Company overview
Premier Ltd was established in 1944 by Walchand Hirachand, with support from Sir M. Visvesvaraya, as Premier Automobiles Ltd (PAL). Initially, the company manufactured trucks and cars under licenses from Chrysler Corporation. From 1964 to the late 1990s, Premier manufactured Fiat vehicles, including the Premier Padmini. Later, it produced vehicles based on designs licensed from Peugeot and Fiat, including the 309 and Uno. In 2004, Premier restarted operations with the Sigma van, utilizing a Hindustan-built diesel engine. The company operated two business segments: Engineering and Automotive. In 2018, Premier filed for bankruptcy, ending production of the Rio SUV and selling its Pune factory. The company produced a variety of vehicles including Dodge, Plymouth, Fiat, and Peugeot models.
