View source for Simca

{{Short description|Automobile company}}
{{About|the automobile company||SIMCA (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Simca
| logo = Simca logo 1970.svg
| logo_size = 220
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| fate = Merged into [[Chrysler Europe]] becoming a [[brand]] in 1970
| successor = Chrysler France
| foundation = 1934
| founder  = [[Henri Pigozzi]]
| defunct = {{end date and age|1970}}
| predecessor = 
| location = [[Nanterre]], [[France]] (1935–1961)<br/>[[Poissy]], [[France]] (1954–1970)
| industry = [[automotive industry|Automotive]]
| products = [[car|Automobile]]s
| num_employees = 
| parent = [[Fiat S.p.A.]] (1934–58)<br>[[Chrysler]] (1958–67)<br>[[Chrysler Europe]] (1967–70)
| subsid = [[Ford SAF|Ford France]] (1954–58) <ref name=time>[https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,820361,00.html BUSINESS ABROAD: Ford into Simca] on ''Time'' magazine, Monday, Sept. 27, 1954</ref><br>[[Simca do Brasil]] (1958–66)
| brands = [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] (1959–70)
}}
'''Simca''' ({{lang|fr|Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile}}; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French [[automaker]], founded in November 1934 by [[Fiat S.p.A.]] and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by [[Italy|Italian]] [[Henri Pigozzi]]. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bought [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'s [[Ford SAF|French subsidiary]], became increasingly controlled by [[Chrysler]]. In 1970, Simca became a brand of Chrysler's European business, ending its period as an independent company. Simca disappeared in 1978, when Chrysler divested its European operations to another French automaker, [[PSA Peugeot Citroën]]. PSA replaced the Simca brand with [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] after a short period when some models were badged as Simca-Talbots.

During most of its post-war activity, Simca was one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in France. The [[Simca 1100]] was for some time the best-selling car in France, while the [[Simca 1307]] and [[Simca Horizon]] won the coveted [[European Car of the Year]] title in 1976 and 1979, respectively—these models were [[badge engineering|badge engineered]] as products of other marques in some countries. For instance the Simca 1307 was sold in Britain as the Chrysler Alpine and the Horizon was also sold under the Chrysler brand.

Simca vehicles were also manufactured by [[Simca do Brasil]] in [[São Bernardo do Campo]], [[Brazil]], and [[Barreiros (manufacturer)|Barreiros]] (another Chrysler subsidiary) in [[Spain]].  They were also assembled in [[Australia]], [[Chile]]{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}, [[Colombia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elcarrocolombiano.com/clasicos/la-historia-de-colmotores-pionera-de-la-industria-automotriz-colombiana/ |title=La historia de Colmotores, pionera de la industria automotriz colombiana  |website=Elcarrocolombiano.com |access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref> and the [[Netherlands]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.home.nl/jurriaanknol/Simca4EN.htm |title=Simca and the Nekaf plant|website=Members.home.nl |access-date=2010-11-25}}</ref> during the Chrysler era. In Argentina, Simca had a small partnership with Metalmecánica SAIC (better known as de Carlo) for the production of the Simca Ariane in 1965.

== Foundation ==
[[Henri Pigozzi]] was active in the automotive business in the early 1920s when he met [[Fiat]] founder [[Giovanni Agnelli]]. They began business together in 1922 with Pigozzi acting as a scrap merchant, buying old automobile bodies and sending them to Fiat for recycling.<ref name=Beaulieu>{{cite book |last=Georgano |first=N.  | author-link=G.N. Georgano  |title=Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile |year=2000 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=1-57958-293-1}}</ref> Two years later Pigozzi became Fiat's [[General Agent]] in France and in 1926 SAFAF (Société Anonyme Française des Automobiles Fiat) was founded. In 1928, SAFAF started the assembly of Fiat cars in Suresnes near Paris and licensed the production of some parts to local suppliers. By 1934, as many as 30,000 Fiat cars were sold by SAFAF.<ref name="histomobile">{{cite web|url=http://www.histomobile.com/histomob/internet/26/histo02.htm |title=Simca history |website=Histomobile.com |access-date=2006-08-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419061325/http://www.histomobile.com/histomob/internet/26/histo02.htm |archive-date=April 19, 2006 }}</ref>

== Simca-Fiat ==
[[File:1973 Simca 1000 GL.JPG|thumb|[[Simca 1000|Simca 1000 GL]] (1974)]]
The SIMCA (''Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile'') company was founded in 1935 by [[Fiat S.p.A.]], when it bought the former [[Donnet]] factory in the French town of [[Nanterre]].<ref name=Beaulieu/>

The first cars produced were [[Fiat 508]] Balillas and [[Fiat 518]] Arditas, but with Simca-Fiat 6CV and 11CV badges. They were followed during 1936 by the 3CV [[Simca 5]], a version of the [[Fiat 500 "Topolino"|Fiat Topolino]] announced in the Spring, but only available for sale from October 1936. Its name references the first digit of the car's 570&nbsp;cc displacement.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.caapy.net/voitures-simca/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221209200959/https://www.caapy.net/voitures-simca/ | archive-date = 2022-12-09 | title = Les voitures Simca | trans-title = The vehicles of Simca | language = fr | work = L’Aventure Automobile à Poissy – CAAPY | publisher = L'Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS }}</ref> The [[Simca 8|Huit]], a 6CV version of the [[Fiat 508C]]-1100, appeared in late 1937 for the 1938 model year - hence its name.<ref name=GazHuit>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.gazoline.net/essais/simca-8-1100-cabriolet-grand-luxe/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240719141643/https://www.gazoline.net/essais/simca-8-1100-cabriolet-grand-luxe/ | archive-date = 2024-07-19 | magazine = Gazoline | title = Simca 8 1100 Cabriolet Grand Luxe | date = 2017-06-08 | first = Hugues | last = Chaussin | language = fr | issue = 245 | publisher = Editions Larivière }}</ref> Production of the 6CV and 11CV stopped in 1937, leaving the 5 and the 8 in production until the outbreak of World War II. The firm nevertheless remained closely connected with Fiat, and it was not until 1938 that the shortened name "Simca" replaced "Simca-Fiat".<ref name=Automobilia1936>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1936 (Salon [Paris, October] 1935)| volume = 1| pages =80–81|year = 1996|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>

Of the businesses that emerged as France's big four auto-makers after the war, Simca was unique in not suffering serious bomb damage to its plant.<ref name=Automobilia1940-46>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1940-46 (Les années sans salon )| volume = 26| pages =76–77|year = 2003|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref> There were persistent suggestions that [[Henri Pigozzi]]'s close personal relationship with the [[Giovanni Agnelli|Agnelli]] family (which owned [[Fiat]]) and Fiat's powerful political influence with the [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] government in Italy secured relatively favourable treatment for Simca during the years when France fell under the control of Italy's powerful ally, [[Germany]].<ref name=Automobilia1940-46/> Despite France being occupied, Simca cars continued to be produced in small numbers throughout the war.<ref name=Automobilia1940-46/>

Following the [[Liberation of Paris|1944 liberation]], the company's close association with Italy became an obvious liability in the feverish atmosphere of recrimination and new beginnings that swept France following four years of [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|occupation]]. Nevertheless, shortly after the liberation the Nanterre plant's financial sustainability received a boost when Simca won a contract from the American army to repair large numbers of [[Jeep]] engines.<ref name=Automobilia1947/>

==1946: a decisive year==
On 3 January 1946 the new government's five-year plan for the automobile industry (remembered, without affection, as the [[Paul-Marie Pons|Pons Plan]]) came into force.<ref name=Automobilia1947>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1947 (Salon de Paris: Octobre 1946 )| volume = 4|page=72|year = 1997|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>    Government plans for Simca involved pushing it into a merger with various smaller companies such as [[Delahaye|Delahaye-Delage]], Bernard, [[Laffly]] and [[Unic]] so as to create an automobile manufacturing  combine to be called “Générale française automobile” (GFA).   With half an eye on the [[Volkswagen Type 1|Volkswagen]] project across the Rhine, the authorities determined that GFA should produce the two door version of the "AFG",<ref>AFG = Aluminium Français-Grégoire</ref> a small family car that had been developed during the war by the influential automobile engineer, [[Jean-Albert Grégoire]].<ref name=Automobilia1947/>    Grégoire owed his influence to a powerfully persuasive personality and a considerable engineering talent.   Regarding the future of the French automobile industry, Grégoire held strong opinions, two of which favoured front-wheel drive and aluminium as a material for car bodies.   A few weeks after the liberation Grégoire joined the Simca board as General Technical Director, in order to prepare for the production of the AFG at the company's [[Nanterre]] factory.<ref name=Automobilia1947/>

For Simca, faced with a determinedly dirigiste left-wing [[Provisional Government of the French Republic|French government]], the prospect of nationalisation seemed very real.<ref name=Automobilia1947/> ([[Renault]] had already been confiscated and nationalised by the government at the start of 1945.) Simca's long standing (but Italian born) Director General, [[Henri Pigozzi]], was obliged to deploy his very considerable reserves of guile and charm in order to retain his own position within the company, and it appears that in the end Pigozzi owed his very survival at Simca to the intervention with the national politicians of his new board room colleague, [[Jean-Albert Grégoire]].<ref name=Automobilia1947/> In return, Grégoire obtained the personal commitment of the surviving Director General to the production at Nanterre of his two-door AFG.<ref name=Automobilia1947/>

It is very easy to see how the two-door AFG looked, because its four-door equivalent went into production, little changed from Grégoire's prototype, as the [[Panhard Dyna X]]. It was a car designed by an engineer, and Pigozzi thought it ugly.   In trying to make it more appealing to the style conscious car buyers who, it was hoped, would appear in Simca showrooms once the economy picked up and government restrictions on car ownership began to be  relaxed, Simca designers took the underpinnings of the Grégoire prototype and clothed it with various more conventionally modern bodies, the last of which looked uncannily similar to a shortened [[Peugeot 203]].<ref name=Automobilia1947/> This “Simca-Grégoire” performed satisfactorily in road tests in France and around [[Turin]] (home town of [[Fiat]] who still owned Simca), and by September 1946 the car was deemed ready for production. But Pigozzi was still cautious. He had little enthusiasm for the gratuitously unfathomable complexities involved in producing a mass-market front-wheel drive car.<ref name=Automobilia1947/> The experience of the [[Citroën Traction Avant]], which had bankrupted its manufacturer in the mid-1930s, was not encouraging. Pigozzi therefore applied to the (at this stage still strongly interventionist) government for a far higher level of government subsidy than the government could contemplate.<ref name=Automobilia1947/> Both the “Simca-Grégoire” project and the government's own enthusiasm for micro-managing the French automobile industry were by now running out of momentum. Sensing that there was no prospect of putting the  “Simca-Grégoire” into production any time soon, General Technical Director Grégoire resigned from the company early in 1947.<ref name=Automobilia1947/>

Meanwhile, at the first Paris Motor Show since the end of the [[Second World War|war]], in October 1946, two models were on display on the Simca stand, being the [[Simca 5]] and the [[Simca 8]], at this stage barely distinguishable from their pre-war equivalents. A new car arrived in 1948 with the [[Simca 6]], a development of the Simca 5 which it would eventually replace, featuring an overhead valve 570&nbsp;cc engine: the Simca 6 was launched ahead of the introduction of the equivalent [[Fiat]].

The French economy in this period was in a precarious condition and government pressure was applied on the automakers to maximize export sales. During the first eight months of 1947, Simca exported 70% of cars produced, placing it behind Citroën (92% exported), Renault (90% exported), Peugeot (87% exported) and [[Ford SAF|Ford France]] (83% exported). In the struggle to maximize exports, Simca was handicapped by the fact that it was not allowed to compete directly with its principal Italian shareholder, Fiat.<ref name=Automobilia1948>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1948 (Salon 1947)| volume = 7| pages =74–75|year = 1998|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>

== Aronde and Ford SAF takeover ==
[[File:Aronde 2012 02.JPG|thumb|[[Simca Aronde]] (1956)]]
The [[Simca Aronde]], launched in 1951, was the first Simca model not based on a Fiat design. It had a 1200&nbsp;cc engine and its production reached 100,000 units yearly. Following this success, Simca took over the French truck manufacturers [[Unic]] in 1951, Saurer in 1956, and the [[Poissy]] [[PSA Poissy Plant|plant]] of [[Ford SAF]] in 1954.<ref name=time/> The Poissy plant had ample room for expansion, enabling Simca to consolidate French production in a single plant and, in 1961, to sell the old Nanterre plant.<ref name=Motor197106>{{cite magazine| title =Simca - Chrysler with French dressing|magazine=[[The Motor (magazine)|Motor]]| volume = nbr 3598| pages =24–25 |date = 19 June 1971}}</ref>

The 1950s was a decade of growth for Simca, and by 1959 the combined output of the plants at Nanterre and at Poissy had exceeded 225,000 cars, placing the manufacturer in second place among French automakers in volume terms, ahead of [[Peugeot]] and [[Citroën]], though still far behind market leader [[Renault]].<ref name=Automobilia1960>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1959 (Salon Paris Oct 1958)| volume = 15|page=55|year = 2000|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref><ref>Unit sales are of course only part of the story, since the revenue and potential profit from producing a [[Citroën DS]] or even from a [[Peugeot 403]] would have been far higher than that from a single [[Simca Aronde|Simca Aronde P60]], while sales volumes of Simca's own large cars, the aging [[Simca Vedette|Vedette]] and Ariane, were by now on a steeply downward curve.</ref>

The Ford purchase also added the V-8 powered [[Ford Vedette]] range to the Simca stable.  This model continued to be produced and progressively upgraded until 1962 in France and 1967 in Brazil, but with various names under the Simca badge. An Aronde-powered version was also made in 1957 and called the [[Simca Ariane|Ariane]] which, because it was economical and had a large body, was popular as a taxi.

In 1958, Simca bought the French [[Talbot-Lago]] manufacturing company.

==Brazil==
{{main|Simca do Brasil}}
[[File:Simca Chambord 1960.jpg|thumb|A Brazilian-made [[Simca Chambord (Brazilian model)|Simca Chambord]], used on the TV series ''{{Interlanguage link|O Vigilante Rodoviário|pt}}'' (1961-1962)]]
The Simca plant received a visit by [[Juscelino Kubitschek]] before his inauguration in 1956, organized by a Brazilian General who had a family member employed there. He jokingly invited Simca to build a plant in [[Minas Gerais]], his home state. Simca followed through and sent a letter of intent to this effect.<ref name=shapiro>{{cite journal | ref = HShap | title = Determinants of Firm Entry into the Brazilian Automobile Manufacturing Industry, 1956-1968 | first = Helen | last = Shapiro | volume = 65 | journal = [[The Business History Review]] | number = 4, The Automobile Industry |date=Winter 1991 | page = 907 | doi=10.2307/3117267| jstor = 3117267 }}</ref> In the interim, Brazil had formed an {{Interlanguage link|Executive Group for the Automotive Industry|pt|3=Grupo Executivo da Indústria Automobilística}} (GEIA), which had established a set of requirements for any producer wishing to establish a plant in Brazil.<ref name=shapiro/> Simca claimed that their proposal and arrangement with Kubitschek pre-dated these rules and lobbied for exceptions.<ref name=HS908>[[#HShap|Shapiro]], p. 908</ref> Simca also lobbied directly in Minas, but in the end were forced to present their own proposal, which was accepted with a number of conditions.<ref name=HS908/> The delays in passing the GEIA rules meant that Simca, which established its first plant in [[São Paulo]], was unable to access hard currency and suffered severe parts shortages as a result. Simca quickly developed a reputation for low quality which it was unable to shake.<ref name=HS909>[[#HShap|Shapiro]], p. 909</ref>

Simca do Brasil was originally 50% Brazilian-owned, but after Chrysler took over Simca France in 1966 they also obtained control of the Brazilian arm.<ref name=HS935>[[#HShap|Shapiro]], p. 935</ref> Simca remained based in [[São Paulo]] for the entire time they were active in Brazil and never moved to Minas, as originally promised. Their range was built around the 2.4&nbsp;liter V8-engined [[Simca Vedette]], which entered production in Brazil in March 1959.<ref name="clubsimca">{{cite web | url = http://www.clubsimca.com/vedette/vedette.htm | title = Les SIMCA Vedette |trans-title=The Simca Vedettes | work = Club Simca France | archive-date = 2007-03-27 | language = fr | url-status = usurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070327043818/http://www.clubsimca.com/vedette/vedette.htm }}</ref> It was built under a variety of names and in a number of different bodystyles, until the Simca badge was retired there in 1969. Later models were redesigned completely, and were sold as the [[Simca Esplanada]].

== Fulgur ==
The Simca Fulgur was a [[concept car]] designed in 1958 by [[Robert Opron]] for Simca and first displayed at the 1959 [[Geneva Auto Show]].<ref>The New Yorker, Volume 37 Part 1, 1961, page 31</ref> It was also displayed at the New York Auto Show, and the 1961 [[Chicago Auto Show]]. The concept car was intended to show what cars in the year 2000 would look like. It was to be atomic powered, voice controlled, guided by radar, and use only two wheels balanced by [[gyroscopes]] when driven at over 150&nbsp;km/h.<ref>The Fulgur - a European dream car, ''[[Automobile Year]]'', Issue 6, 1958, page 81</ref>  Fulgur is Latin for ''flash'' or ''lightning''.

== Chrysler ==
In 1958, the American car manufacturer [[Chrysler]], which wanted to enter the European car market,<ref>''Riding the Roller Coaster: A History of the Chrysler Corporation'' by Charles K. Hyde – Wayne State University Press, 2003 – {{isbn|0814330916}}</ref> bought 15% of Simca from [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] in a deal which [[Henry Ford II]] was later reported as having publicly regretted.<ref name=Motor197106/> At this stage, however, the dominant shareholder remained [[Fiat S.p.A.]], and their influence is apparent in the engineering and design of Simcas of that period such as the [[Simca 1000|1000]] and [[Simca 1300|1300]] models introduced respectively in 1961 and 1963.<ref name=Motor197106/>  However, in 1963 Chrysler increased their stake to a controlling 64% by purchasing stock from Fiat,<ref name=Beaulieu/> and they subsequently extended that holding further to 77%.<ref name=Motor197106/>  Even in 1971 Fiat retained a 19% holding, but by now they had long ceased to play an active role in the business.<ref name=Motor197106/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/simca/index.html|title=Simca (Societe Industrielle de Mecanique et Carrosserie Automobile)|website=Allpar.com|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>

Also, in 1964 Chrysler bought the British manufacturer [[Rootes Group|Rootes]] thus putting together the basis of [[Chrysler Europe]].<ref name=Beaulieu/> All the Simca models manufactured after 1967 had the [[History of Chrysler#Logos|Chrysler pentastar logo]] as well as Simca badging. In 1961, Simca started to manufacture all of its models in the ex-Ford SAF factory in Poissy and sold the factory at Nanterre to [[Citroën]]. The rear-engined [[Simca 1000]] was introduced in 1961 with its sporting offspring, the Simca-[[Abarth]] in 1963. The 1000 also served as the platform for the 1000 Coupe, a [[Sports car|sports coupe]] sporting a [[Gruppo Bertone|Bertone]]-designed body by [[Giorgetto Giugiaro]] and 4-wheel [[disc brake]]s. It debuted in 1963 and was described by Car Magazine as "the world's neatest small coupe". 1967 saw the more powerful 1200S Bertone Coupe that, with a [[horsepower]] upgrade in 1970, could reach the dizzying speed of almost 112&nbsp;mph (180&nbsp;km/h), making it the fastest standard production Simca ever built.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simcatalbotclub.org/scoupe.htm |title=SIMCA 1000 COUPE, SIMCA 1200S COUPE |website=Simcatalbotclub.org |access-date=2010-11-25}}</ref> In 1967, a much more up to date car, the 1100, appeared with front wheel drive and independent suspension all round, and continued in production until 1979. On 1 July 1970 the company title was formally changed to Chrysler France.

Having increased their stake to 77% of [[Simca]] in 1963<ref name=Motor197106>{{cite magazine| title =Simca - Chrysler with French dressing|magazine=[[The Motor (magazine)|Motor]]| volume = nbr 3598| pages =24–25 |date = 19 June 1971}}</ref> and taken control of the Rootes Group by mid-1964, Chrysler had already marketed numerous Simca and Rootes models in the United States, including the Simca 1204, via a new ''Simca-Rootes Division'',<ref name="arrow">{{cite magazine
 |title        = Two Bargains... But Brickbats Too: PM Plymouth Cricket Owners Report
 | magazine = Popular Mechanics | page = 76
 |date         = September 1976
 |url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=hNcDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22plymouth+cricket%22&pg=PA76}}</ref> formed in 1966<ref name="division">{{cite news
 |title        = No. 2 Spot Eyed by Simca Rootes
 |newspaper    = Detroit Free Press | page = 16
 |first = Fred | last = Olmstead
 |date         = February 20, 1966
 |url          = https://www.newspapers.com/image/97531271/?match=1&terms=%22chrysler%20imports%22%20simca-rootes}}</ref>
&mdash; with 850 dealers selling four Simca models and 400 dealers selling four Rootes models.<ref name="hardnumbers">{{cite news
 |title        = Imports Are Headed For Record Year
 |newspaper    = Detroit Free Press | page = 60
 |date         = November 27, 1966
 |url          = https://www.newspapers.com/image/97457742/?match=1&terms=%22chrysler%20imports%22%20simca-rootes}}</ref>   Results were dismal,<ref name="results">{{cite news
 |title        = 2 Chrysler Imports Face Rough Going
 |newspaper    = Detroit Free Press | page = 12
 |date         = September 3, 1971
 |url          = https://www.newspapers.com/image/98689109/?match=1&terms=%22chrysler%20imports%22%20simca-rootes}}</ref><ref name="aim">{{cite news
 |title        = Chrysler Imports Aim For U.S.
 |newspaper    = Detroit Free Press | page = 31
 |date         = August 25, 1971
 |url          = https://www.newspapers.com/image/98846695/?terms=%22chrysler%20imports%22%20simca-rootes}}</ref> and in late 1969, Chrysler announced it would henceforth market its Rootes and Simca products from its Chrysler-Plymouth Division.<ref name="reshuffle">{{cite news
 |title        = Chrysler-Plymouth to Sell Simca Sunbeam
 |newspaper    = Detroit Free Press | page = 51
 |date         = August 24, 1969
 |url          = https://www.newspapers.com/image/1147457819/?match=1&terms=%22chrysler%20imports%22%20simca}}</ref> The Simca 1204 was imported to the United States through 1971, marketed next to another [[captive import]], the [[Hillman Avenger#1971–1973: Plymouth Cricket|Plymouth Cricket]], at its Plymouth dealerships.

== Collapse of Chrysler Europe ==
The most successful pre-Chrysler Simca models were the Aronde, the Simca 1000 and the front-engined [[Simca 1100|1100]] compact. During the 1970s Chrysler era, Simca produced the new [[Chrysler 180|Chrysler 160/180/2 litre]] saloon, [[Simca 1307|1307]] range ([[Chrysler Alpine]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]) and later the [[Chrysler Horizon|Horizon]], ([[Dodge Omni]] and [[Plymouth Horizon]] in the USA). The 1307 and Horizon were both named [[European Car of the Year]] at launch. However, Chrysler's forced marriage of Simca and Rootes was not a happy one - Chrysler Europe collapsed in 1977 and the remains were sold to [[Peugeot SA]] the following year for a nominal US$1.00 plus assumption of outstanding debt. The cars sold reasonably well in France, but were outsold by their key Ford, British Leyland and Vauxhall rivals in Britain.

The last remaining Simca and Rootes models were discontinued by the end of 1981, and the Simca-based Alpine and Horizon soldiered on through the first half of the 1980s using the resurrected Talbot badge, which itself had vanished from passenger cars within a decade.

Meanwhile, Peugeot expanded its own brand and made use of the former Simca and Rootes factories for production of its own vehicles, although the Talbot brand survived into the 1990s on commercial vehicles.

==Afterlife==
Peugeot eventually abandoned the Talbot brand, and the last Simca design was launched as [[Peugeot 309]] (instead of Talbot Arizona as had been originally planned).  The Peugeot 309 used Simca engines until October 1991 (some 18 months before the end of production) when they were replaced by PSA's own TU and XU series of engines. The 309 was produced at the former [[Rootes Group|Rootes]] factory in [[Ryton-on-Dunsmore]], UK, as well as in the Poissy plant.

Simcas were also manufactured in [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], [[Spain]] and [[Finland]]. The last Simca-based car produced was the Horizon-based [[Dodge Omni]], which was built in the USA until 1990. The European equivalent had already been axed three years earlier when use of the Talbot name on passenger cars was finally discontinued.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/car-development/dev-horizon.html |title=Development of the Chrysler - Talbot - Simca Horizon |website=Rootes-chrysler.co.uk |access-date=2011-07-18}}</ref>

==Models==
* [[Simca 5]]
* [[Simca 6]]
* [[Simca 8]]
* [[Simca 9]]
* [[Simca 11]]
* [[Gordini|Simca Gordini Type 15]] (Grand Prix racing car)
* [[Simca Aronde]]
* [[Simca Ariane]]
* [[Simca Vedette]] (also manufactured in license by [[Simca do Brasil]] with the names [[Simca Chambord]], [[Simca Alvorada]], [[Simca Profissional]] and [[Simca Présidence]])
* [[Simca Jangada]] (Brazilian model)
* [[Simca Esplanada]] (Brazilian model)
* [[Simca Regente]] (Brazilian model)
* [[Simca Tufão]] (Brazilian model)
* [[Simca GTX]] (Brazilian model)
* [[Simca 1000]]
* [[Simca 1000 Coupé]]
* [[Simca 1100]]
* [[Simca 1300/1500]]
* [[Simca 1301/1501]]
* [[Simca 1000 Coupé|Simca 1200S]]
* [[Chrysler 180|Chrysler-Simca 1609/1610/2-Litre]]
* [[Matra Bagheera|Matra-Simca Bagheera]]
* [[Matra Rancho|Matra-Simca Rancho]]
* [[Simca 1307|Simca 1307/1308/1309/1s510]]
* [[Simca Horizon]]
* [[Talbot Solara|Talbot-Simca Solara]]

== Production Numbers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Calendar Year
!Simca 5
!Simca 8
!Simca 6
!Simca 9 Aronde
!Vedette
!Ariane
!1000 and Coupe
!1100
!1200s
!1300/1301
!1500/1501
!Chrysler 160/180
!Total
|-
!1936
|7282
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|7282
|-
!1937
|12925
|318
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|13243
|-
!1938
|14194
|6739
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|20933
|-
!1939
|12131
|7680
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|19811
|-
!1940
|3604
|1911
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|5515
|-
!1941
|33604
|1911
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|7094
|-
!1942
|632
|2217
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|2849
|-
!1943
|19
|122
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|141
|-
!1944
|23
|180
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|203
|-
!1945
|47
|65
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|112
|-
!1946
|3411
|4832
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|8243
|-
!1947
|3733
|8053
|11
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|11797
|-
!1948
|3901
|14074
|191
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|18166
|-
!1949
|221
|15580
|10813
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|26614
|-
!1950
| -
|26258
|5497
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|31755
|-
!1951
| -
|20568
| -
|21932
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|42500
|-
!1952
| -
|27
| -
|69028
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|69055
|-
!1953
| -
| -
| -
|61567
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|61567
|-
!1954
| -
| -
| -
|92432
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|92432
|-
!1955
| -
| -
| -
|115646
|42349
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|157995
|-
!1956
| -
| -
| -
|133105
|44836
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|177941
|-
!1957
| -
| -
| -
|138064
|17875
|14703
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|170642
|-
!1958
| -
| -
| -
|143542
|28142
|35068
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|206752
|-
!1959
| -
| -
| -
|194553
|15966
|24852
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|235371
|-
!1960
| -
| -
| -
|175384
|13914
|29185
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|218483
|-
!1961
| -
| -
| -
|164297
|3813
|33733
|9670
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|211513
|-
!1962
| -
| -
| -
|84236
| -
|14284
|154282
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|252802
|-
!1963
| -
| -
| -
|31522
| -
|7593
|168654
| -
| -
|58758
|7090
| -
|273617
|-
!1964
| -
| -
| -
|21
| -
| -
|113818
| -
| -
|98624
|64143
| -
|276606
|-
!1965
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|118655
| -
| -
|64118
|54713
| -
|237486
|-
!1966
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|174068
| -
| -
|85658
|67707
| -
|327433
|-
!1967
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|115397
|24729
|2352
|78125
|55279
| -
|275882
|-
!1968
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|114427
|138242
|5344
|54425
|37645
| -
|350083
|-
!1969
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|146321
|146095
|3257
|45693
|46910
| -
|388276
|-
!1970
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|133540
|142014
|2852
|75732
|30337
|18395
|402870
|-
!1971
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|122933
|197201
|936
|90518
|9420
|63259
|484267
|-
!1972
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|131595
|260835
| -
|91608
|9111
|41399
|534488
|-
!1973
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|136197
|296984
| -
|88252
|15687
|50999
|588119
|-
!Total (By 1973)
|65451
|112390
|16512
|1425329
|166895
|159418
|1639557
|1206100
|14741
|831511
|398042
|173992
|6209938
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''Simca: L'aventure de l'hirondelle'', by Adrien Cahuzac, Editions E-T-A-I, 2008.
* ''Simca: De Fiat à Talbot'' (Préface de Jacques Loste), by Michel G. Renou, Editions E-T-A-I, 1999.
* ''Guide Simca: Tous les modèles de 1965 à 1980'', by Michel G. Renou, Editions EPA, 1995
* ''Guide Simca: Tous les modèles de 1934 à 1964'', by Bruno Poirier, Editions EPA, 1994.
* ''Simca: Toute l'histoire'', by Michel G. Renou, Editions EPA, 1984, re-issued 1994.
* ''Aronde: Le Grand livre'' (Préface de Caroline Pigozzi), by Michel G. Renou, Editions EPA, 1993.
* ''Simca: Un appétit d'oiseau'', by Jacques Rousseau, Editions Jacques Grancher, 1984. Re-issued 1996, Editions Rétroviseur.

==External links==
{{commons category|Simca vehicles}}
* [http://www2.uol.com.br/bestcars/classicos/simca-1.htm Brazilian Simcas' history]
* [http://membres.lycos.fr/electroniko/simca1000rallye.html Simca 1000 rallye de légende]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120419090120/http://davidszondy.com/future/car/simca_fulgur.htm Simca Fulgur]
* [http://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1958_simca_fulgur/ Simca Fulgur - description and drawings]

{{Chrysler Holding LLC}}
{{Fiat}}
{{Automotive industry in France}}

[[Category:Simca vehicles| ]]
[[Category:Car manufacturers of France]]
[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1934]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1979]]
[[Category:French companies established in 1934]]
[[Category:1979 disestablishments in France]]
[[Category:Fiat]]
[[Category:Chrysler]]
[[Category:Stellantis]]