premier Ltd manufactured the first Indian made trucks and cars rolled out onto the streets of independent India. Premier is well-known for its
Premier Padmini
The Premier Padmini was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles Limited, a division of the Walchand Group, under licence from Fiat and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 197 ...
which ruled the Indian car market and its popularity peaked during 1970s and 80s.
History

The company was established in 1941 and negotiated with
Chrysler Corporation
FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...
for licenses to build a
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
car and a
Dodge
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
truck, sold under the Dodge, Plymouth,
DeSoto, and
Fargo names starting around 1949. In the early years, quality was considered good by both Chrysler and the Indian Department of Defense.
In 1949, parts were being made in India, starting with simpler components and gradually building up to more complex pieces. Two companies made parts for these vehicles: Premier and
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an Indian Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer based in Kolkata. It is a part of the Birla Technical Services conglomerate. Hindustan Motors was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog. ...
of Calcutta. The early years of Premier and Hindustan were marked by very low sales, due to the size of the market; only about 20,000 vehicles per year were made in India, in 65 different models. To prevent foreign companies from dominating by mass-producing parts to be assembled into cars in India, the government set up steep import duties on imported parts in 1954, allowing Indian parts-makers to survive.
Premier licensed and manufactured a version of the
Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was ...
D (beginning in 1964 continuing almost unchanged into the late 1990s). The car was initially marketed as a Fiat ("1100 Delight") and subsequently as the
Premier Padmini
The Premier Padmini was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles Limited, a division of the Walchand Group, under licence from Fiat and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 197 ...
with a 1100
cc engine and manufactured at the now defunct
Kurla
Kurla (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, uɾlaː is a suburb of East Mumbai, India. It is the headquarters of the Kurla taluka of Mumbai Suburban district. The neighbourhood is named after the eponymous Bombay East Indians, East Indian vill ...
factory in suburban Mumbai. Later models included the Premier 118NE (named after its 1171 cc
Nissan A12 engine and with a transmission from the
Nissan Cherry
The Datsun Cherry (チェリー), known later as the Nissan Cherry, is a series of subcompact cars which formed Nissan's first front-wheel drive supermini model line.
The Nissan Cherry featured the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The Ch ...
), a version of the 1960s
Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and spawned station wagon, four-seater coupé (Fiat 124 Sport Coupé, 124 Sport Coupé), and two-seate ...
built in a then-new (but now defunct) factory at
Kalyan
Kalyan (Pronunciation: əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) of Thane district ...
. The 118NE was considered a mid-size luxury car in India until the influx of modern cars in the 1990s.
Liberalisation
With the
Economic liberalisation in India
The economic liberalisation in India refers to the series of policy changes aimed at opening up the country's economy to the world, with the objective of making it more market-oriented and consumption-driven. The goal was to expand the role ...
, Premier teamed up with
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
to build an outdated model of the popular
Peugeot 309
The Peugeot 309 is a small family car that was manufactured between 1985 and 1994 in France, England and Spain by PSA Peugeot Citroën. It was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot (automobile), Talbot and, as development progressed, to be ...
in India. Production began in 1998 and initial demand was high. Labour problems and poor dealer service led to problems that were compounded when Premier also aligned themselves with Fiat to manufacture the
Fiat Uno
The Fiat Uno is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat. Launched in 1983, the Uno was produced over a single generation (with an intermediate facelift, 1989) in three and five-door hatchback body styles until 1995 in Europe — and un ...
. Peugeot pulled out of the venture around 2000 after only a few thousand cars sold. Labour and service issues also plagued the
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
venture and a
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
* Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
* Airstrike, ...
finally caused that plant to shut around 2001. Fiat and Premier faced severe criticism in the media. There were various criminal cases against its promoters and the consumer courts of India were flooded with complaints for non-refund of the car booking. The promoters of Premier Automobiles have also been confronted with criminal cases in various consumer courts of India under section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act. A customer association based at Gujarat-Rajkot called PAL Car Customer Association has made various representations against the Premier Automobiles Ltd.
In November 2004, Premier restarted operations by building a small diesel-powered
van
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...
called the Sigma. It was based on a 1980s
Mitsubishi Varica design licensed from
China Motor in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, originally intended to be fitted with Peugeot's
TUD5 diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
. The production version, as finally presented in late 2004, instead had a
Hindustan
''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...
-built 2-liter Isuzu diesel unit. It has and is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, while the car offers from five to nine seats. A multitude of other versions have since been developed, and as of December 2009 the engine has been replaced by a 1.5-liter IDI diesel (with or without turbo) or by the CNG-powered 1.8-liter
4ZB1 (both still manufactured by Hindustan). The facelift also meant improved suspension.
There was also a pickup version of the Sigma, called the Premier Roadstar.
Premier was structured as two business segments: Engineering and Automotive. The Engineering segment focussed on - CNC Machine Division and Engineering, while the Automotive segment consists of
light utility vehicles and
sports utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
s. Originally based in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, it was using an
ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...
certified plant in
Chinchwad
Chinchwad is an upscale locality which is about northwest of the historic city of Pune situated on the banks of Pavna river. The neighborhood is home to extensive industry and is well known for its automotive, pharmaceutical, electrical produc ...
,
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
. Spread over 27 acres, this plant was used as centralized research, development and manufacturing for all activities.
In October 2009, Premier re-entered the Indian passenger vehicle market with a compact SUV named RiO. Rio is assembled from CKD kits of
Zotye Nomad I made by
Zotye Auto
Zotye Auto (; officially Zotye International Automobile Trading Co., Ltd.) is a privately owned Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Yongkang, Zhejiang, China. It is owned by Zotye Holding Group and was established in 2005.
History
Zotye was ...
of China, and went on sale in December 2009.
[ This vehicle was itself a poorly built copy of ]Daihatsu
is a Japanese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
One of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers, the company was known for building three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicle ...
's old Terios model again from the 1998.
In December 2018 the company filed for bankruptcy. Production of the Rio had beenstopped, and the land of Pune factory was sold in year 2019.
Models
Assembled
* Dodge Kingsway
The Dodge Kingsway is an automobile built by Dodge for export markets. The Kingsway name was adopted for the 1940 models. Before that, the export models based on Plymouth models had no unique model names.
Kingsways were rebadged Plymouth vehicles ...
* Plymouth Savoy
The Plymouth Savoy is an automobile which was produced in the 1951 through 1964 model years by Plymouth.
As with Plymouth's Plaza and Belvedere models, the Savoy was named after an upscale hotel, the Savoy Hotel in London.
1951-1953
Plymout ...
* Plymouth Belvedere
The Plymouth Belvedere is a series of United States, American automobile models made by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1954 until 1970.
The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the ...
* Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was ...
* Fiat Uno
The Fiat Uno is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat. Launched in 1983, the Uno was produced over a single generation (with an intermediate facelift, 1989) in three and five-door hatchback body styles until 1995 in Europe — and un ...
* Peugeot 309
The Peugeot 309 is a small family car that was manufactured between 1985 and 1994 in France, England and Spain by PSA Peugeot Citroën. It was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot (automobile), Talbot and, as development progressed, to be ...
Early models
*Fiat Millecento (1100/103)
*Fiat Elegant (1100/103 E) with Chest light
*Fiat Select (1100/103 D - tailfin model) - 1958
*Fiat Super Select (1100/103 H) - 1961
*Fiat Delight (1100 D) - 1964
Previous models
There was also Premier President, that lasted for two or three years, while Padmini was transformed from 1100 D
*Premier Padmini
The Premier Padmini was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles Limited, a division of the Walchand Group, under licence from Fiat and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 197 ...
- derived from Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was ...
* Premier 118NE - derived from Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and spawned station wagon, four-seater coupé (Fiat 124 Sport Coupé, 124 Sport Coupé), and two-seate ...
* Premier Sigma (a compact diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
MPV)
** Premier Sigma Lifeline (an ambulance based on Sigma Platform)
** Premier Sigma Express (a cargo carrier based on Sigma Platform)
** Premier Sigma School Van (a Diesel or CNG school van based on Sigma Platform)
** Premier Sigma Tourist Van (a Diesel or CNG tourist van based on Sigma Platform)
* Premier Rio
The is a mini SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Daihatsu since 1997 as the successor to the F300 series Rocky. It was initially offered in both short- and long-wheelbase configurations before the former stopped production in ...
(India's first compact diesel SUV, rebadged Zotye Nomad I)
* Premier Roadstar (a compact diesel pickup)
** Premier Roadstar Tipper (open and closed body tipper)
References
External links
Premier Automobiles Limited official website
Premier RiO Website
Premier RiO Reviews
{{Authority control
Car manufacturers of India
Manufacturing companies based in Mumbai
Indian companies established in 1944
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1944
Indian brands
Walchand Group
Car brands
Companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India
Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange
Indian companies disestablished in 2018