K.V.S. was a small

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

company based in Lyon-Chassieu,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, which manufactured a range of

microcars 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 often ...

. KVS, previously 'Les Equipements Electriques K.V.' had their origins within 'SA Fabrique Lyonnaise de Motocyclettes New-Map et

Motosacoche Motosacoche was founded in 1899, by Henri and Armand Dufaux, in Geneva, Switzerland. Motosacoche was once the biggest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer, known also for its MAG (Motosacoche Acacias Genève) engines, used by other European motorcycle m ...

', producers of the

New-Map New-Map is a former French manufacturer of motor-bikes and, more recently, of very small cars and delivery vehicles. The business of powered vehicle production was instigated by Paul Martin at the bicycle plant that had been founded by his father ...

motorcycle range and originators of the

Rolux The Rolux was a French automobile manufactured from 1938 until 1952. The product of a Lyon company better known for making the New-Map motorcycle, the light car, also sold as a New Map, had a single-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, 100 cc e ...

and Solyto microcars. New-Map were suppliers of metal fabrications to KV whose primary business was in the manufacture of telephone equipment. When the Director of New-Map retired, KV took over the company and continued production of the Solyto until 1974. KV became KVS in 1978 after the company was again resold with the production of microcars as its main aim. Microcar production ceased in 1985.

References

External links

Gazoline
French language magazine article tracing the history of the New-Map, KV and KVS hierarchy.
3-wheelers.com
A restored 1982 KVS Mini 1 in The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum
Autoblog
An article about a surviving KV Mini 1.

References

External links

See also