VéloSoleX
| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Courbevoie, France |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
| Products | Mopeds, motorized bicycles |
| Website | www |
VéloSoleX is a moped, or motorised bicycle, usually just referred to as 'Solex', which was originally produced by the French manufacturer Solex, based in Paris, France. The company manufactured centrifugal radiators, carburetors, and micrometers, before branching into assist motors and bicycles. The moped originally created during World War II and mass-produced between 1946 and 1988 came in various iterations, whilst keeping the same concept of a motor with roller resting on the front wheel of bicycle
Referred to the company's advertisement as the 'bicycle which drives itself' (« la bicyclette qui roule toute seule »), it became extremely popular with school children, students or plant workers because it was light and extremely economical.
Owned successively by Dassault, Renault, Motobécane/MBK, VéloSoleX sold more than 7 million units worldwide before ceasing production in France in 1988. Production of the VéloSoleX restarted in both China and Hungary after 1988, but production ceased in Hungary in 2002. VéloSoleX is now manufactured in France.
The Solex motorized bicycle was conceived during World War II and marketed in 1946, with eight million being sold between 1946 and 1988 in France and internationally, having been marketed in some 70 countries.The French design ceased production in 1988. It lived on for almost two decades as a licensed design produced in China and Hungary. Production returned to France in 2005, and as of 2011[update] the S4800 model was being marketed by VeloSolex America in North Bergen, NJ.
From the prototype to today's Electric model
Moped not using a roller transmission:
As of 2012[update], the French company offers three products:
Primo Levi, in one of the autobiographic short stories in 'The Periodic Table', mentions that he would be able switch from a bike to a VéloSoleX if he managed to conclude a business deal with a cosmetics manufacturer (see the short story titled 'Nitrogen').
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Wikipedia