History

In Hungary, the first factory specifically designed for car production was opened in 1909 in Arad under the name Magyar Automobil Részvénytársaság Westinghouse Rendszer (also known as Magyar Automobil Részvénytársaság, Arad, abbreviated MARTA). One of the most important brands in the history of Hungarian car manufacturing was named after the abbreviation of the company name. Initially, it was a branch of the American company Westinghouse, a subsidiary of the Le Havre company in France. They produced trucks, buses and a passenger car called Marta. In 1912, the French subsidiary of Westinghouse went bankrupt and MARTA was taken over by Austro-Daimler.

The Hungarian Post soon ordered a fleet of 175 buses from Marta. In 1915, the German company Benz (which at that time was not yet merged with Daimler, but was an independent car manufacturer) bought the ownership of MARTA. Austro-Daimler passenger cars continued to be produced under the Marta brand, including the first 150 taxis of Budapest. During the First World War the factory produced only aircraft engines. After the Romanian invasion in 1919, the plant continued to operate under the name ASTRA and car production ceased.