FRENCH

[Audio] It is almost impossible to imagine going somewhere you want without a car, especially in the suburbs. Automobiles are really important in modern society. Suppose all of the automobiles were to disappear today, we would not be able to maintain a current lifestyle like we took for granted. However, have you ever thought about how cars could have been distributed across the nations so widely that we can see cars wherever we go?.

[Audio] France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 11th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2015 unit production and the third-largest in Europe (after Germany and Spain). It had consistently been the 4th-largest from the end of World War II up to 2000. It is 16 % of sales of French manufactured products. France is home to two major automaking companies: Stellantis Renault Group - the 3rd-largest automaker in Europe and the 10th-largest of the world in 2015. Additional lesser automotive manufacturers in France include: Bugatti, a luxury marque of the Volkswagen Group headquartered in Molsheim. Venturi, a small sports car manufacturer and Formula E team sponsor..

[Audio] The world's first self-propelled mechanical vehicle, in other words, the world's first automobile, was built by the largely unknown French inventor Nicolas- Joseph Cugnot. Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot was born in Lorraine, in 1725 and was trained as a military engineer. Tasked by the army to develop a steam-powered vehicle for the purpose of hauling cannon, Cugnot devised a scaled-down working model in 1769, and in 1770, he unveiled a full-sized steam-driven vehicle, which he called a fardier à vapeur. The vehicle was modeled after the fardier, which was a massively built two-wheeled horse-drawn cart for transporting very heavy equipment, such as cannon barrels. Instead of having a horse at the front, there was a third wheel, which supported a large copper boiler and the driving mechanism. Cugnot was one of the first to successfully employ a device for converting the reciprocating motion of a steam piston into a rotary motion by means of a ratchet arrangement, which was used to drive the front wheel..

[Audio] Joseph Cugnot's 1770 Fardier à Vapeur, at the Musée des arts et métiers, Paris..

[Audio] Evolution of the French Automobile Industry ( 18th - 19th Century) 1769 - Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot builds the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle.[ 11] 1807 - François Isaac de Rivaz invents a hydrogen powered internal combustion engine. 1884 - Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville is credited in France with building the first gasoline-powered automobile. 1887 - Panhard et Levassor established as a car manufacturing concern by René Panhard and Émile Levassor, with the first car produced in 1891. 1894 - Albert de Dion and Georges Bouton produce a single cylinder gasoline-powered engine and in 1898 produced a four-wheeler. They had previously built steam-powered vehicles beginning in 1883. 1896 - Armand Peugeot starts to build and fit his own engines to his cars. 1896 - Léon Bollée builds gasoline-powered cars. 1898 - The Renault brothers, Louis, Marcel and Fernand, sell their first car..

[Audio] Statistics. STATISTICS.

[Audio] Total Number of vehicles produced in France from 2009- 2021.

[Audio] Annual Car Sales in France from 2009- 2021.

[Audio] Number of Electric Cars Sold in France from 2009- 2021.

[Audio] New measures include changes to incentives for electric light-commercial vehicles, accelerated expansion of the charging network, and additional funding for the production of electrically-chargeable vehicle ( EV) components. There will also be an assessment of the economic and social impact of vehicle electrification. Accordingly, the government has pledged € 50 million to support and retrain for employees affected in the automotive foundry industry. Boosting electrification Supporting companies.

[Audio] As discussed, the history of car making in France takes its roots in 1769, when the first mechanical vehicle of self-propelled type was built. It has taken 90 years to develop an engine of internal combustion which was created in 1859. The further progress of the industry in the country was rapid, and it made France the leading automaker in the world. The first French car brands were also appearing at that time. Some of them exist until today. There are several companies that compete for the title of the largest French car manufacturer. These companies are Peugeot, Renault and Citroen. In the modern age Peugeot and Citroen unite their efforts and work in strong partnership. As for Renault, it is currently a part of the group together with Nissan..

[Audio] PEUGEOT: Initially, this company was not organized for production of vehicles. The first things produced by Peugeot, which is named after its founding family, were bicycles and coffee mills. It was in 1810, and the first development related to vehicles was delivered in 1889. The first car by the maker quickly followed in 1890. While the French automotive industry was the most growing among car industries of the world, Peugeot grew as well, becoming one of the largest car makers in the world. Sochaux, a French city, is regarded as the home city of Peugeot. During its history, the automaker was really successful, producing many popular autos that received different awards. Such models as 504, 405, 307, 308, and 208 are regarded as very good cars and were marked by awards in Europe. Nowadays, given a general decline in the automotive industry of France, national automakers strive to unite in order to be more productive. However, the trend began in 1976, and since then Peugeot is a part of the PSA Peugeot Citroen group, which also includes Citroen. Besides, the cooperation also includes Dongfeng Motor Corporation. Thanks to this, Peugeot and the group are now fulfilling their ambitious plans in the Chinese market..

[Audio] Peugeot: Model 408. Peugeot: Model 408.

[Audio] Peugeots 403 The 403 is one of a number of Peugeots designed by the legendary Pinin Farina which explains why the classic car looks so sleek. Peugeots 402 Eclipse One of the most interesting cars the French manufacturer has ever created is the 402 Eclipse. The standard 402 was introduced in 1935 as a mass production family car..

[Audio] Citroën: Citroen can be called the most significant French automaker just because of the fact that it became the first automaker to start massive production of vehicles outside of the U.S. Organized in 1919 by Andre-Gustave Citroen, the company is also notable because it was first to start offering accompanying services along with production of cars. Citroen has a reputation of a really innovative automaker that produces both conventional and sports cars. There are many notable autos produced by the automaker. The Citroen DS model was even included in the list of the most influential autos of the 20th century. There the model took the third place. Until today, the DS models by Citroen stay among the most popular by the automaker. Other models that can be marked are ZX, C5, C3, and C4. From the 1976 and until today, Citroen is a part of the group with Peugeot. The brand also has an extensive history of selling its vehicles in China. Recently, operation of the group in China was made easier thanks to the inclusion of the Dongfeng manufacturer to the group. As of 2013, the production output of the brand was equal to 1.266 million vehicles. The brand works worldwide, except for some countries of the Northern America and South Asia..

[Audio] Citroën: Model C3. Citroën: Model C3.

[Audio] C5 The latest big car from Citroën, the C5 X. Despite sharing a name with the aforementioned sedan, the C5 X is a fusion of several segments. The new C5 X aims to continue the lineage of large Citroëns, just adapted to work with the modern automotive climate. SM The SM is the only time that Citroën has dabbled into luxury sports coupes, and it remains an icon to this day. It was conceived to be a sporty variant of the DS.

[Audio] Renault: Renault is a multinational car maker from France and a company that along with Nissan forms one of the largest automobile groups in the world. Currently, the group takes the global fourth place. Renault was founded in 1899 and during the course of its history produced numerous types of vehicles. The founders of the company were the Renault brothers. The company developed in the same pace with the entire industry in France and managed to become quite successful, avoiding serious problems. What is very notable and believed to be the most important aspect of the company's success is its close cooperation with other global automakers. Apart from Nissan which constitutes the group with Renault, the company also works together with Romanian Dacia, Russian AvtoVAZ, its own Korean division, and with German Daimler AG. While the production output of Renault is really high in the amount of 2.7 million for the year 2013, the most notable vehicles by the company are Renault Safrane, Renault Scenic, Renault Clio, and Renault Captur. Besides, there are also great expectations regarding the Renault Espace. The company has plans of production of many high quality vehicles in the nearest future..

[Audio] Renault: 5 Prototype. Renault: 5 Prototype.

[Audio] Renault has recently revealed their new R5 concept EV, a flashback to the ' 70s and ' 80s Renault 5. First released in 1972, it would soon prove popular. Renault Caravelle It was called the Floride in Europe, the Renault Caravelle debuted in 1958 at the Paris Auto Show. Renault was taking on Volkswagen with their Karmann-Ghia, introduced in 1955.It was upgraded in 1962, receiving a new 956-cc 51- horsepower engine..

[Audio] Bugatti Automobiles is a French subsidiary of Volkswagen AG that develops and builds luxury cars that have high performance rate. Bugatti is most notable for production of fast super cars. Among those we should definitely mark Bugatti Veyron which stands out with its engine with sixteen cylinders and over 1,000 PS, as well as with the level of speed that amounts to more than 400 km/h. Bugatti is most notable for production of fast super cars. Among those we should definitely mark Bugatti Veyron which stands out with its engine with sixteen cylinders and over 1,000 PS, as well as with the level of speed that amounts to more than 400 km/h..

[Audio] Bugatti Chiron. Bugatti Chiron.

[Audio] Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Despite the fact that the Veyron wasn't the first Bugatti, it was certainly the first to be recognized by a modern audience. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 was a truly groundbreaking piece of engineering for it's time. To add to it's speed, the Veyron also had a fine bit of luxury too. Bugatti Chiron A 1500 horsepower luxury hypercar with a top speed of over 260 miles-per-hour and a 0 to 60 of just 2.3 seconds.It maintains a similar shape and structure as the classic Veyron, but with some critical changes. The Chiron reps a cool set of L.E.D. headlights, sharp lines, a revamped interior, and an aggressive/angry look to it..

[Audio] Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is incredibly expensive. So expensive, actually, that it rivals those of the Ferrari 250 GTO and McLaren F1 in the ' price' department.The only other characteristics of the Type 57SC Atlantic that rival it's market value is the Atlantic's history, looks, and brand. Bugatti Type 35 An open-wheeled legend, the Type 35 was one of the most successful race cars in history. The Type 35 won over 2,000 races while in competition. That's quite an impressive number, but nothing compared to the number for it's M.S.R.P., as a Type 35 usually sells for a ludicrous amount..

References:. https:// www.amusingplanet.com/2021/12/nicolas-joseph-cugnot-and-worlds-first.html https://statewideinventory.org/french-car-brands https:// www.statista.com/statistics/226032/light-vehicle-producing-countries/ https:// www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-125th-anniversary-of-the-little-engine-that-couldnt https:// www.youtube.com/user/renault https:// www.hotcars.com/coolest-citroen-models-of-all-time/ https:// www.bugatti.com/brand/history/chronicles/.