Peugeot Motorcycles

Peugeot Motorcycles is a subsidiary of the French automaker Peugeot that builds scooters and small motorcycles primarily for the French domestic market.

Peugeot built their first motorcycle in 1898 with a De Dion-Bouton engine mounted on the rear wheel. This model was shown at the 1898 Paris Exhibition but was not put into production. Peugeot did produce a tricycle in 1898 although most of the machine was actually manufactured by De Dion-Bouton.

In 1900 Peugeot started to manufacture quadricycles but these fell out of favor and ceased to be produced by 1903.In 1901, spurred on by the success of the French built Werner Brothers and Company Motobicyclette, Peugeot produced their own motorcycle using a Swiss made Zürcher and Lüthi (ZL) engine.

The Peugeot 500 M, a 500 cc (31 cu in) dual overhead camshaft model appeared in 1914, the first of this type. Peugeot was the leading French motorcycle manufacturer until the 1950s producing many models. As of 2012, Peugeot is the only French motorcycle maker.

Following the virtual abandonment of motorcycle style mopeds in favor of scooters by customers, Peugeot has directed its construction to this product. The brand manufactures scooter style motorcycles on its sites at Dannemarie (300 employees) and Mandeure (800 employees). The brand has developed large-displacement scooters (125 cc (7.6 cu in) and above), in addition to its entry-level model Ludix, production of which, it was announced in 2008, was to be relocated to China. In 2006, it started to produce a scooter with a compressor, the Satelis Compressor.

In 1930, Peugeot absorbed Automoto which had been a pioneer in the field of motorcycles and scooters.

It is unusual to see Peugeot brand motorcycles elsewhere than in France. Peugeot 50 cc (3.1 cu in) mopeds are very popular in France for several reasons: a characteristic of the national market, a price slightly lower than the competition, equipment and using engines such as the AM6 Minarelli, like many other manufacturers, which facilitates repairs and lowers their price. The price of opportunity is lower than most manufacturers, which causes an energizing effect on the market.

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Wikipedia