Automeccanica was a Greek automobile producing company. Founded in 1981, it was one of the companies that produced the "passenger-uitlity" type of vehicle popular in Greece at the time for tax categorization reasons. Its creators were former executives of Autokinitobiomihania Ellados (meaning 'Greek Car Industry') a company founded in 1975 to also produce vehicles of this type – it assembled Italian Fissore models based on Fiat products, as well as other Fiat models and variants. Automeccanica followed a different path, building (not just assembling) the Zebra model, a passenger-utility car largely designed by Daihatsu (based on the Charade model) specifically for production by the Greek company, as well as assembling the Charade itself. In 1985, when the law favoring the Zebra-type vehicles changed, Automeccanica started licence production of the Soviet Lada Niva model, while it developed its own cabrio-version of the car. In 1988 it acquired its former "father" company, Autokinitobiomihania Ellados and the latter's factory in Thiva. Automeccanica went out of the car-construction business in 1995. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The present Fiat logo The old Fiat logo, still commonly seen, used from 1969 to 1999 Fiat S.p. ... The present Fiat logo The old Fiat logo, still commonly seen, used from 1969 to 1999 Fiat S.p. ... Daihatsu is a Japanese manufacturer of cars, especially compact/small cars. ... The Daihatsu Charade was a subcompact car sold from 1977 to 2000. ... Soviet redirects here. ... A well-used Russian Niva, parked near the Арбатская Metro station in central Moscow. ... Thebes (in modern Greek: Θήβα - Thíva, in ancient Greek and Katharevousa: - ThÄ“bai or Thívai) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ...