Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria which was broken up in 1990. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.

History

The company was founded as Josef und Franz Werndl and Company in 1864 as a rifle manufacturer, but became known as Steyr-Werke AG in 1924. The company began producing bicycles in 1894, and automobiles in 1915. In 1934, Steyr merged with Puch and Austro-Daimler to form Steyr-Daimler-Puch. During the World War II the Steyr-Daimler-Puch cartel used slave labour in the German concentration camps extensively, notably in the Mauthausen-Gusen camp complex at Gusen.

Dissolution

The conglomerate was broken up in 1990, with Steyr Tractor being sold to Case Corporation, Puch's motorcycle division going to Piaggio, Steyr Mannlicher producing weapons, and Steyr's automobile production combined with Magna as Magna Steyr.

SDP was the initial designer and manufacturer of the utility vehicles, the Haflinger, produced from 1959 to 1974, the Pinzgauer, produced from 1971 till 2000 and the Puch G produced from 1979 which is also known as Mercedes G-Class.

In 1998 the production of military vehicles was sold to an Austrian investor company which sold the company called Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH (SSF) in 2003 to the US-company General Dynamics.
 

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