#OldCarSpottingChallenge Premier (PAL)

Premier Padmini (Fiat 1100D)

Premier 118NE (Fiat 118NE)

(I’m including both of them in just one post as they don’t have much difference.)

In their early years, Premier Automobile Limited (PAL or just Premier) focused on assembling Chrysler cars for sale exclusively in India.

In 1964, Fiat came to us with the Fiat 1100D. They probably didn’t want to set up a factory in a totally new country which doesn’t seem to be much interested in automobiles. Thus, they came to the car manufacturer named PAL as they were already experienced with assembling Chrysler cars.

This worked, they liscenced PAL to manufacture Fiat 1100D with this name until 1972, when the name was changed to Premier President. In 1974, the name was finally changed to Premier Padmini ( पादमिनी: an imaginery Rajput princess). Since then, they were produced until 2000. (we Indians always have the tendency to drag something as long as we can, eg- Ambassador)

Now, about the other car:

This one’s the Premier 118NE based on the Fiat 118NE. She was the successor of Padmini (although both went out at nearly the same time). The Fiat 124 was also introduced in India by Premier Automobiles Limited. Premier had acquired in 1981 the chassis of the facelifted SEAT 124 after authorisation from Fiat and was released in the autumn of 1985 as the Premier 118NE. The car was very similar to the 1966 version except for a few cosmetic changes to the front and rear. However, Premier incorporated the Nissan A12 (1,171 cc and 52 bhp) powertrain instead of the original Fiat engine along with a Nissan manual gearbox. Added in 1996, there was also a version called the 1.38D which sported a diesel engine, built under license from Fratelli Negri Macchine Diesel Sud of Italy.

At the end of production an improved model called Viceroy was released in collaboration with Peugeot. Production ended in 2001.