Automotive industry in France - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The automotive industry in France was one of the earliest pioneers in automobile production and currently ranks among the largest manufacturers in the world. The country has two main automotive (passenger car) manufacturing companies and three major brands. PSA Peugeot Citroën

PSA Peugeot Citroën

PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. Headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe and the number eight in the world.-History:In December 1974 Peugeot S.A....

is the owner of Peugeot

Peugeot

Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

and Citroen

Citroën

Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...

. Renault S.A. is the owner of Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

, and also has controlling ownership of Dacia

Dacia

In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...

(in Romania), Renault Samsung Motors

Renault Samsung Motors

Renault Samsung Motors is a South Korean automobile manufacturer. It was first established as Samsung Motors in 1994 and started selling cars in 1998, just before South Korea was hit by the Asian financial crisis...

(in South Korea) and Nissan (in Japan). Another large automotive manufacturer headquartered in France is Renault Trucks

Renault Trucks

Renault Trucks is a French truck manufacturer with its corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been owned by Volvo Group since 2001....

, which primarily makes commercial vehicles and is owned by Volvo AB.

Timeline

1769 - Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot was a French inventor. He is believed to have built the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle...

builds the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle.

1859 - Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir

Etienne Lenoir

-Sources:* Georgano, G.N. Cars: Early and Vintage 1886-1930. London: Grange-Universal, 1990 . ISBN 0-9509620-3-1....

develops an internal combustion engine.

1884 - Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville

Delamare-Deboutteville

Delamare-Deboutteville was a French car designed in 1884.Many people argue that Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville and his assistant, Leon Malandin had invented the first car. Mr. Édouard Delamare-Deboutteville described how he had built and driven his car in early 1884...

is credited in France with building the first gasoline-powered
automobile.

1887 - Panhard et Levassor established as a car manufacturing concern by René Panhard

René Panhard

Louis François René Panhard was a French engineer, merchant and a pioneer of the automobile industry in France....

and Émile Levassor

Emile Levassor

Émile Levassor was a French engineer and a pioneer of the automobile industry and car racing in France.- Biography :...

, with the first car produced in 1891.

1890 - Armand Peugeot

Armand Peugeot

Armand Peugeot was a French industrialist, pioneer of the automobile industry and the founder of the French firm Peugeot.-Family:...

produces a four-wheeled car powered by a Daimler gasoline fueled internal combustion engine.

1894 - Albert de Dion

Albert de Dion

Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion was a pioneer of the automobile industry in France.-His life:...

produces a single cylinder gasoline-powered engine and in 1898 produced a four-wheeler.

1894 - Delahaye

Delahaye

Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...

is founded by Emile Delahaye

Emile Delahaye

Emile Delahaye was a French automotive pioneer who founded Delahaye Automobiles.Emile Delahaye was born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, in the Loire Valley. He studied engineering at a trade school in the city of Angers, the same school later attended by Louis Delâge, another automobile pioneer...

. The company is bought by Hotchkiss et Cie

Hotchkiss et Cie

Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, who was born in Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, then at Saint-Denis near...

in 1954 and discontinues auto production.

1896 - Armand Peugeot

Armand Peugeot

Armand Peugeot was a French industrialist, pioneer of the automobile industry and the founder of the French firm Peugeot.-Family:...

starts to build and fit his own engines to his cars.

1896 - Léon Bollée

Léon Bollée

Léon Bollée was a French automobile manufacturer and inventor.-Life:Bollée's family were well known bellfounders and his father, Amédée Bollée , was the major pioneer in the automobile industry who produced several steam cars...

builds gasoline powered cars.

1898 - The Renault

Renault

brothers, Louis, Marcel and Fernand, sold their first car.

1903 - Hotchkiss et Cie

Hotchkiss et Cie

is founded. The company is bought by Peugeot

Peugeot

in 1950, but discontinues auto production by 1955.

1905 - Delage

Delage

Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...

is founded by Louis Delage

Louis Delâge

Louis Delâge , was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer.Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac in the Charente département of France, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye...

. Company is bought by Delahaye

Delahaye

in 1935 but ceases auto production in 1954.

1910 - Ettore Bugatti

Ettore Bugatti

right|thumb|Ettore Bugatti in 1932Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was an Italian-born and French naturalized citizen automobile designer and manufacturer....

started the Bugatti

Bugatti

Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

company in Molsheim

Molsheim

Molsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The total population in 2006 was 9,382. Molsheim had been a very fast growing city between the French censuses of 1968 and 1999, passing from 5,739 to 9,331 inhabitants, but this increase came to a noticeable halt...

(then in Germany, now in France). Production ends in 1956.

1911 - The French branch of Hispano-Suiza

Hispano-Suiza

Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...

is founded. Auto production is ended in 1938.

1919 - Avions Voisin

Avions Voisin

Avions Voisin was a French luxury automobile brand established by Gabriel Voisin.Gabriel B. Voisin was an aviation pioneer and manufacturer who in 1919 started producing cars using Knight-type sleeve valve engines at Issy-les-Moulineaux, an industrial suburb to the South West of Paris.Former...

is founded by Gabriel Voisin

Gabriel Voisin

Gabriel Voisin was an aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained , circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing. It was flown by Henry Farman on January 13, 1908 near Paris, France...

. Production ceases in 1939. After the war, Voisin designed a microcar, the Biscuter

Biscúter

Biscúter was a microcar manufactured in Spain during the mid-20th century.-Background:...

.

1919 - Citroen

Citroën

founded by Andre Citroen

André Citroën

André-Gustave Citroën was a French industrialist. He is remembered chiefly for the make of car named after him, but also for his application of double helical gears.- Life and career :...

.

1920 - Darracq (founded 1896) merges with Sunbeam and Talbot, creating what eventually became Talbot-Lago

Talbot-Lago

Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago...

in 1935. Company is bought by Simca

Simca

Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...

in 1959.

1921 - Amilcar

Amilcar

The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1940.The first offering was a small cyclecar; designed by Jules Salomon and Edmond Moyet, it bore a striking resemblance to the pre-war Le Zèbre. Next was the 903cc CC, which was available in two further versions; the CS was a sport...

is founded. The company merges with Hotchkiss et Cie

Hotchkiss et Cie

in 1937 and ceases production in 1939.

1921 - Salmson

Salmson

Salmson was a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area,turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s.-History:...

begins auto production. In 1957 the company is bought by Renault

Renault

.

1934 - Simca

Simca

Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...

established by Henri Pigozzi

Henri Pigozzi

Henri Pigozzi , a car merchant and industrialist, was born as Enrico Teodoro Pigozzi in Turin, Italy....

to build Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

cars.

1934 - Citroen introduces the Traction Avant, featuring front wheel drive and unitary construction. Citroën becomes bankrupt and is taken over by the Michelin Tire Company.

1934 - Matford

Matford

Matford was a car and truck manufacturer in France from 1934 to 1940.In the 1930s, the Ford Motor Company was quickly expanding its European production. Before 1934,a front wheel drive version of Ford Model Y had been produced with an 8 hp engine under the marque Tracford...

begins building Ford cars, but ceases in 1939. In 1947, the company is reorganized as Ford SAF

Ford SAF

Ford SAF was the French subsidiary of the American automaker Ford Motor Company, which existed under various names between 1916 and 1954, when Ford sold the manufacturing business to Simca....

and sells cars under the Ford name.

1945 - Renault

Renault

becomes state owned and is called “Regié Nationale des Usines”.

1945 - The Pons Plan reflected government determination to structure the French auto-industry according to priorities identified by politicians and civil servants.
A select group of auto manufacturers is favored. A punitive fiscal horsepower

Tax horsepower

The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries, such as Britain, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate purchase and renewal fees for passenger...

tax is imposed on larger engines leading to the demise of most of the Grandes Routières such as Bugatti

Bugatti

Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

, Delage

Delage

Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...

, Delahaye

Delahaye

, Hotchkiss et Cie

Hotchkiss et Cie

, Salmson

Salmson

Salmson was a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area,turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s.-History:...

and Talbot-Lago

Talbot-Lago

by the mid-1950s.

1946 - Renault

Renault

introduces the Renault 4CV

Renault 4CV

The Renault 4CV was an economy car produced by the French manufacturer Renault from August 1947-July 1961. The first French car to sell over a million units, the 4CV was ultimately superseded by the Renault Dauphine....

model.

1948 - Citroen

Citroën

introduces the Citroen 2CV

Citroën 2CV

The Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...

model.

1948 - Peugeot

Peugeot

introduces the Peugeot 203

Peugeot 203

The Peugeot 203 is a medium sized car which was produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot between 1948 and 1960.The car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, but by then had already been under development for more than five years...

model.

1954 - Facel Vega

Facel Vega

Facel was a French manufacturer of automobiles from 1954 to 1964.The company was named after the original metal stamping company FACEL, and the company's first model, the Vega, named after the star, was introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Show...

established. Company goes out of business in 1964.

1954 - Simca

Simca

Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...

acquires Ford SAF

Ford SAF

Ford SAF was the French subsidiary of the American automaker Ford Motor Company, which existed under various names between 1916 and 1954, when Ford sold the manufacturing business to Simca....

.

1955 - Citroen

Citroën

introduces the Citroen DS

Citroën DS

The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative...

model, equipped with disk brakes and self-leveling suspension.

1955 - Alpine (car maker) is founded by Jean Rédélé

Jean Rédélé

Jean Rédélé , was an automotive pioneer, pilot and founder of the French automotive brand Alpine....

and develops a series of sports cars. Renault

Renault

acquires the company in the 1970s, but drops the name in the 1990s.

1963 - Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

takes a 63% ownership stake in Simca

Simca

Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...

.

1965 - Matra

Matra

Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...

begins automobile production. Ceases production in 2003.

1965 - Citroën takes over Panhard

Panhard

Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...

.

1968 - Citroen

Citroën

takes over Italian car maker Maserati

Maserati

Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...

.

1970 - Citroen

Citroën

introduces the Citroen SM

Citroën SM

The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S. in 1972.-History:In 1961,...

, featuring a self-leveling suspension, self-centering speed-sensitive power steering, hydropneumatic brakes, and engine technology from Masarati.

1974 - Citroën

Citroën

files bankruptcy, leading to merger with Peugeot

Peugeot

and forming PSA Peugeot Citroën

PSA Peugeot Citroën

in 1975. Maserati

Maserati

is then sold to Alejandro de Tomaso

Alejandro de Tomaso

Alejandro de Tomaso was a racing driver and industrialist from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as Alessandro de Tomaso. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on January 13, 1957...

.

1978 - PSA Peugeot Citroen

PSA Peugeot Citroën

takes over Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

’s European division, the former Rootes

Rootes

The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer, which was based in the Midlands and south of England. Rootes was the parent company of many well-known British marques, including Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot, Commer and Karrier...

and Simca

Simca

Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...

car manufacturers. The Talbot name is revived for use on these cars, but disappears by 1987.

1978 - Renault

Renault

begins financial involvement with American Motors

American Motors

American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...

. By the early 1980s, Renault takes control of the company, but sells American Motors to Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

in 1987.

1986 - Georges Besse

Georges Besse

Georges Besse was a French businessman who led several large state-controlled French companies during his lifetime. He was assassinated outside his home on November 17, 1986...

, Chairman of Renault

Renault

, is murdered by the communist terrorist group Action Directe

Action Directe

Action Directe is French for direct action. It may refer to:* Action directe , the 1970s and 1980s French urban guerrilla group* Action Directe , the rock climb...

.

1992 - PSA Peugeot Citroen

PSA Peugeot Citroën

establishes joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corporation in China. (Now known as Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile

Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile

Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile is a joint venture between the Dongfeng Motor Corporation and the French PSA Peugeot Citroën. Based in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, it manufactures Peugeot and Citroën models for sale in China...

.)

1996 - Renault

Renault

is privatized.

1997 - Smart (automobile)

Smart (automobile)

Smart is an automotive branch of Daimler AG. Smart is a German manufacturer of microcars produced in Hambach, France, and Böblingen, Germany...

assembly plant opened in Hambach, Moselle

Hambach, Moselle

Hambach is a town and commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Smart Hambach Plant of Mercedes-Benz Cars is located here....

.

1998 - Volkswagen AG obtains the rights to the Bugatti

Bugatti

Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

name. They later build an auto plant in Molsheim

Molsheim

and produce the Bugatti Veyron

Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of...

.

1999 - Renault

Renault

obtains a controlling interest in Japanese automaker Nissan. Renault buys 99% ownership in Romanian automaker Dacia

Dacia

In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...

.

2000 - Renault

Renault

establishes Renault Samsung Motors

Renault Samsung Motors

in South Korea.

2001 - Toyota built its Western European assembly line for the Toyota Yaris

Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris is a subcompact car produced by Toyota since 1999. Between 1999 and 2005, some markets received the same vehicles under the Toyota Echo name...

in Valenciennes

Valenciennes

Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...

.

2001 - Renault Trucks

Renault Trucks

Renault Trucks is a French truck manufacturer with its corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been owned by Volvo Group since 2001....

is sold to AB Volvo.

2008 - Renault

Renault

obtains a 25% interest in Russian automaker AvtoVAZ

AvtoVAZ

AvtoVAZ is the Russian automobile manufacturer formerly known as VAZ: Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod , but better known to the world under the trade name Lada. The company was established in the late 1960s in collaboration with Fiat...

Historical production by year

World production of passenger cars of French car manufacturers

Year	Production
1950	257,000
1960	1,136,000
1970	2,245,000
1980	2,939,000
1990	3,295,000
2000	4,599,000
2007	5,301,000
2008	4,901,000
2009	4,807,000

Current production by manufacturer

Total global motor vehicle production by Renault in 2010 was 2,716,286, including 2,395,876 passenger vehicles. This ranked tenth among all vehicle manufacturers. (Note: these number do not include Nissan.) Total motor vehicle production by PSA Peugeot Citroen in 2010 was 3,605,524, including 3,214,810 passenger vehicles. This ranked eighth among all vehicle manufacturers.

External links

The French Automotive Industry - Analysis and Statistics 2010 Comite des Constructeurs Francais d'Automobiles http://www.ccfa.fr/publications/analyse-statistiques/edition-2010.html
PSA Peugeot Citroen history - company website http://www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com/document/publication/history_group1083692907.pdf
Renault history - company website http://www.renault.com/en/groupe/chiffres-cles/pages/dates-cles.aspx

Timeline

Historical production by year

Current production by manufacturer

External links

Further reading