New-Map

New-Map was a French powered-vehicle manufacturer associated with Lyon and active principally from the early 1920s through the post-war period. The business developed from a bicycle plant established by Joseph Martin near the end of the nineteenth century. His son, Paul Martin, initiated the production of powered vehicles at the plant, turning the family bicycle enterprise toward motorcycles and, later, compact automobiles and utility vehicles. New-Map's motorcycle activity relied heavily on engines purchased from specialist suppliers rather than on a single proprietary power unit. Engines from AMC, Blackburne, J.A.P., MAG, and Ydral were used across the company's products. This supplier-based approach was characteristic of many smaller European motorcycle manufacturers, which assembled complete vehicles while adapting commercially available engines to their own frames and equipment. New-Map consequently occupied a niche in the French market rather than competing with the scale and resources of the country's largest motorcycle producers. The company expanded into very small cars shortly before the Second World War. Its New Map Baby was a two-seat microcar with an open body and an extremely simple mechanical layout. Approximately 90 examples were built between 1938 and 1939, using 100 cc Sachs engines. Production was interrupted by the war. It resumed in 1946, when France's difficult economic conditions created demand for inexpensive, lightweight transport. The post-war Baby retained much of the pre-war design and its existing tooling, but used a 125 cc Aubier-Dunne engine. Contemporary accounts describe a front-end treatment that resembled the Matford automobile design of the period. In 1947, production moved to Clermont-Ferrand and the car was renamed Rolux. The power unit changed to a 125 cc Ydral engine, with a 175 cc Ydral option becoming available later. Around 300 Baby and Rolux vehicles were produced altogether. Their limited production reflected the company's small scale and the increasingly competitive post-war European car market, where larger manufacturers were developing more practical and mass-produced small cars. New-Map also produced the Solyto, a compact three-wheeled delivery vehicle. Solyto production began in 1952 and continued under the New-Map name through 1974, although the company's main Lyon-based vehicle business is generally described as operating from 1920 to 1956. The Solyto was designed for light commercial use and underwent several mechanical revisions. Early examples used a 125 cc Ultima engine and a four-speed manual transmission. In 1960, New-Map adopted a 125 cc Sotecma engine and replaced the conventional gearbox with a belt-driven torque converter developed by the company. Persistent engine-supply problems led New-Map to develop its own 125 cc power unit in 1964. The engine incorporated selected Gnome et Rhône D4 components, including the cylinder, cylinder head, piston, and part of the crankcase, while other elements were purpose-built for the Solyto. It used electronic capacitor-discharge ignition and was paired with the belt-driven torque-converter system. Later Solyto versions introduced a Dynastart starter-generator and offered forward-only or reversible starting arrangements. The reversible system allowed the vehicle to move in reverse at approximately the same engine-speed-based performance as when moving forward, providing a distinctive solution for a small delivery vehicle. Approximately 3,000 Solytos were built in total. The vehicle was also manufactured under licence in Spain by Delfín. New-Map is now a defunct historical marque remembered primarily for its motorcycles, the Baby and Rolux microcars, and the technically unusual Solyto delivery tricycle.

New-Map grew out of a French bicycle-manufacturing business established by Joseph Martin toward the end of the nineteenth century. The transition from bicycles to powered vehicles was led by his son, Paul Martin, who initiated motorcycle and small-vehicle production at the family plant. The powered-vehicle business operated from Lyon from approximately 1920, making New-Map part of France's extensive network of small motorcycle manufacturers that served local and regional markets during the interwar period. The company's motorcycles generally used engines supplied by outside specialists. Known suppliers included AMC, Blackburne, J.A.P., MAG, and Ydral. New-Map's role was therefore principally that of a vehicle designer, assembler, and manufacturer integrating purchased engines into its own products. This strategy allowed a relatively small company to offer several powered vehicles without the cost of designing a full range of engines internally. New-Map entered the microcar sector in 1938 with the Baby. The vehicle was a very small, open two-seater powered by a 100 cc Sachs engine. Roughly 90 cars were made in 1938 and 1939 before wartime conditions brought production to a halt. After the war, the company revived the design in response to the demand for inexpensive transport in a weakened French economy. The post-war version used a 125 cc Aubier-Dunne engine and was among the earliest French microcars to return to production after the war. Existing tooling and the established design enabled New-Map to restart relatively quickly, although the vehicle remained a small-volume product. In 1947, manufacture moved to Clermont-Ferrand, and the car was renamed Rolux. The new version used a 125 cc Ydral engine, with a 175 cc Ydral engine later available. The Baby and Rolux together reached a total production of approximately 300 vehicles. The program illustrates both New-Map's attempt to broaden its business beyond motorcycles and the limitations of small independent manufacturers in a market increasingly shaped by larger automobile companies. The Solyto became New-Map's principal utility-vehicle product. Introduced in 1952, it was a three-wheeled delivery vehicle intended for short-distance commercial transport. Early Solytos used a 125 cc Ultima engine and a four-speed manual gearbox. In 1960, the company switched to a 125 cc Sotecma engine and introduced a belt-driven torque converter of its own design, eliminating the need for a conventional gearbox. Engine availability remained a recurring problem. In 1964, New-Map responded by producing its own 125 cc Solyto engine. The unit combined selected components derived from the Gnome et Rhône D4, including the cylinder, head, piston, and part of the crankcase, with newly made components and a new electronic ignition system. The engine continued to use the belt-driven torque converter. Starting arrangements evolved from a pull rope to a Dynastart starter-generator. Versions could be specified for forward-only operation or for reversible engine rotation, which gave the Solyto a practical reverse function and made it unusual among small production vehicles of its time. The main New-Map business is commonly described as operating in Lyon from 1920 to 1956, while Solyto production continued until 1974. About 3,000 Solytos were produced overall, and the vehicle was also built under licence in Spain by Delfín. New-Map's history therefore spans several stages: a family bicycle origin, interwar motorcycle manufacturing, a short-lived post-war microcar program, and a longer-lived specialist utility-vehicle line. The marque is defunct, but its products remain relevant to the history of French cyclecars, microcars, and light commercial tricycles.

• 1974

  Solyto production period ends

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  The documented production period for the Solyto concluded after approximately 3,000 vehicles had been built.

• 1964

  New-Map develops a Solyto engine

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  Supply problems prompted New-Map to produce a 125 cc engine using selected Gnome et Rhône D4-derived components and electronic ignition.

• 1960

  Solyto adopts Sotecma engine and torque converter

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  The Solyto changed to a 125 cc Sotecma engine and a New-Map belt-driven torque converter.

• 1952

  Solyto delivery tricycle introduced

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  New-Map began producing the Solyto, a compact three-wheeled delivery vehicle.

• 1947

  Baby production moves and becomes Rolux

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  Manufacture transferred to Clermont-Ferrand, and the microcar was renamed Rolux; Ydral engines were adopted.

• 1946

  Post-war Baby production resumes

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  Production restarted after the war with a 125 cc Aubier-Dunne engine.

• 1938

  New Map Baby enters production

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  The company began producing its small open two-seat Baby microcar with a 100 cc Sachs engine.

• 1920

  Powered-vehicle production begins in Lyon

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Martin initiated New-Map's motorcycle and small-vehicle activity at the Lyon plant.

• Family bicycle plant established

  [1]New-Mapen.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Martin established the bicycle plant from which the later New-Map powered-vehicle business developed.

A small-scale French manufacturer focused on lightweight, economical personal transport and compact delivery vehicles.

• Motorcycles · 1920

  New-Map motorcycles

  New-Map produced motorcycles from its Lyon operation beginning in the early 1920s. The motorcycles used engines purchased from specialist suppliers, including AMC, Blackburne, J.A.P., MAG, and Ydral. The use of several engine sources reflects the practices of smaller European manufacturers, which built complete motorcycles around commercially available power units rather than relying on one internally developed engine family.

• Microcar · 1938

  New Map Baby

  The Baby was a very small, open-topped two-seat car. Approximately 90 were produced in 1938 and 1939 with 100 cc Sachs engines. After wartime interruption, production resumed in 1946 with a 125 cc Aubier-Dunne engine. The post-war version retained much of the earlier design and tooling and was intended to provide economical transport in France's difficult post-war market.

• Microcar · 1947

  Rolux

  Rolux was the renamed and relocated continuation of the New Map Baby after production moved to Clermont-Ferrand in 1947. It used 125 cc Ydral engines, with a 175 cc Ydral version later available. Total Baby and Rolux production was approximately 300 vehicles, making the model a historically notable but low-volume French microcar.

• Three-wheeled delivery vehicle · 1952

  Solyto

  Solyto was a compact three-wheeled delivery vehicle produced from 1952 to 1974, with approximately 3,000 examples built. Early vehicles used a 125 cc Ultima engine and four-speed manual gearbox. Later versions used a Sotecma engine and New-Map's belt-driven torque converter. From 1964, New-Map used its own 125 cc engine incorporating selected Gnome et Rhône D4 components. Later Dynastart systems included a reversible configuration that provided reverse travel by reversing engine rotation. The vehicle was also produced under licence in Spain by Delfín.

• 1964

  In-house Solyto engine developmentStrategy

  Background

  Repeated supply difficulties with externally sourced engines affected the Solyto program.

  Action taken

  New-Map developed its own 125 cc engine using selected Gnome et Rhône D4-derived components, bespoke parts, and electronic ignition.

  Aftermath

  The Solyto received a more internally controlled powertrain while retaining the belt-driven torque converter; later vehicles added Dynastart starting systems.

  Source

• 1960

  Solyto drivetrain revisionGeneration change

  Background

  New-Map changed the Solyto's engine supplier and sought to simplify the vehicle's transmission system.

  Action taken

  The company adopted a 125 cc Sotecma engine and its own belt-driven torque converter in place of the earlier four-speed gearbox.

  Aftermath

  The Solyto continued as a compact utility vehicle with a continuously variable-style belt transmission arrangement.

  Source

• 1947

  Relocation and renaming of the microcarStrategy

  Background

  New-Map continued its microcar program after the war while adapting the production arrangement and product identity.

  Action taken

  Production moved to Clermont-Ferrand and the New Map Baby was renamed Rolux, with Ydral engines adopted.

  Aftermath

  The Baby and Rolux program produced approximately 300 vehicles in total.

  Source

1. 1New-Mapen.wikipedia.org