Private company

MWM International Motores

Logo: MWM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Brazilian diesel engine manufacturer

International Indústria Automotiva da América do Sul Ltda. is a Brazilian company specialised in the manufacturing of diesel engines for automotive applications. Until 2005, it was known as MWM Motores Diesel Ltda.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1953Founded1

International Indústria Automotiva da América do Sul Ltda. is a Brazilian company specialised in the manufacturing of diesel engines for automotive applications. Until 2005, it was known as MWM Motores Diesel Ltda.2

The story

MWM was founded as Motoren Werke Mannheim AG in Germany in 1922 and established its subsidiary in Brazil in 1953 to circumvent harsh import restrictions and high import tax rates. In 1985 parent company MWM was bought by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG (KHD) and in March 2005 the subsidiary was sold to Navistar International. Now called "MWM International Ind. de Motores da America do Sul Ltda.", has three manufacturing plants: one in Santo Amaro in São Paulo (headquarters), Canoas in Rio Grande do Sul, and Cordoba in Argentina. MWM is said to have a 36% market share for diesel engines, by number of engines produced.

From Wikipedia’s article on MWM International Motores, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • diesel engine

Listed on Wikidata.1

One technological innovation presented at the congress is the bus equipped with a Diesel + Natural Gas system, strategically displayed to connect Volkswagen Truck and Bus and Delphi Automotive booths. The project was developed by MWM INTERNATIONAL in partnership with these two companies, and is the first diesel-gas system in Brazil. The vehicle is a Volkswagen Truck and Bus, 17 tons, with a 6.10 TCA MWM International engine. The fuel system is electronically controlled to combine diesel and gas.

The bi-fuel is only one of the alternative fuel projects involving MWM International. Another of the company's projects, tests the natural gas + diesel in Acteon 6.12 TCE engine adapted to Otto cycle, and which already presents positive results such as fuel economy and emissions reduction. There are also tests with Biodiesel. In the first semester of 2006, vehicles in this project – a VW 17.210 OD bus equipped with an Acteon electronic engine and two trucks, the VW 8.120 and VW 8.140, exceeded 100,000 kilometers testing.

From Wikipedia’s article on MWM International Motores, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1953Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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