Simca Aronde — Simca Had Never Designed Its Own Car... Then It Made Them France's #2 Automaker

Comments · 11

• CE

  @cefrancek9810 · 6 hours ago

  As a young kid in living in the thumb area in Michigan, in the late 1950's I remember my grandfather owning and driving a blue one.

• RA

  @ralphwortley1206 · 12 hours ago

  I had a Simca Aronde station wagon in the early sixties.  It had an engine maldesign -  one piston just marginally struck the edge of the cylinder. There was a sound like a sewing machine which no motor garage could identfy.  Eventually, hundreds of miles from home it ran a bearing, ending a holiday and costing money to return home by rail.

• JO

  @jourwalis-8875 · 14 hours ago

  And in 1955 Citroen presented the highly advanced and superior DS 19! Far ahead of all other car companies!

  1

• BR

  @BruceGibbins-k4i · 8 hours ago (edited)

  Simca in New Zealand<br>• Local Assembly: From 1960, Simcas (like the Aronde) were assembled in small numbers at NZ Motor Bodies <br>in Mt Wellington, Auckland, starting at a modest rate ofabout 1.5 cars per day. <br>Later models like the Chrysler Alpine / Simca 1307 were also assembled locally by Todd Motors in Porirua.<br>• Import Advantage: Local assembly meant these vehicles could be bought in New Zealand without requiring scarce overseas funds.<br>• Popular Models: Early models like the Simca Aronde (often badged simply as the Simca Deluxe or P60) were primarily imported as saloons.<br> Later, vehicles rooted in Simca&apos;s European engineering—such as the Chrysler/Talbot Alpine—saw local production and sales Simca cars were never imported as left-hand-drive vehicles and converted to right-hand drive (RHD). Instead, they were explicitly built or assembled as right-hand-drive vehicles from the factory to comply with New Zealand’s traffic regulations.<br>🇳🇿 1. Assembly &amp; Import History<br>During the mid-20th century, New Zealand operated under high import tariffs and strict &quot;overseas funds&quot; (remittance) controls to protect its local economy. <br>To circumvent these restrictions, many international brands opted for Complete Knock-Down (CKD) local assembly. Simca entered the New Zealand market through two distinct local assembly paths:<br>• NZ Motor Bodies (Mt Wellington, Auckland): Beginning in 1960, the iconic Simca Aronde (often badged locally as the Etoile) and the V8-powered Simca Vedette were assembled here in small volumes—starting at a modest rate of just 1.5 cars per day. Because they were built locally, buyers in New Zealand could purchase them without needing restricted overseas currency.<br>• Motor Holdings / Motor Industries International (Ōtāhuhu, Auckland): In the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s, assembly shifted to the Otahuhu plant. This factory built a eclectic mix of vehicles side-by-side, including the Simca 1000 and 1100, alongside Volkswagens, Fiats, and the famous New Zealand-designed Trekka.<br>🚗 2. Right-Hand-Drive (RHD) Configuration<br>Because Simca was targeting Commonwealth markets—primarily Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand—the parent company in France engineered factory-original right-hand-drive tooling. &nbsp;When the CKD packs arrived at the Port of Auckland from the Poissy plant in France, they already included RHD-specific components (such as RHD steering racks, dashboards, and pedal boxes). Local assembly workers simply put the pieces together. <br>No aftermarket conversions were required.<br>📉 3. The Legacy Today<br>Simca sales in New Zealand eventually wound down in the late 1970s as the brand was absorbed globally into Chrysler Europe and eventually Peugeot (PSA), which phased out the marque entirely.Due to severe rust issues and the aggressive influx of cheaper Japanese imports in the 1980s, Simcas have become incredibly rare sights on New Zealand roads. Only a small handful of registered survivors—mostly Arondes, Vedettes, and 1000/1100 models—remain in the hands of dedicated local enthusiasts who showcase them at specialized events like the Auckland Bastille Day Rallye

• EM

  @emmaroyce8558 · 15 hours ago

  My Dear My Best Friend ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ <br>Excellent and endless as always, thank you for your efforts and sacrifices, may God keep you and your lovely family with the best wishes, you are always in my heart. With the Baroness of Gothic Love❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

• WH

  @whosayzwhat · 13 hours ago

  nce but missing the latest models they made

• JO

  @jourwalis-8875 · 14 hours ago

  &quot;Overhead valve&quot;! In 1951!?

• MA

  @mahinthanvettivelu-u1b8l · 18 hours ago

  I am from Ceylon like such of cars well in of form &nbsp;and diving style f steering with of minimum of size and better than Fiat from Italy &nbsp;which is also liked by most of the peoples . I think the suspension and brakes system and alternative dynamo should be seen in this car &nbsp;and the France car makers are too of in clever to make such of form well even for small cars of Renault &nbsp;It is so of less cars sch of in Ceylon as Opel from Germany in this year of models

• JO

  @jourwalis-8875 · 14 hours ago

  Citroen never built any &quot;two horsepower car&quot;!! It was called the 2CV in accordance with french taxation laws!

• JO

  @jourwalis-8875 · 14 hours ago

  So you mean that Simca really was a Fiat? Unbelievable!