The automobile industry in Poland makes up a sizeable part of the Polish economy, accounting for about 11% of Poland's industrial production. Poland is one of the largest producer of light vehicles (passenger cars) in Central and Eastern Europe. As of 2013 Poland was the 23rd largest automaker in the world.

Brand

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History

The first Polish company that produced automobile vehicles, Ursus, was established in 1893, and became known for a line of

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...

s produced since 1922. After Poland regained independence in the aftermath of World War I, Polish automotive industry produced a number of light military vehicles, such as armored cars

tankette A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting.

s and

light tanks A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...

(

7TP The 7TP (''siedmiotonowy polski'' - 7-tonne Polish) was a Polish light tank of the Second World War. It was developed from the British Vickers 6-ton. A standard tank of the Polish Army during the 1939 Invasion of Poland, its production did not e ...

being the most advanced model). Civilian automotive production also existed, with the Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe (later, Państwowe Zakłady Inżynieryjne) being the most notable company. Nonetheless, compared to more industrialized countries in the Western Europe, interwar Poland is seen as having rather limited auto producing capacities before World War II. Interrupted by World War II (German invasion of Poland), then destruction and plunder of the industry (including the automotive industry) by Germans, automobile production in Poland resumed afterward, and the socialist People's Republic of Poland produced 417 834 vehicles in 1980 which gave Poland the 13th place in the world, 8th in Europe and 2nd after the USSR in the Eastern Bloc. Of models of that era, the best known were those from FSO:

FSO Warszawa :''Sections of this article are translated from Polish Wikipedia''. FSO Warszawa (from Polish: ''Warsaw'') was an automobile manufactured in FSO factory in Warsaw, Poland between 1951–1973, based on GAZ-M20 Pobeda. The Warszawa was the first ...

FSO Syrena The Syrena was a Polish automobile model first exhibited at the Poznań Trade Fair in 1955 and manufactured from 1957 to 1972 by the '' Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych'' (FSO) in Warsaw and from 1972 until 1983 by ''Fabryka Samochodów Małoli ...

, Polski Fiat / FSO 125p,

FSO Polonez The FSO Polonez is a motor vehicle that was developed in Poland in collaboration with Fiat and produced by Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych from 1978 to 2002. It was based on the Polski Fiat 125p platform with a new hatchback design by Giorgetto G ...

and the Polski Fiat 126p from FSM.Martin S. Nowa, Polish Automobile History, Polish Cars, 200

, reproduced from the June 2007 edition of Polish-American Journal The Polski Fiat 126p or "maluch" was a particularly iconic car of that period. Production increased following the

fall of communism The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...

, and peaked at 650,000 vehicles around 1999, declining for the next few years. In the early 2000, around the years 2002–2003, Poland produced about 300,000 light vehicles a year, a number that increased once again after the

accession of Poland to the European Union The largest expansion of the European Union (EU), in terms of territory, number of states, and population took place on 1 May 2004. The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the "A10" countries): C ...

in 2004, having doubled by the mid-2000s and then almost tripled by the end of the decade around 2009 and then began to fall.

Current situation

During 2007-2009, Poland was the second largest producer of light vehicles (passenger cars) in Central and Eastern Europe, after the Czech Republic (and not counting

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

).Janusz Buliński
The Automotive Industry in Poland
Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency S.A., 2010 As of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Polish automotive sector represents around 11% of total industrial production, accounting for about 4% of GDP. The sector employs about 130,000 people, and produces about 800,000–900,000 light vehicles a year. Production of larger

commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce to t ...

s was at about 70,000–90,000 in that period. Most of the sector's output is geared for exports, primarily to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. In 2009 the value of exports from this sector was €15.7 billion, i.e. 16% of all Polish exports. Since 2010, the number of cars made in Poland has been decreasing from 869,376 to 583,258 in 2013. As of that year Poland was the 23rd largest automaker in the world. Major western companies with significant presence in the Polish automotive sector include Fiat, Opel,

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

MAN Nutzfahrzeuge MAN Truck & Bus SE (formerly MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, ) is a subsidiary of Traton, and one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, MAN Truck & Bus produces vans in the range from 3.0 to 5.5 t ...

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

and

Scania AB Scania AB is a major Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for heavy vehicles as well as marine and general ind ...

. Out of those, historically Fiat had a very strong presence in Poland for almost a century: the Polski Fiat assembly plan was established in the 1920s, and while interrupted by World War II, production of Fiat-licensed vehicles resumed in socialist Poland in 1967. Majority of major the sector is controlled by western companies and financed by foreign investment; with the Solaris bus and truck producer being the largest company in the market owned by Polish investors. Some models produced in Poland in the recent years include

Opel Astra The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. ...

III and IV, the

Fiat Panda The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda (Mk 1: 1980–1986 & Mk2: 1986–2003), introduced in 1980, was a two-box, three-door hatchback designed b ...

and the

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles. Launc ...

, the

Lancia Ypsilon The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Lancia, now in its third generation and as of 2022, the marque's only model. The Ypsilon was released in 1995, as a larger and more expensive replacement to the Y10. Between 1995 an ...

, the

Ford Ka The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2016 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduce ...

, and the

Chevrolet Aveo The Chevrolet Aveo ( ) is a subcompact car (B-segment) marketed by General Motors since 2002. Originally marketed as the Daewoo Kalos, takeover of Daewoo Motors by General Motors (GM) also saw the car being marketed under seven brands (Chevrolet, ...

Electric vehicles (EV)

In 2016, The Law and Justice (Pis) government created Electromobility Poland, by four state-owned power companies. Electromobility Poland wants to launch two Electric models in 2023. In 2020, Poland has also become one of the largest electric bus producing countries in Europe with approximatively a third of the production. Additionally to original Polish manufacturers Solaris and Rafako,

MAN Truck & Bus MAN Truck & Bus SE (formerly MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, ) is a subsidiary of Traton, and one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, MAN Truck & Bus produces vans in the range from 3.0 to 5.5 t ...

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...

has opened a production line in Starachowice,

in Wroclaw and Skania in Slupsk.

Active manufacturers

AMZ-Kutno AMZ Kutno is an automotive company based in Kutno, Poland, that has been operating since 1999. It specializes in the design and manufacture of special bodies for commercial vehicles, such as minibuses, ambulances, security vans and special vehicle ...

Arrinera Arrinera Automotive S.A., is a Polish car manufacturer based in Warsaw. History The company was established in 2008 by brothers Łukasz and Marek Tomkiewicz. In 2011 it announced its first proof-of-concept car, using a mid-engine, rear-drive ...

* Automet *

Autosan Autosan Sp. z o.o. is a Polish bus and coach manufacturer. The company is located in Sanok, Poland. Its sales network includes European (also non-EU countries), African and Asian countries. Currently it produces approximately 300 buses a ...

* Stellantis Poland (ex-FSM) *

Jelcz Jelcz (pronounced like ''Yelch'' after the town of the same name) is a Polish brand of trucks, military vehicles, buses and trolley buses produced by ''Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz''/''Jelczańskie Zakłady Samochodowe'', with both names roughly ...

Melex Melex is an electric vehicle produced by a company of the same name in Mielec, Poland. It has been in production since 1971. The car, having full necessary equipment such as headlamps and seatbelts, is very quiet and does not pollute the envir ...

* MAN Bus/MAN Trucks (ex-Star) *

Opel Manufacturing Poland Opel Manufacturing Poland Sp. z o.o. (formerly General Motors Manufacturing Poland Sp. z o.o.) is an automobile manufacturer in Poland. It assembles light commercial vehicles in a factory in Gliwice and builds engines in Tychy. Opel Manufacturing ...

(now Stellantis) * Scania Production Słupsk * Solaris * Solbus *

* Ursus * Volkswagen Poznań (ex-FSR/Tarpan).
/ref> * Volvo, Volvo Buses Polska * Huta Stalowa Wola

Defunct manufacturers

* AS * CWS * FSC/FS/Daewoo Motor Polska/Andoria-Mot/Intrall Polska/Honker * FSM * FSO * FSO ZSD/FSD Nysa * FSR/Tarpan * Kapena ( Cacciamali) * K. Rudzki i S-ka (Ralf-Stetysz) * Leopard Automobile Mielec Sp. z o.o. * LRL * Neoplan Polska *

Polski Fiat Polski Fiat (literally in English: ''the Polish Fiat'') was a Polish car brand. Under this brand, cars under licence of the Italian manufacturer FIAT were manufactured or assembled in Poland. Before World War II The brand was created in 193 ...

* PZInż * Star * WSK Mielec (Mikrus)

Gallery

File:POLONEZ ATU PLUS Przyjazni.JPG, FSO Polonez Atu Plus File:Star266 Wersja Paryz-Dakar.jpg, Star 266 truck File:Autosan A1212C Eurolider - Transexpo 2009.jpg,

Autosan Eurolider 12 The Autosan Eurolider 12 is an intercity coach manufactured by the Polish company Autosan SA. The bus belongs to the Eurolider product family. Buses manufactured for the UK market are known as Autosan EuroLeader 12 RHD. The Eurolider 12 uses a ...

File:Jelcz T120-2 in Kraków.jpg,

T120-2

References

External links

Polish Automotive Industry Yearbook 2012

Roczniki i raporty, Polski Związek Przemysłu Motoryzacyjnego
* Maciej Górecki
Rynek motoryzacyjny w Polsce 1980–1989 (cz. 1). Co jeździło po polskich drogach?
Histmag, 2013-05-24
Samochody z czasów PRL-u

011.12.09 {{Automotive industry in Poland Industry in Poland 19th-century establishments in Poland