In a previous text, we told you that in 1905, the photographer Andrey Andreev proudly showed the first car under the hills. He is also credited with the first car accident in Plovdiv.
But perhaps an even more interesting historical fact that is not known to many is that in 1968 a new car factory for the production of Bulgarrenault models was opened on Asenovgradsko Shose Blvd. With its construction, Bulgaria became the leading producer of Western cars, and our city became the center of this miracle for its time. Unfortunately, it only lasted two years. In 1970 the plant was closed, and production of the three Bulgarrenault models No. 8 and No. 10 and the sports Alpin was suspended by order of Moscow.
It all started in the mid-1960s, when on the initiative of the state-owned enterprise Bulet an association was created with the state-owned business association Metalchim. The purpose was to absorb the production of passenger cars. The first proposal of the French company for the production of the Renault 4 and 4L models in Bulgaria was submitted on May 27, 1963.
In 1967, the assembly line was moved to Plovdiv, where at the same time the construction of the new factory specially designed for the purpose, located on Asenovgradsko Shose Blvd., was completed. Until the opening of the new plant, palace No. 10 in the Fair Town had been temporarily adapted to a production hall. The plant operated until 1970 and had an automated assembly line and state-of-the-art welding and painting units totaling $15 million.
The first ready-made cars were offered on our market in February 1967, which was officially announced in issue 2 of the Auto-Moto magazine. The price indicated there is BGN 5,500, but the final market value of the two models stated later, was respectively BGN 6,100 for the Bulgarrenault 8 and BGN 6,800 for the Bulgarrenault 10. A large part of the cars produced in Bulgaria was sold abroad.
In the early 1970s, the production of Bulgarrenault was discontinued.
