Société Des Usines Chausson
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Société des usines Chausson was a French manufacturing company, based in the
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
region between 1907 and 2000, and known as a supplier of components to the automotive industry.


History

Chausson was founded in 1907 as “Ateliers Chausson Frères” ''(“Chausson Brothers’ Factory”)'' in 1907 by two brothers called Jules and Gaston Chausson. The target customers were France's automakers and production was focused on metal components such as
radiators A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...
and other cooling components, tanks and tubes for use in engines as components in fuel feed and
exhaust systems An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall syste ...
. The company continued to specialise in heat exchangers, and added car bodies to its range of specialities after the 1930s when, following a trend that had originated in the United States, steel bodies became the norm for automakers in Europe. In 1940 the factory was producing certain parts for the Dewoitine D.520 fighter aircraft and there were plans to set up a production line for the D.521, which was a lighter Rolls-Royce Merlin equipped version of the Dewoitine D.520, but production was aborted due to the occupation and Armistice. After setting up ”Autocars Chausson” in 1942 attention was increasingly focused on bus bodies during the middle decades of the twentieth century. During the 1950s Chausson supplied hundreds of buses to the RATP for use in and around
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. During the post war boom, by now with
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
and
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
its principal shareholders, Chausson also produced bodies for light commercial vehicles such as the Peugeot J7, Peugeot J9, Peugeot 404 pickup and Citroën C35. Renault models bodied by Chausson included versions of the Renault 4 Fourgonette; a small van based on the Renault 4,
Renault Estafette The Renault Estafette is a light commercial front-wheel drive van produced by the French automaker Renault. Initially used the water-cooled Renault Ventoux engine, then later the Cléon-Fonte engine in a range of body styles. It was replaced ...
and
Renault Trafic The Renault Trafic (pronounced as "traffic") is a light commercial van produced by the French automaker Renault since 1980. It has also been marketed as the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, the Nissan Primastar and the Mitsubishi Express. Unti ...
. During the 1960s and 1970s the company also produced, generally in smaller volumes and more sporadically, bodies for coupés such as the Renault Floride/Caravelle, the
Opel GT The Opel GT is a front-engine, rear-drive two-seat sports car manufactured and marketed by Opel in two generations separated by a 34-year hiatus. The first generation Opel GT (1968–1973) debuted as a styling exercise in 1965 at the Paris Motor ...
and the
Citroën SM The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car ...
. Activity peaked in the 1970s by when the business employed approximately 15,000 people, and was operating factories at
Asnières-sur-Seine Asnières-sur-Seine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometr ...
,
Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. History On 9 April 1929, ...
,
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,
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and Laval. By now Chausson had absorbed or been merged with other companies in the automotive sector such as Chenard et Walcker and
Brissonneau and Lotz Brissonneau et Lotz was a French locomotive engineering company that specialized in the production of railway locomotives and wagons. The company was also a supplier of rolling stock to the Paris Metro, constructing in 1951 the first metro trai ...
. During the 1990s, with rapid industrial growth a receding memory and employment levels already well down on the peak of twenty years earlier, Chausson became known as a textbook case of industrial “restructuring”. The company was obliged to seek court protection from its creditors, under a procedure known at that time as a ”Dépôt de bilan”, obtaining a debt moratorium in September 1993. Between 1993 and 1995 three ”Social Plans” involved the loss of a further 2,549 jobs.Martine Fournier
Pour réussir une restructuration
Echos des Recherches, '' Sciences humaines''
The company's last production facility, at
Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. History On 9 April 1929, ...
, closed in 2000.


Bibliography

* Danièle Linhart, ''Perte d'emploi, perte de soi'', Érès, 2002. * Bernard Massera et Daniel Grason, ''Chausson : une dignité ouvrière'', Editions Syllepse, 2004.


References


External links


Online website featuring pictures of Chausson buses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Societe des usines Chausson Auto parts suppliers of France Bus manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies established in 1907 Defunct bus manufacturers Engineering companies of France Coachbuilders of France Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2000 2000 disestablishments in France