The brand name Simca is an acronym of 'Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile' or 'Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company' in English. In other words 'Car Maker'. The company was founded in 1930's by Fiat, and all its early cars were based on Fiat models. The downside of that was export cars were not allowed to compete directly with Fiat.
In 1951 the first Simca not based on a Fiat was released, the Aronde. It's success led to Simca wishing to expand and consolidate. It so happened that Ford had a plant in France which they wanted to dispose of and Simca bought that plant in Poissy c. Paris in 1954. Along with the plant came the rights to make the new Ford Vedette model, sold mainly as a Simca.
In 1957, Simca brought out the large Ariane car with a small motor, ideal because the French government had introduced a heavy tax on cars with large engines. By 1959, Simca was producing more cars than either Peugeot or Citroën, and was second only behind Renault.
Here are production figures for Simca and below a brief model description. Only one model was made from 1951-53.
Data source: Freyssenet.com
Vedette: As mentioned, it was a large Ford model inherited with the Poissy factory. Designed in the US, it came with a small V8 engine. Some continued to be sold in some markets in Europe as Ford cars after the purchase of the factory. A second generation was released in 1958.
Ariane: This car slipped just under the Vedette in size although also a large car. Production numbers look disappointing but I am unsure what was expected of it by Simca.
Summary: Simca was going well in the 1950's. Chrysler bought a small stake in the company in 1958, and that was soon to increase dramatically as Chrysler sought to establish itself in Europe.
In 1951 the first Simca not based on a Fiat was released, the Aronde. It's success led to Simca wishing to expand and consolidate. It so happened that Ford had a plant in France which they wanted to dispose of and Simca bought that plant in Poissy c. Paris in 1954. Along with the plant came the rights to make the new Ford Vedette model, sold mainly as a Simca.
In 1957, Simca brought out the large Ariane car with a small motor, ideal because the French government had introduced a heavy tax on cars with large engines. By 1959, Simca was producing more cars than either Peugeot or Citroën, and was second only behind Renault.
Here are production figures for Simca and below a brief model description. Only one model was made from 1951-53.
| Year | Aronde | Ariane | Vedette | 6 | Total | |
| 8 | 5 | |||||
| 1947 | 7851 | - | - | 3945 | 11,796 | |
| 1948 | 14071 | - | - | 4100 | 18,171 | |
| 1949 | 15857 | - | - | 11111 | 26,968 | |
| 1950 | 26047 | - | - | 5419 | 31,466 | |
| 1951 | 42495 | - | - | - | 42,495 | |
| 1952 | 69062 | - | - | - | 69,062 | |
| 1953 | 61577 | - | - | - | 61,577 | |
| 1954 | 92440 | - | 2335 | - | 94,775 | |
| 1955 | 115643 | - | 42432 | - | 158,075 | |
| 1956 | 133105 | - | 44788 | - | 177,893 | |
| 1957 | 138064 | 14679 | 17893 | - | 170,636 | |
| 1958 | 143543 | 35015 | 28223 | - | 206,781 | |
| 1959 | 192424 | 26852 | 15947 | - | 235,223 |
Data source: Freyssenet.com
5/6: The 5 was a small car that was basically the same as the Fiat 500 Topolino. It had some advanced features for the time and was miserly on fuel. Production commenced in the 1930's and ended in 1948. It was replaced by the 6 which while still based on the Topolino, but was less similar in design. When it ended production, it was not replaced for the time being.
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| The 1955-58 Aronde |
8/Aronde: Like the 5, the 8 started before the war in 1937 and was based on the Fiat 1100. This medium sized car came as a 2 or 4-door saloon, a coupé and cabriolet. Then came the Aronde with three models introduced during the 1950's, each progressing nicely in style.
Vedette: As mentioned, it was a large Ford model inherited with the Poissy factory. Designed in the US, it came with a small V8 engine. Some continued to be sold in some markets in Europe as Ford cars after the purchase of the factory. A second generation was released in 1958.
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| The Ariane model |
Ariane: This car slipped just under the Vedette in size although also a large car. Production numbers look disappointing but I am unsure what was expected of it by Simca.
Summary: Simca was going well in the 1950's. Chrysler bought a small stake in the company in 1958, and that was soon to increase dramatically as Chrysler sought to establish itself in Europe.
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