Troller Veículos Especiais S/A (Troller) was a Brazilian off-road vehicle manufacturer. Founded in 1995 in

Horizonte, Ceará Horizonte is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Ceará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Ceará (CE), located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. C ...

, it became a subsidiary of Ford in 2007. Troller T4 was a flagship vehicle, which had featured successfully in several rally races around the world, including the Dakar Rally.

Etymology

The name ''Troller'' is a Brazilian adaptation of the English word

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

, which refers to a character of the

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n legends that dwells forests and caves of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. A character that protects its visitors, as well as being faithful, loyal and bring luck, but loses patience when they threaten their habitat.

History

Troller started in 1995, by Rogério Farias. In April 1996, the first prototype was built. In 1997, the company was bought by the entrepreneur Mário Araripe, who formed a partnership with Rogério Farias; the first gasoline-powered T4 was built. The mass-production of the vehicle started in 1999, when a factory was built in the municipality of Horizonte. In 2005, a manufacturing plant opened in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

to build the T4 for the African market. In January 2007,

Ford do Brasil Ford Brasil is the Brazilian subsidiary of American automaker Ford Motor Company, founded on April 24, 1919. The operation started out importing the Ford Model T cars and the Ford Model TT trucks in kit form from the United States for assemb ...

announced Troller's acquisition for . On 14 December 2009, a Troller made the news when it cleared

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

's flooded streets during a

news broadcast News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...

, at the time, the company played along and tried to find the driver. The T4 received a redesign in 2014. The Troller plant in Horizonte was closed by the end of 2021, with Ford ending all its production in Brazil. The brand and the Technology was not put for sale, just the industrial complex which comprises a land of with of floor area. The special tax regime, valid until 2025, would also be linked to the factory.

Models

Troller Pantanal The Pantanal is a mid-size pickup truck made by the Brazilian off-road vehicle manufacturer Troller Veículos Especiais S/A from 2006 to 2008. Only 77 Pantanal trucks were built, and all were recalled in February 2008 due to the possibility of c ...

(2006-2008) * Troller T4 3.2 Turbodiesel (2015–2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Troller Veiculos Especiais Brazilian companies established in 1995 Car manufacturers of Brazil Defunct companies of Brazil Defunct defence companies of Brazil Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1995 Companies based in Ceará Off-road vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Automotive industry in Brazil Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Marques 2007 mergers and acquisitions 1995 establishments in Brazil Brazilian brands Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2021 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2021