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6,000 workers were employed in assembling Muscovites at the plant in Lovech.
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July is the first sod of the new electric car factory
Lovech still remembers the time before 1989, when the Balkan plant provided employment for 6,000 people. Every third family lived from the production of Muscovites and folding bicycles. Between 1965 and 1990, 304,297 cars left the plant.
An agreement for economic cooperation between Bulgaria and the USSR in the autumn of 1965 marked the beginning of the automobile industry in Bulgaria. Or more precisely the assembly of cars –
on October 25 1966 in Lovech begins the making of Moskvich 408
The first comes off the assembly line on November 4 at 3 p.m. The machine has a four-stroke engine with a displacement of 1360 cc and a power of 50 hp. The speed it develops is 125 km / h.
In 1967, 564 Muscovites were assembled in Lovech, in 1968 2,500 were pledged, and by 1972 the number had reached 8,000. After 1974, Muscovites imported for assembly from the USSR were fixed at 15,000 a year. After 1976 the installation of the new series “Moskvich 2138/2140” with engines of 1360 and 1500 cc was mastered. In the period 1988 – 1990 in Lovech arrived the last three series of 10-12 thousand sets of “Moskvich 2141” , after which the contract was terminated and the assembly was completed in 1991 because there was no one to send parts from Moscow.
Fiat cars were also assembled in Lovech under a contract with the Italian manufacturer dated March 3, 1967. The first models were the Fiat 124 Berlin and the Fiat 850. They have disc brakes, which was very advanced at the time. The first 18 cars arrived on May 10, 1967. A decision was made soon after the installation was completed
to choose the Bulgarian name of the assembled Italian cars
They were unofficially called “Pirin”, although the company inscriptions on the body remained unchanged.
In 1971, the five-year contract with Fiat expired, which was not renewed. The last assembled car left the assembly line in September 1971. During the period 1967-1971, a total of 758 Pirin-Fiat cars were built in Bulgaria.
The new history of the plant began in 1997 after the privatization by Napredak Holding. Production of forklifts for the domestic market started. Attempts have been made to revive the automotive industry. In the mid-1990s, the Czech Škoda Beta vans were assembled. Then a German company showed interest, but there was no contract. The South Korean Hyundai was asked if they could still produce mopeds and motorcycles in Lovech.
From the French concern “Peugeot-Citroen” came to see. A joint venture was established with a Liechtenstein bicycle frame company.
Now there are two companies in Lovech – “Balkanvelo” and “Balkan”. Transmitters, drive and steered axles for electric and forklift trucks, as well as spare parts are produced. Balkan also produces metal products, and on the territory of the plant is Balkanvelo for the production of bicycles. 90% of them are exported to Europe.
And the great expectations of Lovech to return to the automotive industry are connected with the electric cars of “Next E.Go.Bulgaria”. In July, the first sod of the new plant will be made, which should start working in 2024 and in Lovech after 33 cars will be built again.
They even made airplanes there
Few people know that the car factory in Lovech was preceded by an aircraft factory. In 1939, by decree of Tsar Boris III, the design began.
It was built by Polish engineers, and the first aircraft made in it were “DAR-9”. They are the work of the designer Tsvetan Lazarov. According to his projects and with the participation of designers from the factory in Lovech, the DAR-10 F aircraft and those bearing his name from the series “Laz” – Laz-7, Laz-7M, Laz-8, Laz-12 were developed. The State Aircraft Factory has produced 160 Laz-7 aircraft and 150 Laz-7M aircraft.
The aircraft production in Lovech lasted from 1941 to 1954. And until 1960 the factory produced mainly agricultural machines such as hay mowers, milk milking units and others.
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