Editing TAM-Europe (section)

==History==
[[File:Deset tisoči izdelani Pionir v tovarni TAM 1957.jpg|250px|right|thumb |TAM Pionir (1957)]]
In 1938, the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] launched a competition to find a truck design that would be license produced in the country. The competing vehicles had to complete a {{convert|8000|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=on}} journey across Yugoslav roads of poor quality.<ref name="Procházka">{{Cite book | last1 = Procházka| first1 = Hubert| last2 = Martof| first2 = Jan| year= 2007| title = Praga: motocykly, osobní a nákladní automobily| publisher = Computer Press| place = Brno| isbn = 978-80-251-1667-8| language = Czech| page = 152}}</ref> The RN won and in 1938, the ''Zavodi Aleksandar Ranković (ZAR)'', ancestor of post WWII [[Industrija Motora Rakovica]] (IMR) plant near [[Belgrade]], started to receive parts for assembly, the first Yugoslav manufactured vehicle rolling off the production line in 1940. Production was cut short by the [[invasion of Yugoslavia]] in 1941.<ref name="demic">{{Cite web | last = Demic | first = Miroslav | title = Motorna vozila u Srbiji -2 deo: Prvi kamion domace proizvodnje | url = http://www.motorna-vozila.com/motorna-vozila-u-srbiji-2-deo/ | website = Motorna-vozila.com | language =  Serbian | accessdate = 15 April 2018}}</ref>

Production resumed in 1947 with the name Pionir, but by 1950 less than 1,200 had been made. Production was therefore [[Moving of the Serbian Industry|moved from Serbia]] to Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor in [[Maribor]].<ref name="demic" /> The origin of the Maribor factory lies with the German occupying forces.  In 1942 a site outside the city was set up to manufacture aircraft parts. To maintain production under allied air attacks, some of the plant was in tunnels.<ref name="sloveniatimes.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sloveniatimes.com/maribor-vehicles-factory-celebrating-70th-anniversary|title = Maribor vehicles factory celebrating 70th anniversary|date = 25 September 2017}}</ref>  Some 17,146 vehicles, known as TAM Pionir, were produced during the next fifteen years. The majority were [[flatbed truck]]s, but a number of fire engines, buses and other vehicles were also produced.<ref name="Kocbek">{{cite web| last = Kocbek| first = Darja
| title = Zgodovina mariborskega Tama skozi razstavljene dokumente | website = Razgledi.net| year = 2007 | url = http://www.razgledi.net/2007/10/10/zgodovina-mariborskega-tama-skozi-razstavljene-dokumente| language = Slovenian | accessdate = 15 April 2018}}</ref>

TAM's first model, the [[Praga RN|TAM Pionir]], was built under license from the Czechoslovak company [[Praga (company)|Praga]], and was manufactured until 1962, with a total of 17,416 produced in that period.<ref>{{cite web| last = Kocbek| first = Darja| title = Zgodovina mariborskega Tama skozi razstavljene dokumente | website = Razgledi.net| year = 2007 | url = http://www.razgledi.net/2007/10/10/zgodovina-mariborskega-tama-skozi-razstavljene-dokumente| language = Slovenian | accessdate = 17 April 2018}}</ref>

TAM quickly became [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]'s leading truck manufacturer. In 1958, it began manufacturing vehicles under license from the [[Germany|German]] company [[Magirus|Magirus-Deutz]]. In 1961, the company was renamed to '''Tovarna Avtomobilov in Motorjev Maribor''' ("''Maribor Automobile and Engine Factory''"), however the TAM acronym and logo were retained. At its height, it employed more than 8,000 workers; however, the economic decline of the 1980s saw financial difficulties, and in 1996 the company was dissolved.

TAM was succeeded by TVM ([[Tovarna vozil Maribor]] – translated: Maribor Vehicle Factory) in 2001, producing [[MAN SE|MAN]] trucks under license primarily for the Slovenian Army. TVM became part of the Viator & Vector group, and continued for some years until the [[Financial Crisis]] of 2007-2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.viator-vektor.mk/en/aboutus.html |title=About Us |website=www.viator-vektor.mk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305044133/http://www.viator-vektor.mk/en/aboutus.html |archive-date=2012-03-05}} </ref> The company ended in bankruptcy in 2011 with debts totaling over €62 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnevnik.si/poslovni/novice/cez-tri-leta-200-avtobusov-made-in-maribor-#|title=Čez tri leta 200 avtobusov Made in Maribor|publisher=Dnevnik|language=Slovenian|date=18 March 2013|accessdate=30 June 2013}}</ref>

The company was resuscitated in 2014 under the name TAM - Europe with Chinese investment from [[China Hi-Tech Group Corporation]] group.<ref name="sloveniatimes.com"/>  Its main product line is airside buses for airports, followed by coaches and electric buses called "VERO".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/tam-vero-slovenian-midibus-ipt-inductive-charging/|title=TAM Vero: The Slovenian midibus|date=28 January 2019}}</ref>