FSM

Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych was a Polish car manufacturer based in Bielsko-Biała. Its establishment followed a change in Polish communist party leadership, when Edward Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as secretary-general, prompting a decision that the company would produce a popular car for the domestic market.

In 1972, production of the Syrena 105 was transferred to Bielsko from the FSO factory in Warsaw. The previous year, Poland had acquired a licence to manufacture the Fiat 126, which subsequently went into production at new factories in Bielsko and Tychy. The first vehicles were assembled two years later, with full local manufacture beginning the following year. The 126 received a 650cc engine in 1976, and by 1979 the company had become the sole supplier of the model to all markets.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company's research and development department produced numerous prototypes of small cars, most of which were based on the 126, including a front-wheel-drive variant. Among these, the Beskid stood out for its monocoque body and front-wheel drive, designed to accommodate engines ranging from a longitudinally mounted 700cc twin to a transverse 1100cc four-cylinder unit. Several prototypes were built in 1983, but the Beskid project was ultimately shelved.

Alongside 126 production, the Syrena continued to be manufactured in saloon, pick-up, and delivery van forms. Although the Fiat Panda was intended to replace the Syrena, these plans were disrupted by the imposition of martial law, and Syrena production continued until 30 June 1983. In total, 344,077 Syrenas were built at the factory.

In 1987, the 126B, featuring a horizontally mounted, water-cooled engine, entered production but did not prove popular. That same year, a licence was obtained for the Fiat Cinquecento, which entered production four years later. In 1992, Fiat acquired the factory. The millionth Cinquecento was produced in 1997, and the model was replaced by the Seicento the following year. Despite these developments, the Fiat 126, by then fitted with a catalytic converter, remained in production, with approximately 3,300,000 units built by early 1999.