H I S P A N O

1939

The origins of Hispano go back to the late 1930's, when D. Vicenzo Angelino Gervasio, a young Italian born in Napoles in 1912, decided to move to Zaragoza and founded Talleres Nápoles, a small company that was originally devoted to repairs, welding and metalwork on post-war trucks.

1958

After the commercial success of the single cabin truck, one of Angelino's own designs, the company moved to a 3,000m2 workshop where it built its first bus.

1960

The first Double Decker bus in Spain was built in Talleres Nápoles.

1962

Angelino founded Factorías Nápoles, S.A. and built installations that marked a new era in the industrial history of this city. During this period, trucks and coaches were built not only for Spain but also for the first export operations.

1966

The improvement of production systems characterised this period. The company became a part of what was then the most important industrial group in Spain: Barreiros Diesel, S.A.

1969

In 1969, the Barreiros group, which at that time had a workforce of more than 25,000 people, was acquired by the multinational Chrysler International, creating Chrysler España, S.A. From this moment onwards, the installations of what would eventually be HISPANO, were devoted exclusively to the production of buses and coaches, adopting both the discipline and work methodology of the United States.

1971

The good practices and professionalism of the plant in Zaragoza, led to it being acquired by the Belgian bodywork company Van Hool, creating Van Hool España, S.A. These installations were considered to be of such great interest that Marcel Van Hool himself came to Zaragoza to personally manage them.

The experience of the Zaragoza plant, together with the advanced technology and synergies of the rest of the Van Hool Group, soon led to a great revolution in the market; a change which materialised in a rapid rise which also meant a significant increase in exports to many countries

1983

Most of the workers at Van Hool became owners of the factory, and it was changed to Limited Company called Hispano Carrocera, S.A.L. During the first few years, the products manufactured were under license from Van Hool, and when this license terminated the brand 'Hispano Carrocera' was formally born. The company progressed substantially becoming a leader in coaches in the late 1980's.

1992

In August 1992, the factory moved to La Cartuja Baja, an important industrial area near to Zaragoza. These installations, which house HISPANO's main factory, currently occupy more than 112.000 m2, and are considered to be some of the largest and most modern of their kind in Europe.

1993

A leading Mexican company bought 100% of the corporate capital. The new management contributed an innovating spirit to the company, both on in terms of strategy and organisation, which was to bring about a radical transformation of the company, a change which was symbolically reflected in the change of the brand name to HISPANO, and a new modern logo.

1997

HISPANO was awarded ISO 9001 quality certification granted by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance Limited. This certifies the validity of the quality management system applied by HISPANO in design, manufacturing, commercialisation and after-sales service for its bus and coach bodies.

That same year, HISPANO reached an agreement with the prestigious firm Studi Pininfarina to collaborate in all of its product designs.

1998

The first result of this agreement materialised in a new urban bus presented that year:the habit. This revolutionary bus was a breakaway from current trends and was conceived to respond to the needs of the most demanding clients.

2000

A first step in the company's ambitious expansion project had immediate results with the opening of a new production plant in Casablanca, Morocco on September 14th 2000.

The year 2000 marked the definitive consolidation of HISPANO'S new urban model, both in the commercial sphere and the sector's recognition of the company: it was chosen Bus of the Year 2000 in Spain and Runner-up to Bus of the Year 2001 in Europe.

2001

HISPANO is the absolute leader in sales of urban buses in Spain, with the largest market share in the sector. It has the largest production capacity of all independent body manufacturers in Europe. The company's exports have filled more than 50% of the total order book. Nowadays we can find vehicles manufactured by HISPANO in the five continents.

This year a new Luxury Coach has been created: the DIVO. Again, with the collaboration of Studi Pininfarina, a revolutionary coach which, like the Habit, is a result of the determination to create customer value.

In October 2001, HISPANO was awarded ISO 14001 environmental certification granted by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance Limited. This certifies the validity of the environmental management system applied by HISPANO in design, manufacturing, commercialisation and after-sales service for its bus and coach bodies.