Astra Veicoli Industriali S.p.A. (Anonima Sarda TRAsporti
) is an Italian company that produces trucks, heavy transport vehicles and military vehicles. Astra was privately founded in 1946 in
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
, and since 1986 has been part of
Iveco
IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...
. In 1951 Astra moved to
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
. From 1946 to 1986 Astra was owned by the Bertuzzi family of Piacenza. ASTRA is an Iveco Group brand.
History
* 1934 - After work as an engineer for various companies, Mario Bertuzzi opens his first garage near
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
.
* 1936-1939 - Bertuzzi works in
Italian-occupied Ethiopia, gaining experience and wealth.
Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 23
* During the war, Bertuzzi owned a repair shop in Piacenza. He relocated to
Quarto, in Campania, in 1944, as the Allied bombing raids on the
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...
drew closer.
Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 24
* 1946 - Bertuzzi, operating out of Piacenza, founded a company called ''Anonima Sarda TRAsporti'' (Sardinian Transport Company) to buy a lot of 1000 surplus allied military vehicles located in
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
,
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
. The goal was to ship them back to the mainland and to either convert them to civilian duties, or to rebuild them for the renascent Italian military.
[
* 1948 - Bertuzzi buys out his partner and sells off the remaining old vehicles for scrap; instead, the company gains contracts for maintaining the vehicles of the Italian as well as the American forces.]Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 25
* 1951 - The company returns to the civil sector as General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
approaches Astra to provide service for GM engines in Italy.[ Work on upgrading new trucks for heavier duty work recommences.]Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 26
* 1955 - Astra presented its first vehicle of their own design, the BM1. It was meant for use with public works contractors for heavy-duty, off-road work, such as quarries or tunnel construction. The truck had a GM diesel engine and reconditioned AEC Matador
The AEC Matador was a heavy 4×4 truck and medium artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during World War II. AEC had already built a 4×2 lorry, also known as the Matador (all AEC lorries r ...
axles, plentiful in Italian military depots.[
* 1956 - Mario Bertuzzi dies, leaving his sons Camillo and Enzo in charge. Camillo handled the civilian side of the business, Enzo the military side.][
During the 1960s, the companies' facility was enlarged several times, and a broader range of vehicles with dumper and mixer models were added.
* 1960 - The BM2 appeared, a heavier-duty version of the BM1.
* 1961 - The BM18 appeared, capable of even heavier loads. There were also the similar BM19, and BM21.
* 1962 - Astra's first road-going truck, the three-axle BM12, was introduced.
* 1965 - BM22 - BM25. A new 140,000 square meter plant was opened, and Astra stopped rebuilding outside constructions. New axles were also developed by new technical director Fabio Pavesi, ending the dependence on old material.]Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 29
* 1967 - The BM16 is introduced, a road-going truck with an automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
.[
* 1970 - Launch of giant cranes for chassis BE 8440 and BE 10660. The crane project proved a disappointment and was short-lived.][
* 1976 - The BM35 large volume dump truck is introduced, entering a new market sector for Astra.]Weber
Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.
Notable pe ...
, p. 27[
* 1976 - The BM20 is introduced, a heavy-duty truck with Astra's first own cabin, a spacious two-seater ]fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
construction.[
]
* 1982 - Launch of the 300-series 6x4 40-tonne highway trucks, the angular cabin was designed by Italdesign Giugiaro
Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. is a design and engineering company and brand based in Moncalieri, Italy, that traces its roots to the 1968 foundation of Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A. by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani. Best kno ...
.[
* 1984 - Astra participates in the ]Paris-Dakar rally
The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...
with the BM 309. BM501 added to the range of dump trucks.
* 1986 - After years of contraction, the nearly bankrupt Astra SpA is acquired by Iveco; Astra already had technical cooperation with Iveco since its inception.
* 1989 - Launch of the new 6000 series, still using the 300-series cabin.
* 1992 - Launch of the 6500 series range of technologically advanced trucks.
* 1994 - The designation BM disappears in favour of HD (Heavy Duty), now called the HD6.
* 1996 - ASTRA celebrates 50 years and more than 25,000 vehicles manufactured and sold worldwide. Launch of HD7 series, with a range of 2, 3, and 4 driven axles and IVECO engines ranging from to .
* 1997 - Company receives ISO 9001-2000 certification. Astra Industrial Vehicles SpA also receives the ISO 14001-1996 certification.
* 1999 - The 28- and 40-tonne dump trucks were added to the range, available with an automatic transmission - the first in the world to be installed in such heavy-duty quarry vehicles.
* 2000 - The HD7 range is complemented by the new HD7/C series, equipped with new Iveco Cursor (Euro 3) engines. At ESIS (Batimat Italian) Astra unveils a new range of articulated dump trucks (ADT) - models ADT25 and ADT30, with 25 and 30 tonnes of payload respectively.
* 2003 - On 1 January Astra took over SIVI
The SIVI SpA (Società Italiano Veicoli Industriali) was an Italian truck modification company founded in 1982. Partnered with Iveco from the start, SIVI builds vehicles using Iveco trucks as a basis, SIVI was absorbed by Astra SpA in January 200 ...
, itself a partner of Iveco since 1982. SIVI modifies ASTRA trucks for heavy-duty applications.
* 2004 - Two new models of 35 and 40 tonnes of payload are added to the range of articulated dump trucks: the ADT35 and ADT40, both powered by Iveco Cursor 13 engines.
* 2005 - The new range of HD8 construction trucks was introduced, which replaces the HD7 and HD7/C.
* 2011 - The new HD9 range replaced the HD8. With a cabin in sheet metal (as used on the Iveco Trakker
The Trakker is a truck produced by Iveco for use in construction. It is available with a total mass (gross vehicle weight) of . It has a strong frame, off-road capability, different axles, and an optional all-wheel drive.
Motors
The Trakker i ...
) Astra now abandoned their long tradition of fiberglass cabs.
Quarry and construction vehicles
Currently, the production of vehicles by Astra includes a number of construction-oriented trucks (HD8), rigid dump trucks (RD), and articulated dump trucks (ADT). Production of vehicles began in 1955 with the construction of the BM1, a rigid dump truck that had some success. Following the enlargement of the factory, the BM series was extended, and the model BM 309 participated in the Paris-Dakar in the truck category. In 1996, the fiftieth anniversary of the company's founding, the HD7 series went on the market, which also had some success. In 2005 this was replaced by the current HD8 range. In 2009 Astra launched a new range of heavy-duty vehicles called HHD.
Vehicles for special use
In 2002 the company absorbed Astra SIVI (a partner of Iveco from 1982), which produced vehicles for heavy transport, and in 2004 completely integrated production by SIVI. Vehicles produced by SIVI Astra are all produced on the basis of Iveco vehicles, currently Stralis and Trakker.
Products
The Astra range of products includes:
* Heavy construction trucks, with the BM1 series launched in 1955, the WB series 12-16-18-19-20-E1-22 and 25, then the 300 series and 6000 until 1994; HD6, HD7, HD7c appeared in 2000, and HD8 in 2005
* Trucks for special applications, produced by SIVI, based on Fiat and Iveco chassis, Iveco Trakker
The Trakker is a truck produced by Iveco for use in construction. It is available with a total mass (gross vehicle weight) of . It has a strong frame, off-road capability, different axles, and an optional all-wheel drive.
Motors
The Trakker i ...
with 720T55EZ and 720 tonnes of PTR,
* RD - rigid dump trucks
* AD - articulated dump trucks
* Military trucks group - Iveco Defense.
Military
Since 1990, Astra SpA has built the entire military range of trucks produced by the Iveco group.
Highway trucks
The HD7 series in cargo and tractor versions are as follows.
HD7/C series, HD8, equipped with Iveco Motors Cursor 13.
The HD7/C series, equipped with motors type Cursor 13 Euro 4 consists of:
The new HD8 series, equipped with the also new Iveco
IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...
Cursor 13 Euro 5 contains 16 configurations of chassis with 5 different motors:
Two special series of HD8 are destined for foreign markets:
* Spain with a PTR of 104T for special convoys
* Libya with Iveco 8000 series engines, which are also mounted on locally assembled Iveco trucks.
Dump trucks
Rigid
Articulated
See also
*List of Italian companies
Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe with the third largest nominal GDP in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world. As an advanced economy the country also has the sixth worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third fo ...
Notes and references
1. â†
Astra dumptrucks at dumper.fr
(French)
References
External links
*
Astra Agenzia D'Arrezzo (Direct Sales Agency for Astra) Official website
Company profile
{{Authority control
Iveco
Defence companies of Italy
Italian brands
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1946
Italian companies established in 1946
Truck manufacturers of Italy
Military vehicle manufacturers