Horacio Anasagasti built the country’s first automobile in Buenos Aires in 1912. Its successes in this field, achieved almost a century ago, are now a thing of the past. Constant political and economic crises have led to the near absence of its automobile industry. Large foreign companies own all the factories. Attempts to produce its own vehicles have not succeeded.
In the 60s of last century, Argentina began producing its own original sports cars, but quickly discontinued the effort. Today, Argentina has one national manufacturer: ASA. Its products focus solely on making custom replicas of successful sports models from past years. Together with Brazilian Agrale, the VLEGA Gaucho army SUV is produced.
Anasagasti
Anasagasti is Argentina’s first automobile company. Horacio Anasagasti founded it in 1909, and it is located in Palermo (Buenos Aires). Its first car was the Anasagasti 12CV of 1912, and in 1914 it produced the sporty Anasagasti 15CV. However, the production could not compete with Ford, which offered cheaper cars on the domestic market. In 1915, the brand went bankrupt. Its emblem was a circle with a smaller shield inside. At the top was a six-pointed star. The circumference of the large inner circle bore the founder’s name and the founding city.
Andino
In the history of the Argentine automobile industry, the name Andino appears, referring to a small car company founded in 1967 in Buenos Aires. The only car that brought it fame was the Andino GTA 1 coupe; the first series was produced until 1970, and the second, with a Renault engine, launched in 1976 and was produced until 1978, when the brand closed. The car was hand-assembled and competed against well-known brands. The brand logo was placed on the engine compartment lid. It displayed the brand’s full name in a font resembling a handwritten inscription.
Hispano-Argentina
Hispano-Argentina is a diversified Argentine company founded in 1925. Carlos Ballester and Eugenio Molina in Buenos Aires. The company produced more than just automobiles. The automobile division was called HAFDASA. The bus was the first fully assembled from components produced in Argentina. Among the brand’s famous models are a two-seater car, the D3 Record; a truck, the Criollo Grande 6 x 6; and a passenger-car prototype, El Redondo. The brand ceased to exist in 1953. The company logo featured unfolded wings and a rhombus of stylized letters H and A; above it was a rising-sun symbol.
IKA
Industrias Kaiser Argentina SA was founded in 1956 as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors and is headquartered in Córdoba province, Argentina. The brand became famous for its particularly popular Torino model. Under this brand, serial models included Kaiser-Jeep, American Motors, Rambler Classic, and Ambassador. In 1970, Industrias Kaiser stopped producing cars and transferred IKA to its partner, Renault. This marked the end of the brand’s history. The brand’s emblem was a circle divided horizontally into two parts. In the upper part, the brand name’s abbreviation was printed in red. In the lower part, on a blue background, the full name was written in white letters.
Siam Di Tella
Argentine production brand Siam Di Tella is known for its diversified production, including a dedicated car manufacturing line. Founded in 1911, Torcuato di Tella was based in Buenos Aires. The dealership opened after the government banned the sale of foreign cars. The Siam di Tella 1500 model was produced under license. The Traveler station wagon, Argenta pickup truck, and popular Magnette model followed. In 1966, the brand went bankrupt. Its logo became a stylized letter S, made in the style of Gothic symbols.