Cooper Motor Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Cooper Motor Corporation, also known as CMC Motors Group Ltd., is the largest importer of vehicles and largest car-assembly company of Kenya
. It was founded in 1912 by Mr. Clement Hirtzel under the company name Nairobi Motor Garage. The firm was founded in the Nairobi
of the former protectorate British East Africa
. Over the decades, the company has finally developed into a major importer for several different brands.
. The Nairobi Motor Garage was the first company that distributed vehicles in British East Africa, today Kenya. They have sold a variety of pickup truck and van models from the Ford Motor Company
. The initial Ford Model T allowed the Nairobi motor garage to claim 52 percent of the market share for itself. In July 1948, the company was bought by Mr. Allen and Mr. Copper, who had moved from the United Kingdom
to Nairobi. Under the new ownership, the company's name was changed to Cooper Motor Corporation Pvt. Ltd.. New products were introduced including the Land Rover
, which was a success in a lot of African markets. Over the years, the company introduced other brands like Volkswagen
, Mazda
, Škoda
, Maruti, Suzuki
, Iveco
, Nissan Diesel
, Bobcat, Liebherr
, Case CE
, Case IH
, New Holland into the market.
CMC's CKD assembling of cars began in 1974 with the new Volkswagen Golf
. It was followed by the Volkswagen Santana
and by the models Volkswagen Jetta
and Volkswagen Transporter
in the mid-nineties.
For the Mazda brand, the 323, 626
and Rustler were assembled in Kenya. Currently the CMC is only assembling the truck model T3500 and the BT-50
for Mazda.
CMC next introduced the Maruti brand to the Kenyan market with the small car Maruti 800
and the SUV Maruti Gypsy King
. The Maruti range was completed with the Maruti Omni some years later. The latest product is the Maruti Suzuki Swift which is only imported and not official distributed through CMC.
In the 1990s the CMC introduced the Suzuki brand to the East Africa
n market with the Suzuki Vitara and the Suzuki Alto
. Later the Vitara was replaced by the Suzuki Grand Vitara and the model range was completed with the Suzuki Jimny
and Suzuki SX4
.
The most recently introduced brand was in 2004 with Škoda ahd their small car Škoda Fabia
, followed by the sedan version, which is assembled as the Škoda Octavia
for the East African market.
For the Ford partnership, the CMC had assembled the Ford Escort, the Ford Telstar
and the Ford Laser
. Currently assembled models are the Ford F-250 (2004 version), the Ford Ranger THA (2004 version), Ford Focus C307 and the Ford Territory
(SX model).
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. It was founded in 1912 by Mr. Clement Hirtzel under the company name Nairobi Motor Garage. The firm was founded in the Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
of the former protectorate British East Africa
East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate was an area of East Africa occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to Uganda and the Great Rift Valley...
. Over the decades, the company has finally developed into a major importer for several different brands.
Company history
The company started its activities with the import of the Ford Model TFord Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
. The Nairobi Motor Garage was the first company that distributed vehicles in British East Africa, today Kenya. They have sold a variety of pickup truck and van models from the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. The initial Ford Model T allowed the Nairobi motor garage to claim 52 percent of the market share for itself. In July 1948, the company was bought by Mr. Allen and Mr. Copper, who had moved from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Nairobi. Under the new ownership, the company's name was changed to Cooper Motor Corporation Pvt. Ltd.. New products were introduced including the Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
, which was a success in a lot of African markets. Over the years, the company introduced other brands like Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
, Škoda
Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto , more commonly known as Škoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 2000, positioned as the entry brand to the group...
, Maruti, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
, Iveco
Iveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...
, Nissan Diesel
UD Trucks
UD Trucks Corporation is a Japanese company whose principal business is the manufacture and sales of light, medium and heavy duty diesel trucks, buses, bus chassis and special-purpose vehicles. The company is owned 100% by the Volvo Group since 2007. Formerly known as Nissan Diesel, the company...
, Bobcat, Liebherr
Liebherr Group
The Liebherr Group is a German manufacturing complex established in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. The Liebherr Group's holding company is Liebherr-International AG in Bulle, Switzerland, which is entirely owned by members of the Liebherr family...
, Case CE
Case CE
Case CE, also Case Construction Equipment or simply Case, is a brand of construction equipment from CNH Global. Under this brand name, CNH Global is the fourth largest manufacturer of construction equipment behind CAT , JCB and Komatsu -History:The origins of Case can be traced back to 1842, when...
, Case IH
Case IH
Case IH is an American mechanical company, one of the world’s largest brands of agricultural equipment. With headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, it has a network of more than 4,000 dealers and distributors that operates in more than 160 countries...
, New Holland into the market.
CMC's CKD assembling of cars began in 1974 with the new Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
. It was followed by the Volkswagen Santana
Volkswagen Santana
The Volkswagen Santana is a three-box sedan, based on the second generation Volkswagen Passat . It was first introduced in 1981 and is scheduled to remain in production until 2012....
and by the models Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Jetta
Although the Golf had reached considerable success, in the North American markets, Volkswagen observed that the hatchback body style lacked some of the appeal to those who preferred the traditional three-box configuration...
and Volkswagen Transporter
Volkswagen Transporter
The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its fifth generation, refers to a series of vans produced over 60 years and marketed worldwide....
in the mid-nineties.
For the Mazda brand, the 323, 626
Mazda 626
The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
and Rustler were assembled in Kenya. Currently the CMC is only assembling the truck model T3500 and the BT-50
Mazda BT-50
The Mazda BT-50 is a 1-ton pickup truck from Mazda. It is a larger version of the predecessor B-Series pickup and is not sold in the Japanese and North American market. Ford has also sold a version of the first generation BT-50 as the Ford Ranger...
for Mazda.
CMC next introduced the Maruti brand to the Kenyan market with the small car Maruti 800
Maruti 800
Maruti 800 is a city car manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India. It is a rebadged version of an old model of the Suzuki Alto. Over 2.5 million Maruti 800s have been sold since its launch in 1983...
and the SUV Maruti Gypsy King
Maruti Gypsy
The Maruti Gypsy is a four wheel drive SUV based on the long wheelbase Suzuki Jimny SJ40/410 series vehicles.-History:It is manufactured in India by Maruti Suzuki. It was introduced in the Indian market in December 1985 with the 970 cc F10A Suzuki engine and while sales were never very high it...
. The Maruti range was completed with the Maruti Omni some years later. The latest product is the Maruti Suzuki Swift which is only imported and not official distributed through CMC.
In the 1990s the CMC introduced the Suzuki brand to the East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n market with the Suzuki Vitara and the Suzuki Alto
Suzuki Alto
The Suzuki Alto is a small car designed by Suzuki. Its selling points include low price and good fuel economy. The model was introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide.-1st generation :...
. Later the Vitara was replaced by the Suzuki Grand Vitara and the model range was completed with the Suzuki Jimny
Suzuki Jimny
The Suzuki Jimny is a line of SUVs from Suzuki. The line started in 1968 and is still running.-History:The history of Suzuki four-wheel-drive cars dates to 1968. Suzuki bought former Japanese automaker Hope Motor Company which had introduced fifteen small off-road vehicles called the HopeStar...
and Suzuki SX4
Suzuki SX4
The Suzuki SX4 is a compact car developed by Japanese automaker Suzuki and sold by Suzuki and by Fiat and produced since 2006.-History:...
.
The most recently introduced brand was in 2004 with Škoda ahd their small car Škoda Fabia
Škoda Fabia
The Škoda Fabia is a supermini produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It was the successor to the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001...
, followed by the sedan version, which is assembled as the Škoda Octavia
Škoda Octavia
The Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 1996, its name revived from a model originally produced between 1959 and 1971. The current Octavia is available in five-door liftback and station wagon....
for the East African market.
For the Ford partnership, the CMC had assembled the Ford Escort, the Ford Telstar
Ford Telstar
The Ford Telstar is an automobile that was sold by the Ford Motor Company in Asia, Australasia and Africa, comparable in size to the European Ford Sierra and the American Ford Tempo. It has been progressively replaced by the Ford Mondeo....
and the Ford Laser
Ford Laser
The 1985 KC Laser/GC Meteor was the model's first major redesign. All body styles were carried over, with the addition of a station wagon from 1986. A new "TX3" variant, which was half-way between "GL" & "Ghia" in specification level, replaced the "Sport" variant from the KB series. Unlike the...
. Currently assembled models are the Ford F-250 (2004 version), the Ford Ranger THA (2004 version), Ford Focus C307 and the Ford Territory
Ford Territory
The Ford Territory is a crossover SUV built by Ford Australia and based on the EA169 platform of the Ford BA Falcon. It was released in April 2004. Its code name inside Ford was E265. It won the 2004 Wheels Car of the Year award, the reviewers praising car-like handling and practicality as reasons...
(SX model).
Other assembled vehicles
- Iveco AT720 Prime MoverIveco StralisThe Stralis is the flagship heavy-duty truck of Iveco Magirus. The Stralis, produced from 2002, replaced the EuroStar and EuroTech models. It covers the range above Eurocargo, between 19 and 44 tonnes....
- Iveco Euro-Trakker
- Iveco MP380
- Nissan Diesel CB31 Bus (62 seats)
- Nissan Diesel CB46 Bus (67 seats)
- Nissan Diesel CWB450 TruckNissan Diesel CondorThe Nissan Diesel Condor is a line of medium-duty commercial vehicle by UD . The range was primarily available in other big-size and mid-size trucks....
- Nissan Diesel MKB210 Bus (62 seats)
- Nissan Diesel MKB210 Truck
- Nissan Diesel NU41 Bus (29 seats, also known as Swara)
- Nissan Diesel NU41 Truck (also known as Swara)
- Nissan Diesel PKF210 TruckNissan Diesel CondorThe Nissan Diesel Condor is a line of medium-duty commercial vehicle by UD . The range was primarily available in other big-size and mid-size trucks....