Editing Ligier (section)

==History==

The firm entered the automobile business with the [[Ligier JS2]], a mid-engined [[sports car]] for the road initially powered by a Ford V6 and from 1971 by the same Maserati V6 engine as the [[Citroën SM]]. The JS2 was considered by many as a well-designed car with a very good [[power-to-weight ratio]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} The Ligier motorcars were all designated with the prefix "JS" in honour of Ligier's great friend and cohort [[Jo Schlesser]] who was killed in the [[1968 French Grand Prix]] while driving for [[Honda F1|Honda]]. The final SMs were also produced in the Ligier factory in [[Vichy]].<ref name=Cnet1>{{cite web | url = http://www.citroenet.org.uk/passenger-cars/michelin/sm/sm-15.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190101182417/http://www.citroenet.org.uk/passenger-cars/michelin/sm/sm-15.html | archive-date = 2019-01-01 | title = Citroën SM-powered Ligier JS2 | work = Citroënët | last = Marsh | first = Julian }}</ref> The [[1973 energy crisis]] caused such a decline in the market for the JS2 that production ceased soon after, and the firm changed its focus to [[microcar]]s, beginning with the 1980 [[moped]]-powered [[Ligier JS4]].

One of the world's first experimental prototypes of [[automatic parking|automatic parallel parking]] was developed on a Ligier [[electric vehicle|electric car]] at [[INRIA]] in the mid-1990s.<ref name=Paromtchik-ICRA-1998>
{{cite conference
| last1=Paromtchik | first1= Igor
| last2=Laugier | first2=Christian
| title= Automatic Parallel Parking and Returning to Traffic
| book-title=Video Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
| location=Leuven, Belgium
| date=May 1998
| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yS_inHMJJI
 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/6yS_inHMJJI| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| access-date=5 May 2015}}{{cbignore}}
</ref>

In September 2008, Ligier Automobiles completed its acquisition of Beneteau Group's [[Microcar (brand)|Microcar]] division, with financing provided by [[21 Investimenti Partners]]. Phillipe Ligier, son of the company's founder, remains as CEO. The Ligier and Microcar brands are to retain their separate identities and manufacturing facilities. The merger creates Europe's second largest microcar manufacturer (after Daimler's [[Smart (automobile)|Smart unit]], if one considers that a microcar), and largest manufacturer of drivers license-exempt vehicles.

In 2011, Ligier launched the Duè brand, intended to market lightweight quadricycles at a lower price with a low-cost philosophy. The first model was the Dué First, which was essentially a revised version of the previous Microcar MC1 with simplified design and features to lower the price.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://journalauto.com/constructeurs/due-first-lalternative-a-petit-prix/|title=Dué First, l'alternative à petit prix ! Publié |date=28 March 2011|language=French}}</ref> After just two years, the Duè brand was integrated into the [[Microcar]] range, another brand of the Ligier Group, and the Microcar Dué, a specific and new model, was launched.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.challenges.fr/automobile/essais/due-ii-une-voiture-sans-permis-plutot-due_139408|title=Dué II, une voiture sans-permis plutôt Dué|date=9 April 2014 |language=French}}</ref>

In August 2018, Ligier teased a new road-going sports car to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The car will be built in collaboration with Onroak. It will feature a 3.7 liter V6 producing approximately 330&nbsp;hp, and a 6-speed manual transmission. It will be homologated to FIA E II-SH regulation. More details are to be released in September 2018, and it is expected to go on sale in November 2018 at a price of €89,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gtplanet.net/ligier-looking-to-celebrate-its-50th-anniversary-with-a-new-sports-car/|title=Ligier Looking to Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary With a New Sports Car|date=3 August 2018|website=gtplanet.net|access-date=6 August 2018}}</ref>

In 2023, Ligier launches its first electric quadricycle, Mily.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/en-images-la-myli-premiere-voiture-electrique-sans-permis-de-ligier-9214095|title= La Myli, première voiture électrique sans permis de Ligier|date=17 May 2023|language= French}}</ref>

In January 2025, Ligier announced the closure of the Montaigu-Vendée factory, concentrating all production at the Abrest (historic headquarters) plant.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/montaigu-ligier-constructeur-de-voitures-sans-permis-va-se-separer-de-la-quasi-totalite-de-ses-salaries-vendeens-4606710|title= Montaigu : Ligier, constructeur de voitures sans permis, va supprimer la quasi-totalité de ses emplois vendéens|date=9 January 2025|language=French}}</ref>