El Car

El Car is a Romanian bus manufacturer founded by engineer Dorian Igescu. The company is associated primarily with the Igero, a family of buses developed in several configurations for urban, intercity and public-transport applications. El Car's activities emerged from an engineering and vehicle-development effort rather than from a long-established mass-production automobile group. The first Igero was built by Igescu in his own garage in 2004 and was subsequently franchised in Romania. The Igero platform was developed with technical and industrial links to Roman, the Romanian commercial-vehicle manufacturer. Its design has been described as closely related to the larger Roman 17.280 bus, and Roman provided access to production facilities while El Car worked toward establishing its own factory. That factory project was delayed, and the cooperation with Roman eventually ended. Production was later moved to the Romprim factory in Bucharest. The principal Igero midibus is approximately 8.5 metres long and was offered in intercity and city configurations. The intercity version could seat 31 passengers, while the city version could accommodate up to 59. Reported equipment included MAN turbocharged diesel engines, ZF gearboxes, pneumatic suspension, ABS/ASR braking systems and air conditioning. The specifications cited for the earlier versions included a 170-horsepower MAN Euro 3 engine. El Car subsequently expanded the range with the Igero Maxi, a roughly 10-metre bus intended for urban transport. Introduced in 2009, the Maxi was specified with a MAN Euro 4 engine producing 270 horsepower, capacity for as many as 80 people, a maximum permissible weight of 16 tonnes and an ECAS electronically controlled air-suspension system. The company indicated that later versions could adopt newer MAN emissions standards, including Euro 5 powertrains. Igero vehicles operated in Romanian public-transport systems, including those serving Brașov, Târgu Mureș and Covasna County. These deployments positioned El Car as a domestic specialist in compact and medium-sized buses rather than as a broad passenger-car brand. Available reference material does not establish a current production status, ownership structure, independent corporate website, export footprint or publicly listed status. El Car's documented identity therefore rests chiefly on its Romanian bus-manufacturing activity and the Igero product line.

El Car was created by Romanian engineer Dorian Igescu and became associated with the development of the Igero bus. The company's documented origins are tied to an individual engineering project: Igescu constructed the first Igero in his own garage in 2004. The vehicle was later franchised in Romania, providing the basis for a domestic bus-manufacturing business. The Igero was developed as a compact bus platform for both city and intercity use. Its technical and visual relationship to the larger Roman 17.280 bus reflected cooperation between El Car and Roman, one of Romania's established commercial-vehicle manufacturers. Roman allowed El Car to use its production facilities while El Car pursued plans for a dedicated factory. Completion of the proposed factory was delayed, however, and the cooperation between the companies subsequently ended. Production was transferred to the Romprim factory in Bucharest. The standard Igero midibus was approximately 8.5 metres long. Different layouts were offered for intercity and urban service: the intercity configuration seated about 31 passengers, while the city configuration could carry approximately 59. The documented mechanical package included MAN turbocharged diesel engines, a ZF gearbox and pneumatic suspension. Safety and comfort equipment included ABS/ASR braking systems and air conditioning. Earlier specifications cited a 170-horsepower MAN Euro 3 engine. El Car broadened the range in 2009 with the Igero Maxi. This was an extended bus of approximately 10 metres designed primarily for urban transportation. It was specified with a 270-horsepower MAN Euro 4 engine, capacity for up to 80 people, a maximum permissible weight of 16 tonnes and an ECAS system. The company also planned to use later-generation MAN engines meeting newer emissions standards, including Euro 5, in future versions. Igero buses entered public transportation service in several Romanian locations. Documented operating areas include Brașov, Târgu Mureș and Covasna County. These deployments indicate that El Car's market role was that of a domestic manufacturer and specialist supplier of midibuses and urban buses, rather than a producer of passenger cars or a large diversified automotive group. The available reference material does not provide a definitive corporate founding year separate from the 2004 construction of the first Igero, nor does it establish El Car's present ownership, management, factory status, export markets or current production activity. Its documented historical significance is therefore concentrated on the Igero program, the company's cooperation with Roman, the move to Romprim in Bucharest and the use of its buses in Romanian public transport.

• 2009

  Igero Maxi launched

  [1]El Caren.wikipedia.org

  El Car introduced the 10-metre Igero Maxi for urban transport, with capacity for up to 80 people and a MAN Euro 4 engine.

• 2004

  First Igero prototype built

  [1]El Caren.wikipedia.org

  Dorian Igescu built the first Igero bus in his own garage, beginning the product program later associated with El Car.

• Production moved to Romprim

  [1]El Caren.wikipedia.org

  After cooperation with Roman ended and plans for a dedicated factory were delayed, the Igero production line was moved to the Romprim factory in Bucharest.

• Igero buses entered Romanian public transport

  [1]El Caren.wikipedia.org

  Igero midibuses were documented in public transportation service in Brașov, Târgu Mureș and Covasna County.

A Romanian specialist bus manufacturer focused on compact and medium-sized vehicles for urban and intercity public transportation.

• City and intercity midibus · 2004

  Igero

  The core El Car bus family, developed in approximately 8.5-metre city and intercity configurations. The intercity version was specified with seating for about 31 passengers, while the city version could seat approximately 59. Reported equipment included a MAN Euro 3 turbocharged diesel engine producing 170 horsepower, a ZF gearbox, pneumatic suspension, ABS/ASR braking systems and air conditioning. The platform was technically related to the larger Roman 17.280 and was used in Romanian public transportation.

• Urban bus · 2009

  Igero Maxi

  An extended Igero variant introduced for urban transportation. The Igero Maxi measures approximately 10 metres and was specified to carry up to 80 people. Its documented configuration used a 270-horsepower MAN Euro 4 engine, had a maximum permissible weight of 16 tonnes and included an ECAS electronically controlled air-suspension system. El Car indicated that future versions could use newer MAN engines meeting later emissions standards.

• 2009

  Launch of the Igero MaxiProduct launch

  Background

  El Car sought to extend its midibus range beyond the standard approximately 8.5-metre Igero configurations and address urban transport requirements with a larger vehicle.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the approximately 10-metre Igero Maxi with capacity for up to 80 people, a MAN Euro 4 engine and ECAS suspension.

  Aftermath

  The Igero Maxi became the documented larger urban variant of the Igero family. The available source does not provide sales or production totals.

  Source

• Relocation of Igero production to RomprimStrategy

  Background

  El Car's planned dedicated factory was delayed, and its cooperation with Roman ended.

  Action taken

  The Igero production line was moved to the Romprim factory in Bucharest.

  Aftermath

  The relocation provided the documented manufacturing site for the bus line after the Roman collaboration, but the source does not describe subsequent production volumes or the long-term status of the arrangement.

  Source

1. 1El Caren.wikipedia.org