Sidus
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Native name | Sidus Moottoriyhtiö |
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| Public | |
| ISIN | VLSE: SDUS |
| Industry | Conglomerate |
| Founded | Vuornaa, Valkea (23 August 1948) |
| Founders | Heimo Järvinen Mauri Miettinen |
| Headquarters | Vuornaa , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products |
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| Divisions |
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| Website | sidus.com |
Sidus Motor Company Oyj (Valkean: Sidus Moottoriyhtiö) is a Valkean multinational conglomerate mostly known for the manufacture of automobiles, motorcycles, and engines. As of 2018, Sidus is the largest Valkean motorcycle manufacturer since 1956 and the second largest Valkean automobile manufacturer after Valkean Industrial Consortium (VTK). Sidus is also one of the largest manufacturers of internal combustion engines.
Sidus Motor Company produces and sells automobiles and motorcycles under the Sidus brand as well as luxury cars under the JLC brand. Sidus also manufactures marine engines, personal watercraft, powersports equipment, and garden equipment. They also have been involved in other industrial fields such as robotics and aerospace.
History
In 1933, Heimo Järvinen founded the Järvinen Motor Company in the city of Novika. Based in a workshop employing 17 men, they manufactured limited-volume luxury cars such as the Model 10 coupe, Model 20 sedan, and Model 22 roadster. They also produced parts for military vehicles. However, differences between Järvinen and the board of management arose regarding the company's direction. He wanted to build people's cars for Valkeans, but his partners wanted to continue building luxury cars for the elite. Järvinen eventually departed from Järvinen Motor Company in 1945.
Shortly after his departure, his daughter, Stella, died from severe pneumonia. While he was putting away her things, he came across a pendant with a five-knotted star; a gift he had given to her when she was eight. The pendant would become the inspiration for Järvinen and his future company. In 1947 he moved to Vuornaa and met Mauri Miettinen, and together they founded Sidus Motor Company on 23 August 1948. The two would continue to head the company until they both stepped down in 1981.
Their first car models were the Model 100, a two-door roadster, and and the Model 105, a four-door passenger car; both of which went on sale to the public in September 1953. They were a success in the Valkean domestic market, selling a combined 50,000 units within the first year. In addition, they began building motorcycles such as the Sol and Proxima. Sidus then grew in a short time to become Astyria's largest motorcycle manufacturer by the 1960s. The Proxima is still being produced today, having reached its 100 millionth model milestone in 2015.
Over the next few decades, Sidus worked to expand its product line and its operations to other countries. The Sidus Model 145 became the first Sidus car to be exported to foreign markets. The year 1973 saw the company release the Sidus Corvus, a compact hatchback that passed strict emissions regulations without the use of a catalytic converter. In 1984, Sidus bought a majority stake in Järvinen Motor Company, which was rebranded as Järvinen Luxury Cars. And in 1989, the company introduced the Sidus Zodiac, a supercar built with an all-aluminum monocoque chassis and a mid-engined V6 with variable timing technology.
However, the death of Heimo Järvinen sent shockwaves throughout the entire company. Sidus was beginning to lag behind other Valkean automakers, having been late to the SUV and pickup truck trend. In addition, there was speculation that Sidus may be bought up by VTK, which had just acquired competitors such as Juhola and Eloranta. To prevent this, then-CEO Antti Kivinen streamlined Sidus's product lineup, closed unprofitable factories, laid off thousands of workers, and ended its participation in Formula 1. At the time, many were shocked at these drastic measures, but then Sidus reversed its fortunes - in 1997, Sidus reported a loss of $768 million, while in 1998 it reported a profit of $1.1 billion.
Corporate profile
Sidus is the 2nd largest Valkean automobile manufacturer and one of the largest in Astyria, with a revenue of $147 million recorded in 2018. It is headquartered in Vuornaa, Valkea and has operations throughout the world. It also operates numerous assembly plants in various countries, many of them in Astyria.
Products
Automobiles
Motorcycles
Power equipment
Aircraft
Robots
Motorsport
Sidus has been active in motorsport, most notably in Formula One and in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing. Its engines attained the greatest number of victories for any Astyrian engine manufacturer in all disciplines.
Automobiles
Sidus first entered as a Formula One constructor in 1966 in the Caprican Grand Prix. Their first win was achieved at the Scottopian Grand Prix, making the company become the first Valkean constructor to win in Formula One. However, they had difficulties obtaining wins in the coming seasons, and they later had to withdraw from the sport in 1973 due to the onset of the Valkean Recession.
The company returned to Formula One as an engine supplier, first partnering with the MacGregor F1 team. Together they won the 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 seasons. Due to MacGregor's dismal performance during the 1995 season, Sidus once again withdrew from F1. However, it still maintained a presence as an engine supplier for various race teams through the related Comet Motorsport company.
Sidus officially returned as an engine supplier for Renetton in 2002. Together they achieved 12 podiums and third place in the constructor's championship. However, prior to the 2006 season, the team was sold to Sidus, becoming a fully-fledged constructor in Formula One for the first time since the 1970s. They won the 2007 and 2012 Formula One Constructor's Championships with driver Paavo Laakonen, who also won the Driver's Championship for those years. They followed that with a win in the 2015 season with Simo Raasinen as champion. Alongside the factory team, Sidus also currently provides engines for the Raamaker and MacGregor F1 teams, allowing them to win the 2016 and 2019 seasons, respectively.
Aside from Formula One, Sidus also competes in the Valkean Touring Car Championship, as well as the Astyrian Touring Car Championship, scoring numerous victories and championships.
Motorcycles
Sidus has participated in various motorcycle racing series around the world since the 1950s. Heimo Järvinen was an avid racing enthusiast, and wanted to demonstrate his company's engineering prowess through participation in motorsport. In 1957, Sidus entered Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, but it took until 1962 for it to claim its first victories. They achieved the constructor's championships in 1964 and 1965. Sidus's race bikes made a name for themselves in the motorcycle racing world through their sleek exteriors and unorthodox engine configurations, including a 250cc six-cylinder motorcycle that competed in the 1966 season.
After a hiatus in the 1970s, they made a return to Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing in 1980, initially competing with four-stroke engines in 1980 and 1981. Due to the previous engines' lackluster performance, they switched to two-stroke engines in 1982. In 1983, Sidus won their first Grand Prix world championship since 1965, and have since then dominated in the years to come.
They also are a prominent force in motocross racing, winning seven world championships, as well as in endurance motorcycle racing.