ARO (short for
Auto Romania) was an
off-road vehicleAn off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface.
It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads and a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
manufacturer located near the town of
Câmpulung-MuscelCâmpulung , or Câmpulung Muscel, is a city in the Argeş County, Wallachia, Romania. It is situated among the outlying hills of the Transylvanian Alps, at the head of a long well-wooded glen traversed by the river Târgului, a tributary of the Argeş.Its pure air and fine scenery render Câmpulung a...
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
.
Production of ARO vehicles have restarted under the aegis of a
CzechThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
company called Auto Max Czech (AMC).
For a short while, Daihatsu-powered AROs were produced in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
under the
brandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
s Hisparo and
PortaroThe Portaro was an all-terrain vehicle manufactured in Portugal by FMAT . The Portaro was derived from an early version of the Romanian ARO, and was available in two main versions, the Jipe and the Pick-up...
, respectively.
The
ARO 10 off-roader was symobolised as one of the rewards given by
Nicolae CeauşescuNicolae Andruţă Ceauşescu was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, President of the Council of State from 1967, and President of Romania from 1974 to 1989...
to women who gave birth to ten or more children.
ARO started production in 1957 and manufactured over 375,000 vehicles, 2/3 of which were exported in some 110 countries on five continents (before 1989 about 90% of the ARO production was exported).
ARO (short for
Auto Romania) was an
off-road vehicleAn off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface.
It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads and a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
manufacturer located near the town of
Câmpulung-MuscelCâmpulung , or Câmpulung Muscel, is a city in the Argeş County, Wallachia, Romania. It is situated among the outlying hills of the Transylvanian Alps, at the head of a long well-wooded glen traversed by the river Târgului, a tributary of the Argeş.Its pure air and fine scenery render Câmpulung a...
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
.
Production of ARO vehicles have restarted under the aegis of a
CzechThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
company called Auto Max Czech (AMC).
For a short while, Daihatsu-powered AROs were produced in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
under the
brandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
s Hisparo and
PortaroThe Portaro was an all-terrain vehicle manufactured in Portugal by FMAT . The Portaro was derived from an early version of the Romanian ARO, and was available in two main versions, the Jipe and the Pick-up...
, respectively.
The
ARO 10 off-roader was symobolised as one of the rewards given by
Nicolae CeauşescuNicolae Andruţă Ceauşescu was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, President of the Council of State from 1967, and President of Romania from 1974 to 1989...
to women who gave birth to ten or more children.
History
Beginning
ARO started production in 1957 and manufactured over 375,000 vehicles, 2/3 of which were exported in some 110 countries on five continents (before 1989 about 90% of the ARO production was exported). AROs were also produce in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, and
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
.
John Perez
In 1998, an American businessman, John Perez, offered franchise agreements to US auto dealers. Some 200 dealers paid $75,000 each, for a total of $15 million dollars, for franchise rights. These rights were offered by the company, East European Imports. The ARO was offered as a Warsaw pact surplus military vehicle. After the franchises were sold, dealers were pressured to send cashiers checks or wire transfers to start receiving vehicles that were allegedly in a USA port in Florida. Dealers refused and insisted to pay upon delivery. Immediately, East European Imports closed its doors.
In September 2003, the Romanian state sold for a price of 180,000 USD, 68.7% of ARO to
Cross Lander, owned by John Perez. The contract said that the company had to invest 2 million USD, but allegedly, none of this investment has been done. Instead, the industrial equipment of ARO was sold off (according to the privatization contract, he was not allowed to do that). The Romanian state sued John Perez in 2006 for using false documents which helped him buy the company.
The
ARO 244 model was planned to enter the US market as the
Cross Lander 244XThe Cross Lander 244X was a basic, rugged 4x4 SUV built in Romania and based on the ARO 244. Sales in the United States were expected to begin in 2005, with targets of 6,000 units per year but the launch has been cancelled. The American Cross Lander uses Ford's 4.0 L Cologne V6 engine and an...
, but funding ran out in February 2006 .
The company
Cross Lander USA Inc fired all its employees, sold its headquarters and closed down in February 2006.
ARO went into bankruptcy in June 2006.
AmRom
The company Amrom Automotive 2006 was negotiating with ARO creditors to purchase the company from bankruptcy, and plans to resume production of the ARO line of vehicles under the ARO name at the Câmpulung factory.
External links