The company

Founded in 1901 by Ferdinand Charron, Leonce Girardot and Emile Voigt the company was originally called C.G.V (Automobiles Charron-Girardot-Voigt) and based in Puteaux

Puteaux

Puteaux is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department from the center of Paris....

, Seine. In 1905 it had capital of 2 franc million. Girardot resigned in 1906 and the company was reformed as Automobiles Charron . Charron himself left in 1908 to join Clément-Bayard

Clément-Bayard

Clément-Bayard was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard . The name celebrated the Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard who saved the town of Mézières in 1521...

, where he both married and divorced Jeanne Clément-Bayard and worked as manager of the factory at Levallois-Perret.

Car models

The first models were from the CGV range including the huge 16,277 cc 75hp model.

In 1908 Charron introduced their own types but some of the CGV models were still listed up to 1912. The largest now was a 6782 cc 30hp and the smallest an 8hp 1205 cc twin cylinder. All the cars were available with shaft drive and the small 8hp had a dashboard radiator of the type made familiar by Renault. This was to feature across the range in 1909.

A six cylinder 3617 cc 30hp joined the range in 1910 and a new small 845 cc Charronette appeared in 1914.

After World War I the Charronette grew to 1057 cc and the radiator was moved in front of the engine. Larger cars included 2411 cc and 3402 cc types. Four wheel brakes came in 1925.

By the late 1920s production was running down and in 1930, the final year of production the range consisted of the 12/14CV from 1925, an enlarged Charronette and a six cylinder 1806 cc model.