The Kaiser Carolina was one of the Kaiser-based cars built in Argentina by Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A., the company usually known as IKA. English Wikipedia has no separate article on the Carolina, so this page follows its account of IKA, the Santa Isabel works and the Kaiser models made there.
Kaiser Carolina at a glance
| Maker | Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. (IKA) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1956, as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors |
| Headquarters | Santa Isabel, Córdoba, Argentina |
| Agreement signed | 19 January 1955 |
| Groundbreaking | March 1955 |
| First vehicle built | a Jeep, driven out on 27 April 1956 |
| First imports | 1,021 complete cars, production equipment and spare parts |
| Early models | Jeep CJ, Baqueano pick-up, Estanciera station wagon, Utilitario panel van |
| Kaiser saloon | the Carabela, from 1958 |
| 1958 output | 22,612 Carabela and Jeep units, 81% of Argentine vehicle production |
| Renault | licence agreement 1959; bought IKA in 1970 |
| Peak year | 1965: 55,269 vehicles, 8,500 employees, about 28% of national production |
based on one source: English Wikipedia has no article on the Kaiser Carolina, so this page uses the article on its maker, Industrias Kaiser Argentina.
History of the Kaiser Carolina
Kaiser goes to Argentina
The Argentine government sent a delegation to the United States in 1951 to interest car makers in building in Argentina, but the market was seen as too small and only Kaiser was interested. On 19 January 1955 an agreement was signed permitting Kaiser to manufacture cars and trucks in the country. Kaiser was having problems at home: it had taken the Willys Aero out of production in 1955, leaving two redundant sets of production lines. The Kaiser equipment was shipped to Argentina, while the Willys equipment became the company’s contribution to a new venture in Brazil.
Kaiser created Kaiser Automotores as a holding company that owned part of the newly formed Industrias Kaiser Argentina, the manufacturing and marketing arm. The other partners were the state-owned aircraft and vehicle maker IAME and private investors, and the public share offering was oversubscribed. The first imports from the United States were 1,021 complete cars, production equipment and spare parts. Groundbreaking at Santa Isabel in Córdoba Province took place in March 1955, and the first Jeep was driven out on 27 April 1956.
The Santa Isabel works
Production began with Jeeps: the CJ versions, the Willys Jeep Truck renamed Baqueano, the Willys Jeep Station Wagon called Estanciera and a panel delivery version known as the Utilitario. These were followed by a local version of the Kaiser Manhattan four-door saloon called the Carabela, built with the American production equipment that had been transferred to IKA. In 1958 the combined Carabela and Jeep output of 22,612 units was 81% of all vehicles made in Argentina, the only competition being a state-run utility vehicle manufacturer.
Renault and after
In 1958 IKA sponsored El Show de IKA, a musical variety programme with the American singer Andy Russell, at the time the most expensive TV programme produced in Argentina. In 1959 the company signed a licence agreement with Renault, and the small Dauphine was the first Renault model launched, in 1960. The Carabela was discontinued in 1962, when Rambler models licensed from American Motors replaced the old Kaiser and Alfa Romeo based cars. Renault bought IKA in 1970, the company continued as IKA-Renault, and in 1975 it became Renault Argentina. Production peaked in 1965 with 55,269 vehicles assembled by 8,500 employees, about 28% of Argentina’s total output.
Design and features
- Kaiser’s South American venture: IKA was set up in 1956 as a joint venture between Kaiser Motors, the state and private investors.
- Transferred tooling: the Kaiser production lines were shipped from the United States to Santa Isabel.
- Jeeps first: CJ, Baqueano, Estanciera and Utilitario models began production before the Kaiser saloons.
- Dominant in 1958: Carabela and Jeep output accounted for 81% of Argentine vehicle production.
- Renault years: a licence agreement in 1959 led to Renault ownership in 1970 and Renault Argentina in 1975.
Kaiser Carolina versions
- Jeep CJ: the first vehicles built at Santa Isabel from 1956.
- Baqueano: the Willys Jeep Truck pick-up built under a local name.
- Estanciera: the Willys Jeep Station Wagon, also made as the Utilitario panel van.
- Carabela: the Argentine Kaiser Manhattan saloon from 1958.
- Bergantin and Rambler: later IKA cars that replaced the Kaiser-based models.
The best-known Argentine Kaiser was the Carabela, developed from the Kaiser Manhattan. More cars are in the Kaiser collection.
Sources
- Industrias Kaiser Argentina, English Wikipedia: company history, Santa Isabel works, models, production figures, Renault
