Former Iveco partner Santana to return with Chinese owners

Former Spanish military vehicle and 4x4 manufacturer Santana is set to return with a new pick-up truck from a Chinese joint venture.

Santana collapsed into administration in 2011 after Iveco pulled the plug on its jointly manufactured 4x4.

The Iveco Massif and the Iveco Campagnola passenger version were meant to be rivals for the Land Rover Defender, but it was a commercial flop. Santana was familiar with the Defender having begun life producing Land Rovers in 1961, a few years after it was established in 1954, under the name Land Rover Santana.

Originally located in Linares, 200 miles south of Madrid in the south of Spain, Santana Motors enjoyed a successful relationship until 1989 when Land Rover was forced to cancel their agreements due to financial difficulties. As a result Santana continued to produce their own models under the Santana name.

The Santana 2500 became a popular vehicle throughout Spain. The 90s brought a partnership with Suzuki producing models including the Samurai, Jimmy and Vitara.

After a buyout from the Andalusia government in 1995, it produced its own model under called the Anibal, for the French, Spanish and Czech armies. 

The military models led to the production of the Iveco Massif from 2006 before loses amounting to €42m forced the closure of the company. 

As well as the versions of the Series II, IIa, III and IV Land Rovers, Santana was known for its Ligero and Anibal/PS-10 models.

In its last fully operational year, Santana produced just 769 vehicles.

The new model will be made by a joint venture of Nissan and Dongfeng and sold under the Zhengzhou Nissan company. Further models will be unveiled later in the year.

It’s not clear what markets the new Santana pick-up truck will target, but with an increasing number of Chinese manufacturers entering the European market there’s a high probability the much-loved Spanish name could once again return to the continent.