In 1977 the Romanian government reached an agreement with Citroen to build a smaller car to complement the Dacia 1300 (which was based on the Renault 12). A new company was launched to build the new car, with the name Oltcit taken from the name of the county where the factory was located. The model chosen by Citroen to be built by Oltcit was the Visa, with the three Oltcit models being the Club, Special and Axel 12 TRS (export model). Only one style, a 3-door hatchback was offered. The Club was the most popular model, and featured a 1.1 litre engine developing 57bhp.
After the Romanian revolution in 1989, the car and the company was renamed Oltena, and in 1991 the company was again renamed as Automobile Craiova SA. In 1994 the Romanian government made an agreement with South Korean manufacturer Daewoo, which spelled the end of production for the Oltcit.