Aixam-Mega () is a French automobile manufacturer based in

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...

. It was founded in 1983 to make

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are ofte ...

s following the acquisition of

Arola Arola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Verbania. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 284 and an area of .All ...

. On 11 April 2013, US based

Polaris Industries Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where it still has engineering and manufacturing facilities. The company manufactured motorcycles th ...

announced that it had acquired Aixam-Mega from previous owners

Axa Private Equity Ardian (formerly Axa Private Equity) is a France-based, independent private equity investment company, founded and managed by Dominique Senequier. It is one of the largest European-headquartered private equity funds. The company was originally ...

History

The company can trace its history back to the establishment of Arola in 1975, which was acquired by Aixam in 1983 out of administration. In 1984 Aixam launched the new 325D, followed by the 400D in 1985. In 1992, they started making a range of standard sized cars under the Mega brand, but by 2002 this brand was just being applied to a diesel and

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

range of

microvan A microvan is a van or minivan which is within the Japanese kei car classification or similar, and is smaller than a mini MPV. In China, these vehicles are nicknamed ''miàn bāo chē'' ("bread-loaf vehicle") because of their shape.

s and light utility vehicles. The company currently produces the Aixam A.7''xx series'' (where xx is a two-digit number), a microcar comparable with the

Smart ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingha ...

Fortwo, and powered by

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s from

Kubota is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, Heavy equipment, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, P ...

). A notable difference is that some of the smaller models are restricted to and can therefore be driven without a

driving licence A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

in some European countries (including Belgium, Estonia, Germany, France, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Slovenia). In Britain, they are classified as a category L7e

quadricycle The Quadricycle was an early form of automobile. Earliest models were propelled by a small steam engine, then designers switched to early internal combustion engines as they became available. The word is derived from the fact that it had four ...

(quad bike) because of their weight and power output. This requires a category B1 licence to legally drive them. In January 2013, the law changed such that special restricted low power versions of the car (Aixam 400) can now be driven by full AM licence holders in the UK. In 2006, Mega launched the electric "Mega City" at the

British International Motor Show The British International Motor Show was an annual (bi-biennial after 1976) motor show held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) between 1903 and 2008 in England. The show was relaunched in 2021 with a new location at Farnb ...

and in 2009 acquired the assets of NICE Car Company, which had gone into administration in 2008. In April 2013, Aixam was acquired by the American group

. In September 2024, the new factory in Andancette was inaugurated, the third of the group, resulting from an investment of 30 million euros.

Aixam mechanics

The Aixam 400, 500 and 500.5 are very basic vehicles mechanically by today's standards. There were a variety of engines offered over the years. The diesel is fitted with a

Z402 two-cylinder 400 cc industrial engine rated at . The petrol versions used a Lombardini 505 cc twin-cylinder of approx , later petrol cars were fitted with fuel-injection. Steering is by rack and pinion and has a comparatively low ratio.

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles. The name comes from American automotive engineer ...

suspension is used at the front and semi-trailing arms at the rear. Brakes are by disc and single-piston calipers at the front, with drums at the rear also serving for handbrake function, via cables. Transmission is by a

continuously-variable transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automated transmission that can change through a continuous range of gear ratios, typically resulting in better fuel economy in gasoline applications. This contrasts with other transmissions that ...

(CVT) made and supplied by CVTech-IBC. The reversing

gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

and combined differential unit of 8:1 forward ratio, is supplied by the Italian company COMEX, which also supplies many of the other running-gear, steering, suspension and braking system components. The gearbox is designed for small town runabout or delivery van of less than and limited to .

Models

Current

Minauto range

* Minauto Access * Minauto GT * Minauto Cross

Emotion range

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Pack * City Sport * City GTO *

Coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...

Evo * Coupé Premium * Coupé GTI * Crossline Evo *

Crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

Premium

eAixam range

* e-City Sport * e-Coupé Premium * e-Coupé GTI * e-Crossover Premium

Aixam Pro utility vehicles

* D-Truck Drop Side * D-Truck Van * e-Truck Drop Side * e-Truck Van

Mega

* Mega e-Scouty (from 2023)

Former

Aixam

* Aixam 300, 400, 500 * Aixam A540, A550 * Aixam A.721 * Aixam A.741 * Aixam A.751 * Aixam Berlines * Aixam MAC (1997) * Aixam Microcar * Aixam Minivan * Aixam Pick-Up * Aixam Roadline * Aixam Scouty * Aixam Scouty-R File:Aixam A540 (39801581013).jpg, Aixam A540 File:Aixam A550 (47057715374).jpg, Aixam A550 File:Aixam 500.4 Pick Up (44140815284).jpg, Aixam 500.4 Pick-Up File:Aixam 500 Minivan (28227842949).jpg, Aixam 500 Minivan File:Aixam 600-4 MAX (5236147880).jpg, Aixam 600-4 MAX File:2006 Aixam A751 Super Luxe 500cc Front.jpg, 2006 Aixam A751

Mega

* Mega City * Mega Club/Ranch -

Citroën AX The Citroën AX is a supermini which was built by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1986 to 1998. It was launched at the 1986 Paris Motor Show to replace the Citroën Visa and Citroën LNA. Overview Development of this model started in 19 ...

-based beach cars and offroad vehicles * Mega Concept * Mega Monte Carlo * Mega Moskito Micro * Mega Multitruck * Mega Track (1992) * Mega e-Worker File:Mega Track (1) (cropped).jpg, Mega Track File:1996 Mega Tjaffer (Club) Cabriolet.jpg, 1996

Mega Club Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is List of commonly used taxonomic affixes, used in tax ...

File:Mega(Automobiles) Ranch (vue avant droit) (cropped).jpg, Mega Ranch File:2009 Aixam Mega van - Flickr - Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden.jpg, 2009 Mega Van File:Aixam MEGA Multitruck.jpg, Mega Multitruck File:Mega Electric e-worker beim Zoo Zürich.jpg, Mega e-Worker

References

External links

Aixam official website

Mega official website
*

a sister company {{Automotive industry in France PSA Group Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1983 French companies established in 1983 Car manufacturers of France Microcars Electric vehicle manufacturers of France French brands Quadricycles Aix-les-Bains 2013 mergers and acquisitions Contract vehicle manufacturers

History

Aixam mechanics

Models

Current

Minauto range

Emotion range

eAixam range

Aixam Pro utility vehicles

Mega

Former

Aixam

Mega

See also

References

External links