Overview SIMSON

SIMSON's company history begins in 1740 with a cutting mill, which was converted into a steel hammer in which iron ore was processed into steel. in 1854, the brothers Löb and Moses Simson acquired part of the business and founded SIMSON & Co in 1856, which mainly produced charcoal steel for the manufacture of hunting and military weapons. From 1907, the company began developing passenger cars, but it was not until 1911 that a marketable model was produced. During this time, the company's workforce grew considerably, from 20 employees in 1855 to around 3500 in 1918. The First World War led to an increase in production, as the company manufactured parts for weapons and vehicles for the war effort. After the war, SIMSON had to cease arms production, but was able to secure an exclusive contract to supply weapons to the Reichswehr in 1925. SIMSON also expanded into the luxury car market and began manufacturing prams in 1930. The monopoly position during the Great Depression of 1929 enabled SIMSON to survive this difficult period better than many local competitors. However, SIMSON's privileged position as the sole arms supplier led to complaints and criticism, which were taken up by the National Socialists to attack and defame the company's Jewish managing directors.

During the Nazi era, the two Jewish brothers were expropriated and fled abroad. After the Second World War, the SIMSON factory was largely dismantled and most of the machines were sent to the Soviet Union as reparations. Nevertheless, production continued with the remaining machines, and in 1947 the company was integrated into SAG Awtowelo. in 1948, the plant received an order to manufacture a motorbike, which became known as the AWO 425 and of which around 210,000 were produced by 1961. in 1952, the company became state-owned and part of the GDR's industrial association for vehicle construction, specialising in the production of mopeds and mopeds, a sector in which SIMSON remained active until the end of the GDR. During this time, iconic models such as the Schwalbe and the S 50 were created. SIMSON mopeds were widely used in the GDR, with a significantly higher presence per capita compared to West Germany. In the 1960s and 1970s, SIMSON achieved significant production milestones, including the manufacture of the one millionth moped. The company was reorganised several times, and by the end of the 1980s the plant employed around 4,000 people.

In the second half of the 1990s, SIMSON endeavoured to expand its model range and present new developments. The company management decided to reintroduce the bird names from the GDR era. Despite the introduction of modern vehicles with automatic transmissions and sporty mopeds, the company experienced a difficult time with sluggish sales and technical difficulties with the new developments, including the SIMSON Schikra motorbike. The company had to file for insolvency in 2000.

Under a new investor, KONTEC, and a new name, SIMSON MOTORRAD GmbH & Co KG, the company attempted to make a fresh start with innovative developments in 125cc motorbikes and mopeds. However, these plans showed a clear misjudgement of the market and production in Suhl, as most sales resulted from old GDR models. in 2002, the company had to file for insolvency again and production was finally discontinued later that year. In ten years, only around 47,000 vehicles were sold, compared to almost 200,000 vehicles per year in the 1980s.

in 2003, MZA GmbH acquired the majority of SIMSON's assets and entered into an agreement to use the SIMSON brand name. Unlike previous Simson companies, MZA does not manufacture new vehicles, but instead focuses on the production of spare parts and engines for SIMSON models. Production has been taking place at a newly built site in Meiningen since 2019. Parallel to these developments, Simson Gewerbepark GmbH was founded, which manages the real estate of the former production facilities and owns the brand rights.

SIMSON model history

In addition to cars, bicycles, mopeds, mopeds and motorbikes, Simson also launched a number of scooters on the market.

• 1958 to 1964: Simson KR 50 / number of units: 164,500

• 1964 to 1986: Simson KR 51 "Schwalbe" / number of units: more than 1,000,000

• 1986 to 2002: Simson SR50 / number of units: approx. 220,000

• 1996 to 2000: Simson Star 50 / number of units: unknown

SIMSON Models at SIP Scootershop

• S51 50 ccm 2T AC '80-'89

• S53 50 ccm 2T AC '90-'02

• S70 70 ccm 2T AC '83-'88

• S83 70 cc 2T AC '91-'96