Trekka

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Defunct

The Trekka was a sport-utility vehicle manufactured in New Zealand between 1966 and 1973. It is the only vehicle designed and manufactured in New Zealand to enter commercial production for an extended period.

The Trekka was produced initially by Motor Lines Ltd and then by Motor Holdings Ltd. About 2,500 were built and some were even exported to Australia. It utilised a Škoda Octavia engine and chassis, which were imported from then-communist Czechoslovakia. It resembled a Land Rover with limited off-road capability. It was produced in both van and ute formats.

Trekka has achieved a form of iconography as a representation of New Zealand "can-do" from the 1960s. It can equally be said that it is a product of an era of protectionism; the import licencing regime and heavy duties applied to most imported goods made it possible for a vehicle of predominantly New Zealand origin to be marketed. The marginal economics for limited production runs led to its eventual demise as a commercial product once importing restrictions were lifted.

Surviving as a motor vehicle curiosity in the collections of New Zealand and Australian vehicle collectors, the Trekka is best known for the success of low quality manufacturing and design as an output from economic protectionism, a success secured merely by the fact that it undercut heavily dutied imports on price grounds.

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