One of the great survivors of the vehicle industry - the German-built Multicar multi-purpose truck range - seems to have survived yet another crisis in its turbulent sixty year history.
Originally designed as a compact little load carrier for railway station and agricultural use, the Multicar has had to contend with the aftermath of the Second World War, the spread of communism across Europe, the end of State control, the re-unification of Germany and the resulting financial ramifications, a series of takeovers and now?
The aftermath of one of the biggest global financial recessions since the 1930s.
The same set of circumstances soon saw the production of all Eastern Bloc cars, vans and trucks come to an end and takeover by manufacturers such as Volkswagen. Once part of the massive State- controlled IFA group, the little Multicar soon found itself on its own as the only product to have survived the transition from communism to capitalism. After a successive series of updates - and the arrival of the entirely new 'M-30 Fumo' model - the same basic M-26 design that was originally produced in the Waltershausen plant has had a long production life - although it is unlikely to be available in Euro-5 format. And in fact, it's the rugged simplicity - thanks to a truck- style chassis frame and two/four wheeldrive capability - together with an impressive gross weight of up to 5tonnes - that has earned the Multicar a place in the waste, recycling and infrastructure maintenance/highways markets.
Following a recent restructuring of the parent Hako Group, and the ending of the recession in Germany, Multicar, its dealers and specialist bodybuilder partners such as Fieldler and Reinex (the Multicar can be equipped as a narrow access RCV, a sweeper, gully emptier and snowplough gritter, using either dedicated or swap bodies) are due to celebrate the start of a new marketing campaign with a specialist exhibition at the Jever Skihalle in Neuss, Germany, on March 10th.
Special bodies and equipment on both Multicar and Hako units will be on show, together with discussion workshops on 'All Seasons' fleet management topics.
*More info and visitor registration from www.multicar.de or www.hako.com.
