Troller Veículos Especiais
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1995
FounderCharlie Guth de Grange
Defunct2021 (2021)
HeadquartersHorizonte, Ceará, Brazil
Area served
Latin America and Caribbean
Key people
Rogério Farias,[1] Mário Araújo Alencar Araripe, Demetrio Fleck (General Manager), Lyle Watters (President and CEO)
ProductsTroller T4
OwnerFord
Number of employees
470 (January, 2021)
ParentFord Brasil
(2007–2021)
Websitetroller.com.br

Troller Veículos Especiais S/A (Troller) was a Brazilian off-road vehicle manufacturer. Founded in 1995 in Horizonte, Ceará, it became a subsidiary of Ford in 2007.[2] The Troller T4 was a flagship vehicle, which had featured successfully in several rally races around the world, including the Dakar Rally.

Etymology

The name Troller is a Brazilian adaptation of the English word Troll, which refers to a character of the Scandinavian legends that dwells forests and caves of Norway.[3]

History

Troller Conceito TR-X exhibited in 2012

Troller started in 1995, by Rogério Farias. In April 1996, the first prototype was built.[4]

In 1997, the company was bought by the entrepreneur Mário Araripe, who formed a partnership with Rogério Farias; the first gasoline-powered T4 was built.[4][5] The mass-production of the vehicle started in 1999, when a factory was built in the municipality of Horizonte.[4]

In 2005, a manufacturing plant opened in Angola to build the T4 for the African market.[6] In January 2007, Ford do Brasil announced Troller's acquisition for R$400 million (2007)[7] (US$205.44 million).[2][8]

On 14 December 2009, a Troller made the news when it cleared São Paulo's flooded streets during a news broadcast, at the time, the company played along and tried to find the driver.[9] The T4 received a redesign in 2014.

The Troller plant in Horizonte was closed by the end of 2021, with Ford ending all its production in Brazil.[10][11] The brand and the Technology was not put for sale, just the industrial complex which comprises a land of 120,142 km2 (46,387 sq mi) with 21,736 km2 (8,392 sq mi) of floor area. The special tax regime, valid until 2025, would also be linked to the factory.[8]

Models

See also

  • TAC Stark - another Brazilian four-wheel drive vehicle.

References

  1. ↑ "Rogerio Farias".
  2. 1 2 "Ford to boost Brazilian operation". BBC. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  3. ↑ "SOBRE A TROLLER". Troller. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Troller" (in Portuguese). Inova UNICAMP. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  5. ↑ "História" (SWF) (in Portuguese). Troller. Retrieved 2008-07-14. This vehicle is not to be mistaken with the Jeep Wrangler TJ, an off-road vehicle produced by Chrysler
  6. ↑ "Troller vai exportar tecnologia" (in Portuguese). Carro e Cia. 2004-10-28. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  7. ↑ "Fora de linha, últimos Troller T4 são vendidos por até R$ 280.000". 11 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Fora de linha, últimos Troller T4 são vendidos por até R$ 280.000". Quatro Rodas (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  9. ↑ Este Troller é seu? [Is this Troller yours?] (YouTube Video) (in Portuguese), December 22, 2009, retrieved February 8, 2022
  10. ↑ "Ford Advances South America Restructuring ceased Manufacturing In Brazil, Serve Customers With New Lineup" (Press release). Ford Media Center. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  11. ↑ "Ford finished Production in Brazil". Financial Times. 12 January 2021.
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