Microcar (brand)

About Microcar (brand)

Microcar was a French microcar manufacturer. The company was founded in 1980 as a division of Jeanneau, a major sailboat manufacturer. Production moved to a new custom-built factory in September 2000. In September 2008, Microcar was acquired by Ligier Automobiles in a deal backed by the Italian private equity firm 21 Investimenti Partners. The merger created Europe's second-biggest manufacturer of microcars, and largest maker of quadricycles, or "sans permis" (license-exempt) vehicles. The Microcar and Ligier brands were to retain their separate identities and production facilities. Phillipe Ligier, son of company founder Guy Ligier, is CEO of the expanded Ligier Automobiles. In 2024, Ligier announced plans to discontinue the Microcar brand in order to consolidate business for the Ligier main brand as the company struggled with increased competition in the microcar market.