Société de Montage Automobile

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The Société de Montage Automobile (SOMA for short) was an automobile manufacturer from Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville in Canada .

history

In November 1964, the state finance company SGF and Renault signed a contract. SGF financed the assembly plant in which CKD kits of Renault models were to be assembled. The sales should take place through the Canadian subsidiary Renault Canada Ltd. The manufacturers Peugeot and Citroën were also involved in the negotiations .

Production peaked in 1971 with 11,980 vehicles, only to halve in the next year.

After years of losses, the plant was closed in 1972. A year later, however, it was reopened due to the great success of the Renault 12. According to Renault, a vehicle made by SOMA (Renault 8) cost $ 200 more than it would import that vehicle. In 1973 (or 1974) the plant was permanently closed.

In 1972 SOMA had 460 employees. The final plant closure in 1973 affected 545 employees.

In 1988 Renault completely withdrew from the Canadian market and did not return until 2016.

Models

From 1965 the Renault 8 was assembled at SOMA . Then there were the Renault Dauphine and 10 models . From 1971 the Renault 12 was assembled at SOMA. Another model was the Renault 16 . Today there are four Renault 16s left in Canada.

After Peugeot entered the market, the 404 (in Canada with the nickname Alouette ) and 204 models were also assembled.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f SOMA: les espoirs déçus de Peugeot et Renault au Québec on Boîtier rouge of September 21, 2015.
  2. ^ A b Pierre Duhamel: Quand l'État se fait gardien de Québec Inc. , in: L'actualité of March 11, 2013.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g A. J. Jacobs: The New Domestic Automakers in the United States and Canada: History, Impacts, and Prospects , Lexington Books 2015
  4. ↑ a b Réouverture de l'usine automobile Renault à Saint-Bruno , in: Le Devoir of February 29, 1972.
  5. ↑ Dimitry Anastakis: Autonomous State: The Struggle for a Canadian Car Industry from OPEC to Free Trade , Toronto 2013.
  6. ↑ Benoit Charrette: Renault returns to Canada with the Twizy EV , in: Automotive News Europe of July 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ 4 Renault 16 au Québec , on Renault 16 blog from April 16, 2011.